### **Chapter 1 Games, Design and Play** - Basic game elements - Actions - What players do - Goals - Outcome players try to achieve - Rules - Instructions - Objects - Things players use or interact - Playspace - Space as defined by rules, where game is played - Players - Operators of the game - Second order design - Game takes form only when activated by the player - Space possibility - Sort of like all possible outcomes or states possible in the game as defined by rules actions or goals - Game state - Snapshot of the current status or game elements ### **Chapter 2 Basic Game Design Table** - Dog eat dog = paper pencil RPG - Action outcome unit - Howling dogs - twinery game - 10 basic tools of game design - Constraint - limitations put on players - Direct & Indirect Actions - Players immediate interactions vs actions occur without direct contact - Goals - Purpose of the game - Challenge - The way the game resists players - Skill, strategy, chance and uncertainty - Decision making and feedback - Abstraction - Modeling complex phenomenon into a game form - Theme - Logical framework for how game is presented - Storytelling - Shapes players experience borrowing from traditional narrative structures - Context of play - Where, when with whom and other aspects of when players play a game ### **Chapter 3 The Kinds of Play** - Competitive Play - Winner and Loser - Player vs player - Players vs game - Symmetrical competition - Asymmetrical competition - Cooperative Play - Players work together for a goal - Symmetrical cooperation - Asymmetrical cooperation - Symbiotic cooperation - Skill based play - Emphasises player skill development - Active skill - Mental skill - Experience based play - Focuses on providing players with experience through exploration, story, engagement etc. - Games of chance and uncertainty - Games that ask players to develop strategies to allow for randomness. Purely chance based can also remove decision making. - Whimsical Play - Emphasis on silly actions, unexpected results and euphoria by generating dizziness. Usually has some conceptual absurdity, constraint or whimsy or silly interactions. - Performative Play - Theatrical form of play that generates dramatic action and acting. Usually has a lot of improv. Unintentional or conscious performance. - Expressive Play - Subverts choice to express and share something about human experience - Authorial expression - Player expression - Simulation based play - Models or real world system and presents a point of view about system can be top down or bottom up simulation ### **Chapter 4 The Player Experience** - Action theory - Beliefs shape understanding of things → leads to reactions to surroundings → leads to desires around which people create intentions → leads to action. - Layers of player experience - 1. Sensory - What player sees, hears, feels 2. Information - Data player takes in about game state 3. Interaction - What player understands they can do 4. Frame - Broader interpretations of play experience 5. Purpose - Goal of play experience - Attention - Executive - intentional focus - Reflexive - Things that grab our attention away from intentional focus like loud noise - Information spaces - Perfect - All info visible to player - Imperfect - Some information hidden by game or other players - Affordances - Properties of a thing that suggest to people what it can be used for - Perceptible - what we assume a thing does - Correct rejection - what we think it doesn't do - Hidden - What a thing does that isn't obvious - False - misinterpretation - Crompton-Smiths Five Characteristics of Well Done Interactivity - Mental Model - The way a player perceives a game to work in terms of what they should do but also what their actions mean - Feedback - Game provides reassuring feedback so player knows they have affected change in a meaningful way - Consistency - Intuitiveness - Focus on play experience rather than mechanics - Navigability - Well designed path through play experience - Flaws - Individual - player's fault - Flaws in game - bug or error - Circumstantial - caused by external force - Player Types - Achievers, Socialisers, Explorers, Killers ### **Chapter 5 The Iterative Game Design Process** 1. Conceptualise: Initial and subsequent ideas about the game (what might be?) 2. Prototype: A form of some aspect of game or a pre-release version that can answer some design questions 3. Play test: An answer to question prototype poses. People play prototype and you observe and document reactions 4. Evaluate: Reviewing play test observations and diagnosing results into next steps or new ideas ### Chapter 6 Design Values - Experience: - What does the player do when playing? - What does the player get to do? - How does this make them feel emotionally and physically? - Theme: - What is the game about? - How does it present this to players? - What concepts, perspectives or experiences might the player encounter during play? - How are those delivered? - Through story? Systems modeling? Metaphor? - Point of View: - What does the player see, hear or feel? - From what cultural reference point? - How is the game and information within it represented? Simple graphics? Stylised geometric shapes? Highly detailed models? - Challenge: - What kind of challenge does the game present? Mental, physical, perspective, subject or theme? - Decision Making: - How and where do players make decisions? - How are decisions presented? - Is the information space perfect or imperfect? - Skill, strategy, chance and uncertainty? - What skills does the game ask of the player? - Is development of strategy important? - Does chance factor into the game? - From what sources does uncertainty develop? - Context - Who is the player? - Where are they encountering the game? - How did they find out about it? - Where are they playing it? - Why are they playing it? - Emotions: - What emotions might the game create in players? ### Chapter 7 Game Design Documentation - Design Document - Contains all the concepts, values and description - Schematics - Map of game screens, wireframes or a storyboard that can help make prototypes - Task List - Long range, mid range, short range, immediate tasks as well as issues for discussion, ongoing responsibilities, assets and completed tasks ### Chapter 8 Collaboration and Teamwork - [consensusdecisionmaking.org](http://consensusdecisionmaking.org) - Meetings - Goals, agenda, talking rights, decision making, action items, note taking - Collaboration tools - file sharing, task management, communication - Conflicts - procedural, afflictive, subjective ### Chapter 9 Conceptualising Your Game - Brainstorming Techniques 1. Idea Speed Dating - Make pairs, pitch ideas, combine ideas 2. How might we questions - Silent brainstorm using post it notes after deciding question 3. Noun Verb Adjective - Write down nouns, verbs, adjectives on cards and put them together randomly - Brainstorming Principles - Quantity > Quality - Defer judgment - No buts (just ands) - Go wild - Get visual - Combine ideas - Motivations for designing - Around things player gets to do - Around constraints - Around a story - Abstracting the real world - Around personal experience - Around the player ### Chapter 10 Prototyping Your Game - Paper Prototype - Early stage to make ideas concrete. Uses paper to represent on screen elements. Help think through objects on screen and how they interact. Also defines player's role. - Physical Prototypes - How a game feels to play. Enact play experience in real life to help think through play experience. - Playable Prototypes - Functional, playable prototypes that allow players to experience main actions in the game. Rough does not include graphics, sound, art or goals. Focus on core actions - Art and Sound - Shift attention to sensory elements. Focus on exploring visual and aural style. - Interface Prototypes - Explore ways player interacts with the game. Include screen based information and player action feedback systems. - Core / Tech Prototype - Explore technical aspects, especially on certain kinds of devices or computers. Helps to understand technologies new to the team. - Core Game Prototype - Investigation of the core play experience. Include full set of actions, integration of goals, win and lose states and other important aspects. Wise to include basic art and sound. - Complete Game Prototype - Embody full play experience ### Chapter 11 PlayTesting Your game - Internal Tests - PlayTesting game yourself or with your team. For quick loops and reviews. Can help make sure prototype is ready for play testing with people outside. - Game Developer Tests - PlayTest with people who understand the game design process. Caution here to not get over influenced and remember design values. - Friend and Family Tests - Caution to remember these people are usually friendly and kind. - Target Audience - For core and complete game prototypes - New Player Tests - Involve new players. Best for core and complete games. - Experienced Player Tests - PlayTesters play a prototype over a long period of time - Steps - 1. Pick time and space 2. Planning what is to be evaluated 3. Deciding how to document One Play Test Begins 1. Introduce 2. Observe - Gameplay, bugs, A/V, Comments, Ideas 3. Listen 4. Discuss - Behaviours, observations ### Chapter 12 Evaluating Your Game - Review - Look at strengths and weaknesses exposed in play test and review design values - Incubate - Consider feedback and possible solutions - Brainstorm - Ideas for strengthening the game - Decide - Weigh all options, use design values - Document - Capture revisions to design document. Break them down into tasks for tasks list - Schedule - For next prototype ### Chapter 13 Moving From Design to Production Ready for production when - Created a complete game prototype - Successfully play tested with target audience, new players and experienced players - Met your design values - Solid art direction - Strong code base for target platform - Most of the final text for the game - Up-to-date game design document