Putting the Cart Before the Horse:

Putting the Cart Before the Horse: Reformulating Business Objectives as Aesthetic Goals Jonathan Hamel Game Tuning Workshop - GDC 2004

Elective Overview Part I: Introduction – 10 minutes Part II: Brainstorming – 10 minutes Part III: Analysis – 10 minutes Part IV: Exercise – 20 minutes Part V: Presentation of Results – 10 min. Part VI: Wrap-up…

Part I: Introduction 10 minutes

Part I: IntroductionAbout the elective • Snippets from the elective description: • The challenge of applying the MDA framework in a real business setting. • Clients, publishers, marketers, & business requirements create "unreasonable demands that ruin an otherwise great game" • “It's not a great game if it doesn't meet the business objectives of the people funding and selling it."

Part I: IntroductionPrimary Questions • Can we define our role as designer in a way that reduces conflict with business objectives for our end product? • Can business objectives be reformulated in a way that is useful to us as designers, and not disruptive? …So they can be organic to the design, not tacked on? • Can we make an even better game by seeking out business objective and exceed expectations?

Part I: IntroductionPremise • 99% of the time, the problems we are asked to solve are external to the problems of making the game better. • The reality of how your salary gets paid: • Studio is responding to an RFP • Concept/prototype more or less fits a slot in the publisher’s slate • Studio is doing work-for-hire for clients outside the established “game industry” • Many exceptions to this. Do they prove the rule?

Part I: IntroductionWhy this is OK… • That’s life • We’re designers • What is “design” in other industries? (e.g. engineering, architecture, advertising)

Part I: IntroductionWhy this is OK… • How do I design the flow of people through a physical space? • How do I make the paperclip grip better and not rust the paper? • How can I communicate that this brand is “sophisticated” and “dangerous?”

Part I: IntroductionWhy this is OK… • Working definition of design: • “Design is applying creative expertise to solve problems.”

Part I: IntroductionWhy this is messy… • You want the game to be good, but: • The contract says… • Your company strategy is… • Your client or publisher wants… • The latest market research shows… • … what else?

Part II: Brainstorming 10 minutes

Part II: BrainstormingEthnology of Business Objectives • Q: What business objectives (welcome or unwelcome) have influenced work you’ve done in the past? Make a list of business requirements against which past games have been judged.

Part III: Analysis 10 minutes

Part III: AnalysisWhat to do now… • 2 Questions: • What are the real business requirements? • How can I make them useful as design constraints?

Part III: AnalysisWhat to do now… • 2 Questions: • What are the real business requirements? • Ask • How can I make them useful as design constraints? • Are they aesthetic goals?

Part III: AnalysisObjective == Goal? • Are these goals? • Rarely: business objectives are often not easily translated into aesthetic goals. • Are these models? • What’s an Aesthetic Model again? let’s review…

Goal: Competition Model: A game is competitive if: • Players are adversaries. • Players have an ongoing emotional investment in defeating each other. Some Failure Modes: • A player feels that he can’t win. • A player can’t measure his progress.

Goal: ________ Model: A game is ________ if: • Players feel a sense of community • Appeals to women ages 35-45 Some Failure Modes • Drives players apart • Attracts teenage boys to the player community • What fills in the blank?

Part III: AnalysisObjective == Aesthetic Model • You may need multiple models / goals • Now that you know your aesthetic goal, what changes do you need to make to the game mechanics or dynamics to support this goal? • Sounds like a good subject for an exercise!

Part IV: Exercise 20 minutes

Part IV: ExerciseSissyfight’s Revenge • Design on Sissyfight was “done” • You’ve just received a memo • The memo is unreasonable • The memo is non-negotiable • Break into groups of six • Pick a memo (1d6) – each group should do a different one

Part IV: ExerciseSissyfight’s Revenge Everyone got a memo?

Part IV: ExerciseSissyfight’s Revenge • Try to resist the temptation to satisfy the memo with pure content changes. That’s what we mean by “tacked on.” • After 5 minutes: be prepared to share • Your memo • Your translation into one or more aesthetic models • At the end: be prepared to share • Mechanics to accomplish your new aesthetic goals

Part V: Wrap Up Thanks!

Putting the Cart Before the Horse: