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FUNDAMENTALS OF GAME DESIGN AND GAME PLAYWHAT IS GAME DESIGN?

Presented By:

Sayed AhmedBSc. Eng. in CSc. And Eng.MSc. in CSc.

ConsultantJust E.T.C Technologies Inc., www.justETC.netWinnipeg, [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

DEFINE GAME DESIGN It’s a process that involves

Imagining a game Define how it will work (the story, the interaction,

the rules) Define the elements of the game

Conceptual Functional Artistic Others….

Communicate the idea to the design team What does a game designer do?

Perform all the above tasks 3

Just E. T. C. [email protected]

DESIGN ARTS OR SCIENCE Neither purely arts nor purely science The imagining of ideas and concepts, and

making the game aesthetic belong to Arts However, to be a great game, the game also

needs to function well. Though it’s not purely science but to implement the functionality, concepts from science and math are highly used

Games are crafts with highest possible level of elegance

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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGN Game design is

creative and imaginative where inherent talent also plays a very important role

And hence, Game design cannot be represented as strict step by step procedure or rules or processes

However, game design is not a random process either (knowingly or unknowingly). We may be able to identify some similarities

(common/basic components/concepts/principles) in the successful games (may be genre dependent)

And device some common principles that hopefully will lead to good game design

Can work as guidelines for the novices (or checklist for the more experienced) 5


KEY ELEMENTS OF GAMES As there is no perfect rule One way of seeing game design is

Identifying common elements in a genre of games And Create games in that genre with similar elements

but different story, or graphics goals Or find out the genre of your game concept, identify

the common elements of that genre, compare, think, innovate. Make the game more interesting

Your ideas, stories can be great but it also needs to have some of those common and useful elements

Publishers usually do not go for the very innovative ideas but want the idea similar to a recent hit with some more twists

The successful games are successful – there is a reason behind this 6


KEY ELEMENTS OF GAME Common elements Rules of the game (your concept should have rules) The player’s role The challenges …. Two games can have many common elements but

different settings, rules, strategies, and balancing Many games have the same/similar play mechanics

but with different graphics Identifying common elements

does not to encourage you to imitate/create cookie-cutter games

but to ensure that all essential elements are covered 7


GROUND RULES FOR GAME DESIGN Game design can be broken in three specific

area Core mechanics Storytelling Interactivity Core mechanics Storytelling All game has a story

The game itself can be a story like princess of Persia The player can create the story (the way he plays and

reaches the goal) Talk about Narrative and non – narrative No story, the player creates the story Linear narrative, non linear narrative

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INTERACTIVITY Define how the interactivity will work

Graphics Sounds User Interface

Poor interactivity can ruin a game Wire wind for example

Use right click, icon based menus, select options to proceed

Interactivity includes the user interface as well Sonic the Hedgehog, and Mario 64 for Wii

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IMPORTANCE OF DESIGN DOCUMENT All game companies now want a design

document to be written The design document may not include all

ideas but can write down the decisions Many ideas come from lunch meetings If a feature is not written down

Someone has to create it on the fly Different team member may work to different goals

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TYPES OF DESIGN DOCUMENTS High Concept (2-4) pages Game treatment (10-20 pages) Game script (50-200 pages)

High Concept (2-4) pages Got a great game idea? Write a high concept

document. Will be used to express the idea to the publishers to fund the game

Covers Premise of the game Intended audience Genre 11


GAME DESIGN DOCUMENT Game Treatment

Analysis of the Competition How your game is different A document to sale your game Some business and development details

Game Script Bible of the game Game design decisions Creative, conceptual, and functional Does not include how the game will be implemented

in software The design document may help you to play the games

in paper – brainstorm, get feedbacks A cheaper way to evaluate the game

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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGNER Requires both

Talent Skill

Skill Set Imagination

Still if you do not have a talent for it, you can grow and improve (through exercise of imaginations)

Forms of Imagination Visual and auditory Dramatic

Good character plot, motivation, emotion, climaxes, and outcomes

Conceptual Relationship between ideas, their interactions, and

dependencies Basic knowledge of the technical capabilities of the platform

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ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGNER Analytical Competence

Able to recognize good part and bad part of a design.

Self criticize and improve Take opinions, and process those opinions

Mathematical Competence Some math concepts are essential

Aesthetic Competence Writing Skills

Technical Writing Fiction Writing

Manual, Background Material, Character Description Dialog Writing

Audio voice cover and cinematic materials14


ANATOMY OF GAME DESIGNER Drawing Skills Ability to Compromise

Consider customer or publisher interests and adjust

Compromise to the limitation of the platform

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REFERENCES Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd Edition,

Ernest Adams, Prentice Hall, 2006, ISBN-10: 0131687476. ISBN-13: 978-0131687479

http://computer.justetc.net

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