Game Design Workshop Game Design Workshop About The

Game Design Workshop

Game Design Workshop

About The Workshop • Started in 2001 • Hands-on • Focused on iteration • Grounded in a formal approach • Intended to be open-ended

What It’s NOT about… • How to get a job as a game designer • How to write a design document • Where game ideas “come from” • How to get your game funded • How to use a level editor

In Other Words. . . • It’s not about the Business (Getting a job, pitching a game, getting funded) • It’s not about the Profession (Writing documents, tracking bugs, using tools) • It’s about the Craft (Making games that are fun)

What You’ll be Doing • Playing games • Analyzing games • Critiquing games • Modifying games • Refining games

Schedule Overview ● 10 am-6 pm both days ●Lunch from 12: 15 -1: 45 ●Coffee breaks at 11 am & 4 pm ● 2 -3 hour design exercises Info and signups at gdc. 8 kindsoffun. com

The Faculty ●Jonathan ● ●Jeb ● Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Havens Google ●Robin ● Lantz Zynga ●Marc ● Hunicke Thatgamecompany ●Frank ● Hamel Le. Blanc Electrified Games ●Andrew Electrified Games ● ●Stone Min ● ●Tim ● Librande EA/Maxis ● ●Art Leker Rumble Entertainment Stellmach As Himself

A Few Ground Rules • Please stay for both days • Pv. E, not Pv. P • Save the “meta-discussion” for the very end • Turn the laptop off Last but not least…

Fail Fast!

Fail Fast! Test Analyze Revise

Fail Fast! Test Analyze Revise Follow the Fun!

TED Talk: Marshmallow Challenge

Channel your inner kindergartener…

Let’s Play! Rock, Paper, Scissors vs. MAHK

Break Into Rooms Rock Paper Scissors 236 220 224

Game/Software Parallels =

The MDA Framework Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics

Mechanics ●Cards ● Shuffling, Trick-Taking, Bidding ●Shooters ● Ammunition, Spawn Points ●Golf ● Sand Traps, Water Hazards

Dynamics Room

Chance in 36 Dynamics Die roll

Psychology = Human Dynamics ●Perception ●Attribution Bias ●Cognitive Dissonance

Sometimes…

The Idea of Dynamics ●Behavior ●The is separate from rules. same behavior can emerge from many different rules.

Eight Kinds of “Fun” ● ● ● Sensation Fantasy Narrative Challenge Fellowship Discovery

Formulating an “Aesthetic Model” For each aesthetic goal: ●Write a formal definition ●List criteria for success ●List modes of failure ●Serves examples… as an “aesthetic Some compass”

Goal: Competition ●Definition: A game is competitive if players are emotionally invested in defeating each other. ●Success: ● ● Players are adversaries. Players want to win.

Goal: Pirate Fantasy ●Definition: A pirate fantasy conforms to the genre conventions of pirate movies, and permits the player to engage in certain kinds of anti-social pirate behavior.

Goal: Pirate Fantasy ●Definition: A pirate fantasy conforms to the genre conventions of pirate movies, and permits the player to engage in certain • Failure: kinds of anti-social pirate behavior. § Vulnerability ●Success: § Compassion ● ● Empowerment Independence § Generosity

Goal: Drama Definition: A game is dramatic if: ●Its central conflict creates dramatic tension. ●The dramatic tension builds towards a climax.

Goal: Drama ●Success: ● ● ● A sense of uncertainty A sense of inevitability Tension increases towards a climax ●Failure: ● The conflict’s outcome is obvious (no uncertainty)

Aesthetic Models are an Important Tool ●It’s hard to solve problems we can’t describe. ●Especially in a large group.

The Point: ●In some sense, it isn’t about this: Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics

The Point: ●It’s about this:

The Point: ●This is where game design happens.