"Games are not books, games are not movies, in those media, the tools used… are used to manipulate the viewers or readers, to make them feel or react exactly the way the director or author wants them to. I believe the challenge of computer games design is that our most important tools are the ones that empower players to make their own decisions.” (Doug Church, 1999)
After reading the article on Gamasutra, I began to think about how, in the past, the digital creations I have produced were not made the way they were supposed to be. In reality, you don’t design a game that you want to play (as a fan), instead you design a game that will sell, cater to the audience applicable and then move on. This hit home a little, because I’ve spent 2 years trying to create a game that will encompass all aspects that I would want to see, and I realize, this game will never be completed, because it was designed as a fan.
Church mentions that there are various disciplines involved in making a game; Design, Art, Audio, Levels, Code, etc. He also describes that Formal Abstract Design Tools is an attempt to create a framework for a shared vocabulary that can be used to guide a development team to a final product. Let’s go through each of these individually.
Formal: Implying precise definition and the ability to explain it to others.
Abstract: Emphasize the focus on underlying, not specific genre constructs.
Design: We ARE Designers.
Tools: Form the common vocabulary we want to create.
“A design vocabulary is our toolkit to pick apart games and take the parts that resonate with us to realise our own game vision, or refine how our own games work”.
So, what are the tools?
Intention: To make an implementable plan of one’s own creations in response to the current situation in the game world and one’s understanding of the game play options.
Perceivable Consequence: A clear reaction from the game world to the action of the player.
Story: The narrative thread, whether designer-driven or player-driven, that binds events together and drives the player forward toward completion of the game.
For those outside of the Institute that would like to read the article, it can be found at http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3357/formal_abstract_design_tools.php
Now that's pessimistic, Chris. Why wouldn't you be able to complete your game AND have it be a success? Of course, it wouldn't be an AAA title, but that doesn't mean people won't be able to love it. Just look at me and Stefan and everybody else in our class that plays Kingdom Rush like mad. Do you think THEY did it for the money? I don't think so. Also, I have no idea if you know what Instagram is, but it's developers didn't go into it for the money either. And it's one of the most used apps in the iDevices right now. So don't think that if you didn't have a marketing study ready, your game won't be good. Go with it till the finish, then start asking questions whether it was a success or not, especially if you've been working on it for the last 2 years. Follow Jesse Schell's advice and do what you love. You still have time for this, before you get into the mainstream community and will do only what the managers tell you to do.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Wiz
i think you can design games you love, what is also important is to engage players so that they can love your games too. The principles of design that we are following will help you to do this. I hope!!
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