I just finished reading an article on Gamasutra on Formal Abstract Design Tools (FADT) and I have spent a little time writing up some notes on the subject. Again like previous notes these will be a direct copy of my hand written scribbles so please feel free to build off ideas (I hope to post my views more fully after my discussion about the article tomorrow)
Notes:-
All aspects of game development are improving exponentially without limits but game design is far slower.
Game Designers have no clear definitions to its vocabulary. Where doctors know the Latin names for different parts of the body, 'Fun' and 'Not Fun' can be discussed but never really go any further than that in terms of definition.
After new games are analysed by teams, things are taken away, stolen etc but overall remain mostly shallow and leaps forward in game design are few and far between.
Some definitions are described as concrete such as 'Jump', as this means pretty much one thing from one person to another. Others such as 'Cool' are much more open to interpretation from both the person using it and the person hearing or reading it.
Abstract words are tools, not building blocks. "You build a house out of bricks not tools" Using the right tools for the job are crucial as not every tools is required every time.
"Mario 64"
Mario 64 was picked apart to find its core and see what makes the game a success.
Game Play - Open world exploration with a guided story (section by section)
The player spends most of his time deciding what to do rather than getting themselves unstuck. Levels are laid out in such a way that most of the area is seen on the first play through. Future goals and interactions are implied by the apparent hollow red squares and floating (currently inaccessible) platforms and even obvious additional stars on the initial route.
Simple controls = Solid game play
Power ups are slowly implemented and usually build on a pre existing idea or action in the game.
A constant game world means that when a player fails, they can see where they went wrong and act on the information the next time they attempt that task.
In RPG's such as Final Fantasy VII, you can be offered an decision such as "help the evil wizard" or "don't help the evil wizard" and then if you chose help him, the following negative consequences feel as though they are a direct reaction to the players action. however if a player is just told that he helped the wizard and bad things happened because of it, the player can feel cheated. This can be worked around by creating an illusion of choice or by moving the focus of player control (action/reaction) into another aspect of the game such as fighting.
FADT is a framework designed to help aid designers progress and develop better games. Knowing what game you want to build at first helps you chose the right tools for the job. FADT helps the designer craft the player experience they want.
Thursday, 24 October 2013
My Notes On Costikyan
Last week I read a piece by Costikyan and here are a few of my notes (I'm still getting used to note taking but in the interest of transparency ill put what I've written down without modifying it):-
He first heard the term 'Game play' in 1982, he then goes on to state that "The term game play is nebulous, its like saying 'A good book'"
"The Game is Plastic" the term is used to explain that games can be used with any medium and fit any age etc.
"Interaction"
Games = Not Static, they change with players actions.
Puzzles = Static, stable logic structure to be solved with the help of clues.
Some games however are just a sequence of puzzles. Zork is "A game with strong puzzle elements"
"If its not interactive, its not a game!"
Snakes and ladders has no meaningful decisions, just dice rolls which = pure luck
Every game is an interactive game, otherwise its just a puzzle...
"Goals"
Interaction is a choice - Decision making is interaction with purpose.
At any point the game state is assessed, possible outcomes weighed up and a decision is made.
Willwright called Sim City a "Software Toy"
The game is not intrinsic in the toy. It is a set of player defined objectives overlay'd on the toy itself.
Sim City = Success because it had lots of goals
Sim Earth = Fail because it only had one goal
In games such as RPG's a goal is to get better and improve your character.
"Struggle"
Competition = Struggle, Without struggle the game gets boring fast.
"Plucky Lil England"
Ur-Story = Protagonist has a goal, Faces obstacles A, B, C, D. He struggles to overcome them in turn, growing as a person as he does so. These struggles do not need to be a villain.
"Structure"
E, Zimmerman "Games are structures of desire" "Makes games sound like a whore house"
Children often make up games, e.g. Cops and Robbers
Modern pen and paper RPG's and children's make believe are very similar, only major difference is that an RPG has more structure with the inclusion of a Game Master.
Rules are voluntary agreements you enter into willingly.
Small Changes (Iterations) can have a massive affect on player behaviour.
He first heard the term 'Game play' in 1982, he then goes on to state that "The term game play is nebulous, its like saying 'A good book'"
"The Game is Plastic" the term is used to explain that games can be used with any medium and fit any age etc.
"Interaction"
Games = Not Static, they change with players actions.
Puzzles = Static, stable logic structure to be solved with the help of clues.
Some games however are just a sequence of puzzles. Zork is "A game with strong puzzle elements"
"If its not interactive, its not a game!"
Snakes and ladders has no meaningful decisions, just dice rolls which = pure luck
Every game is an interactive game, otherwise its just a puzzle...
"Goals"
Interaction is a choice - Decision making is interaction with purpose.
At any point the game state is assessed, possible outcomes weighed up and a decision is made.
Willwright called Sim City a "Software Toy"
The game is not intrinsic in the toy. It is a set of player defined objectives overlay'd on the toy itself.
Sim City = Success because it had lots of goals
Sim Earth = Fail because it only had one goal
In games such as RPG's a goal is to get better and improve your character.
"Struggle"
Competition = Struggle, Without struggle the game gets boring fast.
"Plucky Lil England"
Ur-Story = Protagonist has a goal, Faces obstacles A, B, C, D. He struggles to overcome them in turn, growing as a person as he does so. These struggles do not need to be a villain.
"Structure"
E, Zimmerman "Games are structures of desire" "Makes games sound like a whore house"
Children often make up games, e.g. Cops and Robbers
Modern pen and paper RPG's and children's make believe are very similar, only major difference is that an RPG has more structure with the inclusion of a Game Master.
Rules are voluntary agreements you enter into willingly.
Small Changes (Iterations) can have a massive affect on player behaviour.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Paidea Vs Ludus
I recently had a lecture which covered the difference between Paidea and Ludus games. Paidea (literally play) are games which are played for the fun of it. They exist for no other reason than to entertain and give pleasure to those who play them.
They are less constrained by rules and usually the goals of playing such game (if any) are set by the player in their imagination. For instance bouncing a ball or playing catch with someone.
Ludus games are governed by rules and usually have a clear and decisive objective or goal. These can include competitive sports games such as tennis, rugby or football.
Looking at video games I find that a lot of games can laps into either category or even distinctly jump between the two. Sandbox games such as Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause and Saints Row have a clear and defined mission/challenge lay out with the true goal laying at the end of these missions.
This form of play in my eyes is defiantly ludus as it is governed by a clear set of rules and goal conditions. However all three allow you, at almost any time between missions, to explore the sandbox world around you and interact with it in any way you want (within the confines of the programming of course).
This type of play I be leave is firmly within the realms of paidea.
This also bring up the question of whether or not a video game can ever truly be paidea. I mean its all well and good giving the player a sandbox environment to play in but ultimately you are still a slave to the rules of the system. You can't do anything that the programmers have not pre determined possible unless you somehow manage to brake the game, in which case, you have a broken game, usually ending up rewarded with a frozen screen and an irritating buzzing sound!
There are also several different sub-category's for defining games that can be used. These are:
Agon: Short for Agony. This literally means the struggle of competition. An example of this would be Team Fortress where two teams are constantly battling it out for supremacy.
Alea: Refers to games of chance or randomness such as card or dice games. Card games can also be agon seeing as you are playing against either another player or the dealer to win.
Ilinx: Means movement or vertigo. These games are ones that involve getting from A-B such as Mario and Sonic.
Mimicry: Is simulation, role-play or make-believe. Games such as the Sims and black and white fall into this category for me.
Also many games contain a mixture of these definitions. For example Minecraft is a sandbox game where you can make pretty much anything you can imagine (as long as its made of meter cubed blocks) This makes it a Padiea game, however you can travel in game to "The End" a different realm where a dragon lays in wait. To "complete" this game you can kill him which then make the game Ludus as you are playing towards a predefined goal.
The game itself also has elements of Mimicry as the game is ultimately a sandbox simulator where you play a guy cast into the wilderness with nothing but his hands to survive. From there you progress to collect materials for creating your house or shelter and tools for further gathering (I make it sound so boring but its easy to loose many hours this way without even realising)
Then when night falls monsters come out to hunt you. This then make the game more about survival then creating so it changes to include agon. I could include ilinx as the game involves a lot of movement and exploration and alea as the terrain and its available resources are randomly generated on creating the world but these are reaching a bit far :)
They are less constrained by rules and usually the goals of playing such game (if any) are set by the player in their imagination. For instance bouncing a ball or playing catch with someone.
Ludus games are governed by rules and usually have a clear and decisive objective or goal. These can include competitive sports games such as tennis, rugby or football.
Looking at video games I find that a lot of games can laps into either category or even distinctly jump between the two. Sandbox games such as Grand Theft Auto, Just Cause and Saints Row have a clear and defined mission/challenge lay out with the true goal laying at the end of these missions.
This form of play in my eyes is defiantly ludus as it is governed by a clear set of rules and goal conditions. However all three allow you, at almost any time between missions, to explore the sandbox world around you and interact with it in any way you want (within the confines of the programming of course).
This type of play I be leave is firmly within the realms of paidea.
This also bring up the question of whether or not a video game can ever truly be paidea. I mean its all well and good giving the player a sandbox environment to play in but ultimately you are still a slave to the rules of the system. You can't do anything that the programmers have not pre determined possible unless you somehow manage to brake the game, in which case, you have a broken game, usually ending up rewarded with a frozen screen and an irritating buzzing sound!
There are also several different sub-category's for defining games that can be used. These are:
Agon: Short for Agony. This literally means the struggle of competition. An example of this would be Team Fortress where two teams are constantly battling it out for supremacy.
Alea: Refers to games of chance or randomness such as card or dice games. Card games can also be agon seeing as you are playing against either another player or the dealer to win.
Ilinx: Means movement or vertigo. These games are ones that involve getting from A-B such as Mario and Sonic.
Mimicry: Is simulation, role-play or make-believe. Games such as the Sims and black and white fall into this category for me.
Also many games contain a mixture of these definitions. For example Minecraft is a sandbox game where you can make pretty much anything you can imagine (as long as its made of meter cubed blocks) This makes it a Padiea game, however you can travel in game to "The End" a different realm where a dragon lays in wait. To "complete" this game you can kill him which then make the game Ludus as you are playing towards a predefined goal.
The game itself also has elements of Mimicry as the game is ultimately a sandbox simulator where you play a guy cast into the wilderness with nothing but his hands to survive. From there you progress to collect materials for creating your house or shelter and tools for further gathering (I make it sound so boring but its easy to loose many hours this way without even realising)
Then when night falls monsters come out to hunt you. This then make the game more about survival then creating so it changes to include agon. I could include ilinx as the game involves a lot of movement and exploration and alea as the terrain and its available resources are randomly generated on creating the world but these are reaching a bit far :)
Friday, 4 October 2013
An Excerpt From The Art of Games Design, My Thoughts
I've just finished reading a chapter from Jesse Schell's The Art of Game Design: A Book of Tenses.
The chapter covered some of the key prerequisites and skills helpful to a game designer. I love reading this kind of writing, its really informative but charmingly witty and personal at the same time.
My favourite section was on listening. It was all about how we as game designers need to read between the lines, take into account what is not being said as well as what is, and not to block out criticism or negative feed back from players, team member or even yourself.
There is a quote from Herman Hesse which I particularly like:
The chapter covered some of the key prerequisites and skills helpful to a game designer. I love reading this kind of writing, its really informative but charmingly witty and personal at the same time.
My favourite section was on listening. It was all about how we as game designers need to read between the lines, take into account what is not being said as well as what is, and not to block out criticism or negative feed back from players, team member or even yourself.
There is a quote from Herman Hesse which I particularly like:
"To listen with a silent heart, with a waiting, open soul. Without passion, without desire, without judgement, without rebuke."
I also enjoyed reading about the "gifts" which are referred to as minor (the natural born skill) and the major (the love and passion for the work). It helped inspire me by reminding us that even if you lack the skill, the passion will drive you to develop yourself to a point where you can surpass the naturally gifted.
" If you have the major gift, the love of designing games, you will design games using whatever limited skills you have. And you will keep doing it, And your love for the work will shine through, infusing your work with an indescribable glow that only comes from the love of doing it. And through practice, your game design skills, like muscles, will grow and become more powerful, until eventually your skills will be as great, or greater than, those of someone who only has the minor gift."
I AM A GAME DESIGNER!!!
Interview Time! (Some little bits about me)
Hi there!
So yesterday I was tasked with interviewing, and in turn being interviewed by, Mr Tom Kedik. Tom conducted himself, as usual, in full character for the entire task which is always fun :)
Here are my questions and answers, transcribed from Tom's notes which he passed on to me after the interview:
Tom: What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading?
Darren: That would be 'Death Note Volume 1', which is a manga collection about a boy who finds a note book which kills anyone who's name is written inside. Its very Japanese in its craziness which is why I love it.
Tom: What is the title and topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading?
Darren: The non-fiction book I'm currently reading is 'Challenges For Games Designers'. Great book with lots of information and non digital challenges that I can do either on my own or with others to improve many skills within Games Design. Glad I bought it!
Tom: What was the last live performance you went to see?
Darren: The last live performance I went to see was my 6 year old sisters dance recital. She got trapped on the wrong side of the curtains..... It was cute and I laughed..... (Sorry Emily)
Tom: What was the title of the last film you saw at the cinema?
Darren: I watched 'Pain and Gain' with Dwayne 'THE ROCK' Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. Great film, loved every second of it. Could not stop laughing!
Tom: How often do you read the news paper?
Darren: I hate world events and live in a bubble (not what I said but Tom saw fit to wright this instead..... Thanks Tom)
Tom: Which art gallery / exhibition did you last visit?
Darren: The last exhibition I visited was Eurogamer Expo but before that was the British Art Museum. I popped in to use the facility's while visiting London and ended up being drawn in for a few hours :)
Tom: How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
Darren: At the moment only about 5 or 6 hours a week due to starting university and being social for fresher's week. hopefully I'll be able to top that up soon with the new GTA and Legend of Zelda games on my shelf ready to suck hours of my life away in what will feel like a mere few minuets.
Tom: And lastly how many hours a week do you spend playing other, non-digital, games
Darren: Again currently only about 5 hours a week due to adjustments with uni life and that's mostly on pen and paper role playing games. Though again I would like to push this up a bit with more table top and board games.
So yesterday I was tasked with interviewing, and in turn being interviewed by, Mr Tom Kedik. Tom conducted himself, as usual, in full character for the entire task which is always fun :)
Here are my questions and answers, transcribed from Tom's notes which he passed on to me after the interview:
Tom: What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading?
Darren: That would be 'Death Note Volume 1', which is a manga collection about a boy who finds a note book which kills anyone who's name is written inside. Its very Japanese in its craziness which is why I love it.
Tom: What is the title and topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading?
Darren: The non-fiction book I'm currently reading is 'Challenges For Games Designers'. Great book with lots of information and non digital challenges that I can do either on my own or with others to improve many skills within Games Design. Glad I bought it!
Tom: What was the last live performance you went to see?
Darren: The last live performance I went to see was my 6 year old sisters dance recital. She got trapped on the wrong side of the curtains..... It was cute and I laughed..... (Sorry Emily)
Tom: What was the title of the last film you saw at the cinema?
Darren: I watched 'Pain and Gain' with Dwayne 'THE ROCK' Johnson and Mark Wahlberg. Great film, loved every second of it. Could not stop laughing!
Tom: How often do you read the news paper?
Darren: I hate world events and live in a bubble (not what I said but Tom saw fit to wright this instead..... Thanks Tom)
Tom: Which art gallery / exhibition did you last visit?
Darren: The last exhibition I visited was Eurogamer Expo but before that was the British Art Museum. I popped in to use the facility's while visiting London and ended up being drawn in for a few hours :)
Tom: How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
Darren: At the moment only about 5 or 6 hours a week due to starting university and being social for fresher's week. hopefully I'll be able to top that up soon with the new GTA and Legend of Zelda games on my shelf ready to suck hours of my life away in what will feel like a mere few minuets.
Tom: And lastly how many hours a week do you spend playing other, non-digital, games
Darren: Again currently only about 5 hours a week due to adjustments with uni life and that's mostly on pen and paper role playing games. Though again I would like to push this up a bit with more table top and board games.
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