Gamegame workshop

gamegame(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame Sessions

• ‘Theory meets Design meets Play Workshop’

Aki Järvinen

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



Programme for the day

• Introduction: Theory of Game Elements (90 mins)

• GameGame: Theory meets Design meets Play (30 mins)

• break

• GameGame Play Session: Learning the Rules (90 mins)

• break

• GameGame Play Session 2: Play in Pairs (60 mins)

• Wrap-up & Feedback discussion (20 mins)


The Theory Part

• Introduction to a theory of game elements

• Which you will meet as playing cards later

• Which, when combined, make up designs for games

• Or, systems we know as games


All kinds of games allowed!

• All games, regardless of the media or technology they employ, contain certain elements

• They are not all the same

• Or implemented in the same manner or technique

• Yet there are underlying similarities: goals, objects to be manipulated, environments, players, etc.


Same but different

• How to conceptualise this ‘same but different’ qualities of games?

• One needs to conceptualise the qualities

• And build a framework that brings them together, as in individual games

• The notion of System


Games as systems

• System is ‘a dynamic whole with interacting parts’

• In game systems: 1) game elements equal the parts

• 2) elements have relationships, they interact

• 3) when players engage with the elements, it gives birth to another kind of interaction: game play

• game play gives birth to dynamics; ‘the run-time behavior of the system’ (LeBlanc)

• GameGame & You will make up a dynamic whole later


The Theory of Game Elements

• Conceptualises possible different configurations of game systems

• i.e. the difference between one game and another is due to the fact that their systems are configured differently

• configuration of football vs. the configuration of Prince of Persia

• The theory is a form of Applied Ludology

• Which provides solutions for practical game analysis & design


Element categories: overview

• A game system in operation, i.e. a game being played, puts these elements into interaction

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

SYSTEMIC

ELEMENTS

BEHAVIORAL

ELEMENTS


Game elements: overview

• players• contexts

• components• environment

• ruleset• game mechanics• theme• information• interface

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS

• The element categories group different element classes



• All game elements have an ownership attribute

• There are three kinds of ownership attributes:

[game element]-of-self

[game element]-of-other(s)

[game element]-of-system

• Ownership attributes often create inherent tension and competition to a game

• Thus, many games revolve around ownerships shifting back and forth


What ludologists do

• game theorists deconstruct existing games into elements



What Game Designers do

• game designers construct & games from elements, game developers implement them

Save the Princess

Mario

Platforms

Koopa

Gamepad

RunningJumping

Coins

Goal

Components

Game mechanicsEnvironment

Interface

Italian Plumber ina Fantastic World

ThemeMushrooms

Tubes





• ruleset• game mechanics• theme• information• interface

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play



Another visualization


Another theory: Why?

• There are numerous theories of what games are made of - Parlett, Juul, Salen & Zimmerman, Aarseth, etc.

• My defenses to bring another theory into the world:

• To function as a hands-on analysis & design method, ‘design by elements’

• Certainly the first to be operationalized as a game!

• and a basis for a Design Document template


GameGame: Background

•GameGame: Theory meets Design meets Play

•‘Ludology meets Understanding Comics’


Component evolution



Play-testing evolution


Previous workshops

• Both in academic and industry contexts

• Sulake, Apr 2005 (left)

• University of Bergen, Norway, Feb 2007 (above)


Adaptation to GameGame

22



• ruleset as goals & end/victory conditions

• game mechanics• theme• information• interface

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play



Game elements of GameGame

23

• you• workshop

• cards

• design a game; sell it to others; 2nd milestone

• collecting, choosing, trading, performing, voting

• game design• hidden / open information COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play



What Game Designers do

Save the Princess

Mario

Platforms

Koopa

Gamepad

RunningJumping

Coins

Components

Environment

Italian Plumber ina Fantastic World

ThemeMushrooms

TubesGoal

Game mechanics


GameGame: The rules

• The Manual:

• http://gamegame.blogs.com

http://gamegame.blogs.com



GameGame cards


GameGame cards


GameGame cards


GameGame cards


GameGame cards


GameGame cards


Game mechanics


Assets


The publisher


Concept Template

• ‘Design by Elements’ approach

• Meant to Function as a documentation template of the concepts that come up through playing GG

• With some tweaking, can be edited into a Game Concept brief

• ...and continue fleshing it out towards a game design document


Contact & more info

• [email protected]

• http://gamegame.blogs.com

• http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net





http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net

http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net

Technology

Gamegame workshop