Chapter 1 Design Composition Review Game Composition A

Chapter 1 Design Composition Review

Game Composition • A game is a specific type of activity with three parts – Game environment is an area that enables gameplay – Rules state how a game is to be played – A victory condition is what it takes to win the game • What is different about toys vs games? Toys do not have all three parts and are not games © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Three parts of a game © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Video Game Classification ? ? ? ? • Gameplay is what the player does • Core mechanics is the computer programming used to enforce the rules • Genre is a major category of video gameplay • Genres are further broken down into themes • Examples include action, fighting, and puzzle © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Examples of Genres and Themes Action Adventure Bat and Ball Crime Flight Horror Platform Tactical Board Games, Card Games, Game Show Educational/ Edutainment Fighting Martial Arts Other Music and Party Dance Music Party Singing Puzzle Guessing game Logic puzzle Transport puzzle Word puzzle Goodheart-Willcox Publisher © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Examples of Genres and Themes (Continued) Role Playing (RPG) Single/ multiplayer Massive multiplayer Shooter First Person Side Scrolling (shoot ‘em) Third person Simulation A-life Flight Sim Tycoon Strategy Sports Turn based Baseball Basketball Bowling Fishing Football Golf Hockey Hunting Racing Skateboarding Tennis Wrestling Toys Al pets Screen savers Goodheart-Willcox Publisher © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Genres © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Video Game Design Team • A design team is a group of people who bring the idea of a video game into a playable version • A design team is made up of specialists who have the right skills for a project • Examples include artists, programmers, and game writers © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Video Game Scope • Video games have a life cycle • Video game publishers fund most major video games • The publisher manufactures, markets, and supports each video game, or title • To finance your game, you need to convince a publisher to take on your game project © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

© Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Project Composition • Video games are developed following the five Ps of video game publishing… • Name all 5……. – – – Pitch Preproduction Post production Patch and return distribution © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Pitch • A pitch document is used to sell the game idea to the video game publisher – The high-concept document is a one-page overview of the basic idea for a game – The game-treatment document explains the vision of the game in greater detail – A game-treatment document should be designed as a leave-behind document. An example is a Brochure. © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Preproduction • Preproduction includes concept elaboration and prototyping • Design documents contain all of the decisions used to make the game • The proof of concept shows that the concept can work • Provisional approval means approval has been given to start the project © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Preproduction (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Production • Production is the stage where specialists build all the parts for the game • The art bible contains a drawing or mock-up for every asset that needs to be created • The technical bible is a binder filled with all the programming structure for the game • The first playable level is the first iteration of the game’s first level that can be tested © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Production (Continued) • The design team discusses progress and issues with the game project • All changes are recorded on the design history • Major changes result in a new version • The project is broken down into tasks • A length of time is assigned to each task • Using the critical path method (CPM), all tasks are prioritized © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Post Production • Post production includes testing, tuning, and distribution – Games are tested for functionality and playability – Tuning is polishing the game to perfection – Porting is converting a game from one platform to another – Distribution is how the game is sent to the customer © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Post Production (Continued) Goodheart-Willcox Publisher © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Patches and Return Distribution • When a customer purchases a game and it does not work, the game has to be fixed or refunded • A patch is a software installation program that fixes known bugs or damaged programming • The publisher will try to put a positive spin on patches • The patch may be called an upgrade © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Five Ps of Video Game Publishing Goodheart-Willcox Publisher © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Piracy • The video game design process is threatened by piracy • Piracy is the illegal copying or distribution of copyrighted material, such as a video game • Piracy is a form of theft • If the companies that make games do not receive money for their work, they may stop creating new games © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Types of Business Ownership • In the game industry, there are many of each type of business organization • An indie company is small and considered to be independent • A corporation is a legal entity that limits the personal liabilities of its owners – Corporations are owned by stockholders – Corporations may pay dividends to stockholders © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Types of Business Ownership (Continued) • A partnership is owned by two or more people – Partners may share ownership equally or unequally – A limited partner does not take part in running the company • A limited partnership or company limits the personal liability for its owners • A sole proprietorship is owned by a single person © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

E K AR W O H R U O TY T S FIR E M GA M O T © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Review Your Knowledge • Which genre of video games do you find most interesting or challenging? Why? • Consider the various jobs of specialists on a game design team, such as game writer and creative director. Which job appeals most to you as a possible career choice? © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Review Your Knowledge • Textbook assignment “Review your knowledge” Questions 1 -20 Pages 47 -48 Type out all questions in full sentences with answer. © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Review Your Knowledge Level 2 (PM) © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.

Review Your Knowledge • Textbook assignment “Review your knowledge” Questions 1 -20 Pages 47 -48 Type out all questions in full sentences with answer. On-Line REVIEW G-Wlearning. com Game Design Book 2 Composition • E-flash cards • Matching Activity • Vocab game © Goodheart-Willcox Co. , Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only.