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Instructors: Magy Seif El-Nasr, Eric YangTeaching Assistant: Ai Nakatani
Class OverviewLearn by doing (design,
develop, test, prototype cycle)
Learn about tools
Learn to Critique other’s work
Developinga game
Lab assignments
Blogs (individual assignment)
What would you learn?Why games work, Game design principles
(what?)Interaction modelsBalanceFeedbackMotivationImmersion
Design and Development cycle (how?)Tools: rendering engines, game engines,
prototyping tools
Books Tracy Fullerton’s Book:Game Design Workshop: Designing,
Prototyping, and Playtesting. 2004
Structure Lectures:
more on how-tos rather than theory (that is IAT 312)
Labs Lab tutorialLab assignment
Presentations Quick Be preparedSend us presentations before class (MUST)
Schedule Course webpage:
http://www.sfu.ca/~magy/courses/IAT410-Fall07/index.html
Tentative at: http://www.sfu.ca/~magy/courses/IAT410-
Fall07/schedule.htmlThis is where you go for DUES and UPDATES
GradingProject
Group of 5 (individual grade: weekly assessment, and attendance)
45% on deliverables 5% Concept presentation (individual) 15% paper prototype, testing doc, and presentation 15% prototype, testing doc, and presentation 10% final game, testing doc, and presentation
20% labs30% critiques (on ur blogs)5% weekly assessment
IMPORTANTAll deadline are to be submitted before the
class, i.e. Monday midnight
Send all assignments, presentations, and documentations by email to [email protected] with subject [IAT-410], all emails without this subject will be ignored.
Note about LABS, no email necessary (check marked)
1. Setup blog for this class and email me the link (easy?)DUE Monday 9/10, 11:59p
2. Game Concept – Presented and Voted onDUE Monday 9/17, 11:59pPresented in labs, 9/18
3. No labs or lecture next week, get ready for the concept competition
How to present your game idea?
How do you design a good game?Do a lot of researchHave a good teamTest, test, testPrototypes (small, use all tools possible)You can use some of the frameworks around:
MDA framework (this week’s labs)Game balance, fit to an old model (e.g. rock,
paper, scissors)Read Tracy’s book (chapters 1-5)There are several other good books and papers I
can recommend
Let’s see if you know the games I play …
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Game Trivia
Outside Resources: Fogg Conceptual Designs (handout)
Concept DocumentUse the template supplied by Fogg1. Title Page
Title Visual to situate your game, genreDesign Challenge: what is new about your game
2. Overview Genre, if one existsdiscuss aesthetics of your game (use MDA to refer
to a list of aesthetics)
Concept Document3. User Description
Who is the audience? Age? Gamers?4. Storyboard of experience : discuss gameplay
What is the player doing? GamePlaypoint out the features of your gameshow the mechanics that will achieve the
aesthetics you pointed out earlierDiscuss underlying systems of your game
Concept Document5. Prototyping: nothing there6. Features/Functionality
More details on the game systemMore details on the aesthetics More details on the mechanics of the game
7. Justification of the DesignIs it based an already accepted system? Or new
(can argue for originality)?Basically: why should we give you money to build
this game?
Concept Document8. User Testing: nothing there9. Shortcomings
List problems of the designList Risks
10. ExpansionWhat are the alternative designs you are thinking
of trying?11. Next Steps12. Summary
MDA frameworkSlides are Marc’s slides, used at GDC 2005Marc is a great guy, look up his game Oasis
(Warning: very very addictive), but a MUST play
Designer
Player
Designer
Player
GameGame
Designer
Player
Creates ConsumesGameGame
Designer
PlayerBook
Creates ConsumesGameGame
Designer
PlayerBook
Movie
Creates ConsumesGameGame
Designer
PlayerBook
MoviePainting
Creates ConsumesGameGame
Designer
PlayerBook
MoviePainting
Chair
Creates ConsumesGameGame
Designer
PlayerBook
MoviePainting
ChairCar
Creates ConsumesGameGame
Designer
PlayerBook
MoviePainting
ChairCar
Pizza
GameGameCreates Consumes
Designer
Player
The difference is the way that games are consumed.
GameGameCreates Consumes
An Extreme Opposite Example:A Theatrical PlayThe “design team” knows:ScriptLightingAcousticsSeatingIntermissions
Games, on the ContraryThe designer doesn’t know:When will the player play?How often? For how long?Where? With Whom?
And most importantly...What will happen during the game?
Obligatory Editorial
This lack of predictability is the essence of play.
It should be embraced, not eschewed.
Code
Code Process
Code RequirementsProcess
Rules
Code RequirementsProcess
Rules Activity
Code RequirementsProcess
Rules “Fun”Activity
Code RequirementsProcess
Rules “Fun”Activity
Code RequirementsProcess
Code RequirementsProcess
Rules “Fun”Activity
Mechanics
RequirementsProcess
“Fun”Game
Mechanics Dynamics
Mechanics AestheticsDynamics
Mechanics AestheticsDynamics
DefinitionsMechanics: The rules and concepts that
formally specify the game-as-system.
Dynamics: The run-time behavior of the game-as-system.
Aesthetics: The desirable emotional responses evoked by the game dynamics.
Designer
Player
Mechanics AestheticsDynamics
Mechanics AestheticsDynamics Player
Mechanics AestheticsDynamicsDesigner
Three “Views” of Games
But they are causally linked
Mechanics AestheticsDynamics
The Building Blocks: Formal ModelsNo Grand Unified TheoryInstead, lots of little modelsWe can think of models as “lenses” Models can be formulas or abstractionsDiscovering new models is an ongoing
process
MDA is a “Taxonomy” for Models
Knowledge of AestheticsKnowledge of DynamicsKnowledge of Mechanics
Knowledge of the interactions between them
Properties of Good ModelsWe want our models to be: Formal (well-defined)Abstract (widely applicable)Proven (known to work)
On any given game, we expect to use several different abstractions, not one big one.
Part III: MDA in detailIn this part, we discuss Aesthetics, Dynamics
and Mechanics in detail.
Mechanics AestheticsDynamicsDesigner
Understanding AestheticsWe need to get past words like “fun” and
“gameplay.”
What kinds of “fun” are there?
How will we know a particular kind of “fun” when we see it?
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation Game as sense-
pleasure
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy Game as make-believe
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative Game as unfolding
story
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge Game as obstacle
course
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship Game as social
framework
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1.1. SensationSensation
2.2. FantasyFantasy
3.3. NarrativeNarrative
4.4. ChallengeChallenge
5.5. FellowshipFellowship
6.6. DiscoveryDiscovery Game as uncharted territory
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship6. Discovery7. Expression
Game as self-discovery
Eight Kinds of “Fun”1. Sensation2. Fantasy3. Narrative4. Challenge5. Fellowship6. Discovery7. Expression8. Submission
Game as mindless pastime
Clarifying Our Aesthetics• Charades is “fun”Charades is “fun”
• Quake is “fun”Quake is “fun”
• Final Fantasy is “fun”Final Fantasy is “fun”
Clarifying Our Aesthetics• Charades isCharades is
Fellowship, Expression, ChallengeFellowship, Expression, Challenge• Quake isQuake is
Challenge, Sensation, Competition, FantasyChallenge, Sensation, Competition, Fantasy• Final Fantasy isFinal Fantasy is
Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Challenge, MasochismChallenge, Masochism
Each game pursues multiple aesthetics.Again, there is no Game Unified Theory.
Clarifying Our GoalsAs designers, we can choose certain
aesthetics as goals for our game design.
We need more than a one-word definition of our goals.
What is an “Aesthetic Model?”
A rigorous definition of an aesthetic goal
States criteria for success and failure
Serves as an “aesthetic compass”
Some examples…
Goal: CompetitionModel: A game is competitive if players
are emotionally invested in defeating each other.
Success:Players are adversaries.Players want to win.
Failure:A player feels that he can’t win.A player can’t measure his progress.
Goal: Realistic Flight SimulationModel: Flight dynamics match user
expectations. Success:
Match a mathematical formulaPass our “realism checklist”
Failure:Counter-intuitive system behavior.
Goal: DramaModel: A game is dramatic if:Its central conflict creates dramatic tension.The dramatic tension builds towards a climax.
Dra
ma
tic
Te
nsi
on
Narrative Time
Conflict Resolution
Climax
Goal: DramaSuccess:
A sense of uncertaintyA sense of inevitabilityTension increases towards a climax
Failure:The conflict’s outcome is obvious (no
uncertainty)No sense of forward progress (no
inevitability)Player doesn’t care how the conflict resolves
On to Dynamics...
Understanding DynamicsWhat about the game’s behavior can we
predict before we go to playtest?
How can we explain the behavior that we observe?
RulesInput
Output
State(Player)
(Graphics/Sound)
The “State Machine” Model
Examples: Chess, Quake
Models of Game DynamicsAgain, no Grand Unified Theory
Instead, a collection of many Dynamic Models.
Dynamics models are analytical in nature.
Some examples…
Example: Random VariableThis is a model of 2d6:
2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Chance
in 3
6
Die roll
Example: Feedback SystemA feedback system monitors and regulates its own state.
Room
Too Cold
Too Hot
An Ideal Thermostat
Thermometer
Controller
Cooler
Heater
Example: Operant ConditioningThe player is part of the system, too!
Psychology gives us models to explain and predict the player’s behavior.
Where Models Come FromAnalysis of existing games
Other Fields: Math, Psychology, Engineering…
Our own experience
On to Mechanics...
Understanding MechanicsThere’s a vast library of common game
mechanics.
ExamplesCards
Shuffling, Trick-Taking, BiddingShooters
Ammunition, Spawn PointsGolf
Sand Traps, Water Hazards
Mechanics vs. DynamicsThere’s a grey area
Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules.
Others are indirect.“Dynamics” usually means the latter.
Mechanics vs. DynamicsThere’s a grey area
Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules.
Others are indirect.“Dynamics” usually means the latter.
Dynamics and Mechanics are different views of games.
Mechanics vs. DynamicsThere’s a grey area
Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules.
Others are indirect.“Dynamics” usually means the latter.
Dynamics and Mechanics are different views of games.
Dynamics emerge from Mechanics.
Interaction ModelsHow do specific dynamics emerge from
specific mechanics?
How do specific dynamics evoke specific aesthetics?
Example: Time Pressure“Time pressure” is a dynamic.It can create dramatic tension.Various mechanics create time pressure:
Simple time limit“Pace” monsterDepleting resource
Part IV: Tuning
Tuning is an iterative process.
TestTest AnalyzeAnalyze
ReviseRevise
Use of Sissy fight as an example gamePlay the game
Reflect
Fiddle with the mechanics to create an aesthetic
Play test