Game Art and Design Unit 3 Lesson 5 Resources and Boundaries

1. Game Art and DesignUnit 3 Lesson 5Resources and Boundaries

2. Big Idea Knowledge of the basic skills and components of any field makes one uniquely prepared to perform at a high level in that area.

3. Game resources

4. Natural Resources

5. Economic Resources

6. Human Resources

7. Life’s Resources

8. When Resources Run Out

9. Game Resources

10. Game Resources • Game resources play much the same role as resources play in real life. • A game designer must consider: • Manage resources • Control access • Replenish • Destroy

11. Game Resources • Designers must plan how players find or earn resources needed to stay alive and healthy and ultimately win the game. • Games are designed around unequal distribution of resources. • Unequal distribution of resources creates conflict and tension.

12. Game Resources • Must have a purpose in the game – UTILITY • If resources do not have utility, they will not help the player reach their goals. • Must be limited in the game – SCARCITY • If resources are abundant, they will lose their value in the system.

13. Typical Game Resources • Lives • Units • Health • Currency • Actions • Objects • Terrain • Time

14. Game Resources: Lives • Classic scarce resource in action games. • Arcade games are built on the management of lives. • Super Mario Brothers: • Number of lives to accomplish your goals • Lose your lives and you start over • Do well, earn more

15. Game Resources: Units • Player are represented by one or more objects called units. • Units may be all of one kind (Checkers), or of different types (Chess). • Units keep value throughout the game or may change, upgrade, or evolve • Units may be finite—gone once lost. • Can be renewable, with a cost per unit. • Designers must consider how players will manage units.

16. Game Resources: Health • Can be a separate resource, or it can be an attribute of a life. • When used as a resource, it helps to dramatize the loss of lives and units. • When used as a resource, there is usually some way to increase it.

17. Game Resources: Health • How can players increase health? • Pickup a “medical kit” • Rest or camp out • How much time it takes to regain health depends on the game. • There has to be some way for the players to measure health during the game.

18. Game Resources: Currency • One of the most powerful resources. • Used to facilitate trade. • Creates an in-game economy. • Instead of currency, some games use a barter system to represent the same concept. • Does not have to be represented by a traditional banknote.

19. Game Resources: Actions • Moves or turns: • In the game 20 Questions, there is a limited number of questions. • In some games there is a limited number of moves or turns per round. • Actions that are powerful are usually restricted or managed.

20. Game Resource: Objects • Not all objects function as resources. • Must have UTILITY and SCARITY to be considered a resource: • Weapons, potions, armor are resources. • Scarcity is accomplished by purchase price, the cost of time to locate it, or the risk involved in fighting off monsters or other protective methods.

21. Game Resources: Power Up • Classic type of resource • In Super Mario Brothers - magic mushrooms • In Jak and Daxter - Blue Eco • Usually overpowered resources beyond the normal resources of the game. • The “power” of a Power up is balanced by its scarcity and short use time.

22. Game Resource: Terrain • Important part of real-time strategy games and map-based war games. • Resources such as oil, gold, or wood may limited to specific areas on the terrain—gain the terrain and control the resources. • The “Double-Jeopardy” square is an example with special value. • The “bases” in baseball.

23. Game Resource: Terrain

24. Game Resources: Time • Restricting player action by time (chess). • Phases of the game controlled by time. • Basketball and football both use a game clock. • Musical chairs or hot potato use time to create game tension.

25. Game Boundaries

26. Game Boundaries • Boundaries are what separate the game from everything that is not the game. • Can be physical – like the edge of an arena, playing field, or game board. • Can be conceptual –social agreement to play.

27. Game Boundaries

28. Game Boundaries • Why important: • Players could run or move anywhere. • No restrictions on plays. • Game boundaries must be clearly explained in the rules—followed by all players and teams—and be enforced fairly.

29. Game Boundaries • Serve as a way to separate everything that goes on in the game from daily life. • While you may act the part of a cut-throat opponent against your best friend within the boundaries of the game, you can shake hands at the end of the game and walk away without any real harm to your friendship.

30. Game Boundaries Not Clear • Free-Form Games: • Tag is usually played with loosely defined boundaries • Magic: The Gathering, players purchase an initial deck with enough cards to get started – to create better decks, players can buy or trade other cards to add to their collection.

31. Game Boundaries: Open • “Open” games are games where the rules and objectives continually change while the game is being played. • These games are open to transformation.

32. Game Boundaries: Closed • Have specified fixed players. • Fixed rules. • Fixed procedures. • Fixed action alternatives and outcomes. • Clearly define what is in the game versus what is outside the game.

33. Big Idea Knowledge of the basic skills and components of any field makes one uniquely prepared to perform at a high level in that area.

34. Game Art and DesignUnit 3 Lesson 5Resources and BoundariesImagesclipart