Chapter 2.

2
Game Design
Overview

 This introduction covers:

– Terms
– Concepts
– Approach
 All from a workaday viewpoint

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The Language of Games

 Debate continues over high-level views

 Lack of standard (concrete) definitions

– Game (Interactions to elicit emotions?)
– Play (Object of rule-bound play?)
– Aesthetics (Emotional responses during play?)
 High-level concepts tricky to articulate

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The Language of Games

 Why do we play?
 What is the nature of games?
– Not our focus in this class
 How is a game formed of parts?
– That’s what we care about here!
 Computer games are an art form
– The art of making interactive dynamic models!

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Games Exist in a Frame

 The border of a game’s context

– Inside the frame is in the game
– Outside the frame is real life
 The world of the interactive dynamic model
 Choices have outcomes in the frame
– Varying consequences/weights
– Meaningful choices!

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A Player-Game Model
 A model of the player – game relationship

PLAYER GAME

Mechanics Interface System

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Play Mechanics

 Gameplay
– Feelings of playing a particular game
– Activities engaged in a particular game
 (Play/game) Mechanics
– Specific to game activities
– “What the player does”
– “Core Mechanics” are the central activities

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Seven Stages of Action
(Don Norman, DOET)
T HE GAME
Intention Sequence of Execution of
to act action action sequence

Goals

Evaluating Interpreting Perceiving

interpretations perceptions states

 Execution  Evaluation
– Intention to act – Evaluating
– Sequence of action interpretations
– Interpreting perceptions
– Execution of action
– Perceiving states
sequence
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Designer and Player Models
 Systems are built from designer mental models
– Design models may only anticipate player goals
 Players build mental models from mechanics
– Based on interactions

Design User's
Model Model

Designer System User

System Image
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Goals and Objectives
Find sword Find sword
Kill dragon Rescue dragon
Rescue princess Kill princess

Designer System User

 Objectives and goals can differ

– Players goals reflect their understanding of the game
– Designers must consider how the game communicates
with players
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Aside: Resources

 Things used by agents to reach goals

 To be meaningful, they must be…
– Useful – provide some value
– Limited – in total or rate of supply
 KEY: Needed, but limited!

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Premise Sets Context for Model

 The metaphors of action and setting

– Concrete (e.g., Halo back-story)
– Activity based (e.g., Madden)
– Abstract (e.g., Tetris)
 Directs the player experience
– Provides a context in which mechanics fit
– Players map game states to the premise

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Player Strategy
Situation Action Result

 People usually reason with commonsense

– A view of linear causation – cause and effect
 Complex systems do not behave linearly
– Players need information to support linear strategy
 “Game theory” assumes rational players
– But does not assume perfect knowledge
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Aside: HCI and
Cognitive Ergonomics

 HCI – Human-Computer Interaction

– Study of…
• Communication between users and computers
• How people design, build, and use interfaces
• Better support for cooperative work
 Cognitive Ergonomics
– Analyzes the cognitive representations and
processes involved with performing tasks

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Norman, again (DOET = Design
of Everyday Things)
 Norman’s five principles of design
– Visibility
• Making the parts visible
– Mappings
• Understandable relationships between controls and actions
– Affordances
• The perceived uses of an object
– Constraints
• Prevent the user from doing things they shouldn’t
– Feedback
• Reporting what has been done and accomplished

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Systems Design
 Two general approaches to design
– Special case
• Experiences built one scene/level at a time
• Anticipate states while pre-scripting events
• Solved by discovering the intentions of the designer
– Systemic
• General behaviors are designed
• Scenes/Levels are specific configurations
• Some events may still be pre-scripted
• Solved by understanding the system

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Systems and Dynamics

 Generalizing dynamic behavior is hard

– Dynamics determined by a given architecture
– Feedback/control loops with player in loop
 Emergent complexity
– Behaviors that cannot be predicted simply from
the rules of a system
– E.g., John Conway’s Game of Life

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Systems and Feedback
 Positive feedback
– Destabilizes the game
– Rewards the winner
– Can end the game
– Magnifies early successes
 Negative feedback
– Stabilizes the game
– Forgives the loser
– Prolongs the game
– Magnifies late successes

goal

Positive Feedback Negative Feedback

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Design is all about Working within
Constraints!

 E.g., Platform
– General description of hardware and software
 E.g., Game Saves
– Save triggers
– Save-anywhere
– Save points
– Coded text saves

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Design to Different Audiences
 Why We Play Games – Nicole Lazzaro
– Internal experience
• Enjoyment from visceral activities
– Hard fun
• Challenge of strategy and problem solving
– Easy fun
• Intrigue and curiosity – exploration and adventure
– Social experience
• Stimulating social faculties – competition, teamwork, bonding, and
recognition

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Rest of Chapter

 Creativity Section: Brainstorming

– Generating ideas without discrimination
– Evaluation after elaboration
– Can be unfocused
 Communication and Psychology
– Useful tidbits
– Lots of courses, books, etc.

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