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Instructors: Magy Seif El-Nasr, Eric Yang Teaching Assistant: Ai Nakatani Class Overview Learn by doing (design, develop, test, prototype cycle) Learn about tools Learn to Critique other’s work Developing a game Lab assignments Blogs (individual assignment) What would you learn? Why games work, Game design principles (what?) Interaction models Balance Feedback Motivation Immersion Design and Development cycle (how?) Tools: rendering engines, game engines, prototyping tools Books Tracy Fullerton’s Book: Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting. 2004 Structure Lectures: more on how-tos rather than theory (that is IAT 312) Labs Lab tutorial Lab assignment Presentations Quick Be prepared Send us presentations before class (MUST) Schedule Course webpage: http://www.sfu.ca/~magy/courses/IAT410Fall07/index.html Tentative at: http://www.sfu.ca/~magy/courses/IAT410Fall07/schedule.html This is where you go for DUES and UPDATES Grading Project Group of 5 (individual grade: weekly assessment, and attendance) 45% on deliverables 5% Concept presentation (individual) 15% paper prototype, testing doc, and presentation 15% prototype, testing doc, and presentation 10% final game, testing doc, and presentation 20% labs 30% critiques (on ur blogs) 5% weekly assessment IMPORTANT All deadline are to be submitted before the class, i.e. Monday midnight Send all assignments, presentations, and documentations by email to [email protected] with subject [IAT-410], all emails without this subject will be ignored. Note about LABS, no email necessary (check marked) Setup blog for this class and email me the link (easy?) DUE Monday 9/10, 11:59p 2. Game Concept – Presented and Voted on DUE Monday 9/17, 11:59p Presented in labs, 9/18 3. No labs or lecture next week, get ready for the concept competition 1. How to present your game idea? How do you design a good game? Do a lot of research Have a good team Test, test, test Prototypes (small, use all tools possible) You can use some of the frameworks around: MDA framework (this week’s labs) Game balance, fit to an old model (e.g. rock, paper, scissors) Read Tracy’s book (chapters 1-5) There are several other good books and papers I can recommend Let’s see if you know the games I play … Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Game Trivia Outside Resources: Fogg Conceptual Designs (handout) Concept Document Use the template supplied by Fogg 1. Title Page Title Visual to situate your game, genre Design Challenge: what is new about your game 2. Overview Genre, if one exists discuss aesthetics of your game (use MDA to refer to a list of aesthetics) Concept Document 3. User Description Who is the audience? Age? Gamers? 4. Storyboard of experience : discuss gameplay What is the player doing? GamePlay point out the features of your game show the mechanics that will achieve the aesthetics you pointed out earlier Discuss underlying systems of your game Concept Document 5. Prototyping: nothing there 6. Features/Functionality More details on the game system More details on the aesthetics More details on the mechanics of the game 7. Justification of the Design Is it based an already accepted system? Or new (can argue for originality)? Basically: why should we give you money to build this game? Concept Document 8. User Testing: nothing there 9. Shortcomings List problems of the design List Risks 10. Expansion What are the alternative designs you are thinking of trying? 11. Next Steps 12. Summary MDA framework Slides are Marc’s slides, used at GDC 2005 Marc is a great guy, look up his game Oasis (Warning: very very addictive), but a MUST play The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Game Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Book Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Book Movie Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Book Movie Painting Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Book Movie Painting Chair Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Book Movie Painting Chair Car Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Designer Creates Game Book Movie Painting Chair Car Pizza Consumes Player The Designer-Player Relationship Creates Game Consumes Designer Player The difference is the way that games are consumed. An Extreme Opposite Example: A Theatrical Play The “design team” knows: Script Lighting Acoustics Seating Intermissions Games, on the Contrary The designer doesn’t know: When will the player play? How often? For how long? Where? With Whom? And most importantly... What will happen during the game? Obligatory Editorial This lack of predictability is the essence of play. It should be embraced, not eschewed. Games as Software Code Games as Software Code Process Games as Software Code Process Requirements Games as Software Code Rules Process Requirements Games as Software Code Process Rules Activity Requirements Games as Software Code Process Requirements Rules Activity “Fun” A Design Vocabulary Code Process Requirements Rules Activity “Fun” A Design Vocabulary Code Process Requirements Activity “Fun” Mechanics Rules A Design Vocabulary Process Mechanics Requirements Dynamics Game “Fun” A Design Vocabulary Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics The MDA Framework Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Definitions Mechanics: The rules and concepts that formally specify the game-as-system. Dynamics: The run-time behavior of the game-as-system. Aesthetics: The desirable emotional responses evoked by the game dynamics. The Designer/Player Relationship, Revisited Designer Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Player The Player’s Perspective Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Player The Designer’s Perspective Designer Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Three “Views” of Games Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics But they are causally linked The Building Blocks: Formal Models No Grand Unified Theory Instead, lots of little models We can think of models as “lenses” Models can be formulas or abstractions Discovering new models is an ongoing process MDA is a “Taxonomy” for Models Knowledge of Aesthetics Knowledge of Dynamics Knowledge of Mechanics Knowledge of the interactions between them Properties of Good Models We want our models to be: Formal (well-defined) Abstract (widely applicable) Proven (known to work) On any given game, we expect to use several different abstractions, not one big one. Part III: MDA in detail In this part, we discuss Aesthetics, Dynamics and Mechanics in detail. The Designer’s Perspective Designer Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics Understanding Aesthetics We need to get past words like “fun” and “gameplay.” What kinds of “fun” are there? How will we know a particular kind of “fun” when we see it? Eight Kinds of “Fun” Eight Kinds of “Fun” 1. Sensation Game as sense-pleasure Eight Kinds of “Fun” Sensation 2. Fantasy 1. Game as make-believe Eight Kinds of “Fun” Sensation 2. Fantasy 3. Narrative 1. Game as unfolding story Eight Kinds of “Fun” Sensation 2. Fantasy 3. Narrative 4. Challenge 1. Game as obstacle course Eight Kinds of “Fun” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Sensation Fantasy Narrative Challenge Fellowship Game as social framework Eight Kinds of “Fun” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Sensation Fantasy Narrative Challenge Fellowship Discovery Game as uncharted territory Eight Kinds of “Fun” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Sensation Fantasy Narrative Challenge Fellowship Discovery Expression Game as self-discovery Eight Kinds of “Fun” 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Sensation Fantasy Narrative Challenge Fellowship Discovery Expression Submission Game as mindless pastime Clarifying Our Aesthetics • Charades is “fun” • Quake is “fun” • Final Fantasy is “fun” Clarifying Our Aesthetics • Charades is Fellowship, Expression, Challenge • Quake is Challenge, Sensation, Competition, Fantasy • Final Fantasy is Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Challenge, Masochism Each game pursues multiple aesthetics. Again, there is no Game Unified Theory. Clarifying Our Goals As designers, we can choose certain aesthetics as goals for our game design. We need more than a one-word definition of our goals. What is an “Aesthetic Model?” A rigorous definition of an aesthetic goal States criteria for success and failure Serves as an “aesthetic compass” Some examples… Goal: Competition Model: A game is competitive if players are emotionally invested in defeating each other. Success: Players are adversaries. Players want to win. Failure: A player feels that he can’t win. A player can’t measure his progress. Goal: Realistic Flight Simulation Model: Flight dynamics match user expectations. Success: Match a mathematical formula Pass our “realism checklist” Failure: Counter-intuitive system behavior. Goal: Drama Model: A game is dramatic if: Its central conflict creates dramatic tension. The dramatic tension builds towards a climax. Dramatic Tension Clima x Conflict Resolution Narrative Time 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) No sense of forward progress (no inevitability) Player doesn’t care how the conflict resolves On to Dynamics... Understanding Dynamics What about the game’s behavior can we predict before we go to playtest? How can we explain the behavior that we observe? Formalizing Game Dynamics Input (Player) Rules State The “State Machine” Model Examples: Chess, Quake Output (Graphics/ Sound) Models of Game Dynamics Again, no Grand Unified Theory Instead, a collection of many Dynamic Models. Dynamics models are analytical in nature. Some examples… Example: Random Variable Chance in 36 This is a model of 2d6: 2 3 4 5 6Die7roll8 9 10 11 12 Example: Feedback System A feedback system monitors and regulates its own state. Room Thermometer Heater Too Cold Too Hot Cooler Controller An Ideal Thermostat Example: Operant Conditioning The player is part of the system, too! Psychology gives us models to explain and predict the player’s behavior. Where Models Come From Analysis of existing games Other Fields: Math, Psychology, Engineering… Our own experience On to Mechanics... Understanding Mechanics There’s a vast library of common game mechanics. Examples Cards Shuffling, Trick-Taking, Bidding Shooters Ammunition, Spawn Points Golf Sand Traps, Water Hazards Mechanics vs. Dynamics There’s a grey area Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules. Others are indirect. “Dynamics” usually means the latter. Mechanics vs. Dynamics There’s a grey area Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules. Others are indirect. “Dynamics” usually means the latter. Dynamics and Mechanics are different views of games. Mechanics vs. Dynamics There’s a grey area Some behaviors are direct consequences of rules. Others are indirect. “Dynamics” usually means the latter. Dynamics and Mechanics are different views of games. Dynamics emerge from Mechanics. Interaction Models How do specific dynamics emerge from specific mechanics? How do specific dynamics evoke specific aesthetics? Example: Time Pressure “Time pressure” is a dynamic. It can create dramatic tension. Various mechanics create time pressure: Simple time limit “Pace” monster Depleting resource Part IV: Tuning Analyze Test Revise Tuning is an iterative process. Use of Sissy fight as an example game Play the game Reflect Fiddle with the mechanics to create an aesthetic Play test