An Inconvenient Truth the multiple facets of creating

An Inconvenient Truth? the multiple facets of creating games.

WHO IS THIS GUY? scientist musician artist game designer lecturer?

NO ONE MAKES GAMES* * Many exceptions to this rule

THREE ROLES Artist Programmer Designer

IN REALITY Artist ne sig er m m De ra og r Pr

THEY OVERLAP Technical Artists Shader Programmers GUI Programmers Character Designers Level Designers Writers Artist ne sig er m m De ra og r Pr Scripters, Gameplay Programmers

AND THERE’S MORE Quality Assurance IT professionals Sound Design Project Managers Artist Hardware Engineers ne Testers sig er m m Composers De ra og Content Experts r Pr Support Staff Producers Marketers Writers

BUT LET’S FOCUS ON THIS

WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED?

N O I AT C I N U M M O C PROBL EM SO LVING WHAT TOOLS DO YOU NEED? TEAMW E C IEN ORK PASSION T A P

TOO GENERAL EVERYONE NEEDS THOSE

EACH ROLE Artist Programmer Designer

HAS A FOCUS Artist Programmer Designer LITERACY NUMERACY ECOLACY

LITERACY Viewing the world in language and symbols. Not just reading and writing. Visual Mediums History Current Events Psychology The ability to construct and deconstruct all media.

LITERACY Helps Artists… Create relevance Find inspiration Make allusions Use reference Frame meaning Keep consistency Communicate with clarity

NUMERACY The ability to describe and interpret the world in numbers. Mathematics Geometry Trigonometry Physics Statistics Probabilities

NUMERACY Helps Programmers… Collision detection Realism and surrealism Interactivity Graphic and audio FX Animation Artificial intelligence

ECOLACY Seeing the world in systems and rules. Cause and effect Long-term thinking Scientific method Interconnectivity Creating relationships Strategy development

ECOLACY Helps Designers… Balancing games Identify game mechanics Iteration of design Locating “fun” Constructing meaning through action Preventing optimal strategies

SO?

THESE OVERLAP TOO Ec ol y ac er um N ac y Literacy

OVERLAPS = UNDERSTANDING Better Communication & More Innovation Create better tools. Clearer moods and meaning. Stable systems. Fresher interactivity. Faster iteration. And more…

MASTERING OVERLAPS Better Experiences Programmers who create meaning with logic. Artists who create new worlds with verisimilitude. Designers who can recreate history from data.

ARTIST EXAMPLES Biology Anatomy Botany Astronomy Motion Curves Elements and Materials Texture Lighting Architecture and Scale

PROGRAMMER EXAMPLES Rendering Shaders Motion Tools and User Interfaces “Juicy” Interaction Feedback

DESIGNER EXAMPLES Prototyping Scripting Historical Accuracy Archetypes Plot Construction Environmental Design Pacing

IN CONCLUSION

*EVERYONE MAKES GAMES

GAMES ARE META They can be hybrids of: Film Books Music Visual Arts Or just goals and acheivements Or something completely different that I’ll never think of…

PLAYING & MAKING GAMES Connects Different Perspectives and Creates Understanding Science and Art Music and Physics Math and Philosophy

Once you can deconstruct the world with LITERACY NUMERACY ECOLACY

You can help construct a better one.

Thanks!

Q&A Contact: mfrazior@bouncingpixel. com