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Why Game Design?

Why Game Design?. Playing and designing games is good for learning.

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Why Game Design?

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  1. Why Game Design?

  2. Playing and designing games is good for learning “The success of complex video games demonstrates that games can teach higher-order thinking skills such as strategic thinking, interpretative analysis, problem solving, plan formulation and execution, and adaptation to rapid change. These are the skills U.S. employers increasingly seek.” -Federation of American Scientists

  3. The game design learning pathway • Designing a successful game involves • Systems thinking • Creative problem solving • Art and aesthetics • Writing and storytelling • User experience design • Communication and collaboration • Cultural literacy • Builds a motivation for STEM learning and careers

  4. More than just writing code art business game design music & sound Making a successful game involves collaboration across a combination of artistic, technical, business and other disciplines programming & engineering

  5. Build mastery Making games requires a mastery of the subject material explored in the game world including characters, settings, history, science and culture designing Civilization required a deep understanding of history; all of the game the algorithms & rewards have point-of-view designing Spycraft required a deep understanding of post Cold War politics & morality designing Tony Hawk Pro Skater required a deep understanding of physics & contemporary culture

  6. Plus… get recognized as one of the nation’s top young game designers

  7. Game Design 101

  8. Games are systems Just like mechanical, natural and social systems, games are systems. The game designer arranges the elements of the system to create a fun experience for the player through the balance of challenges and rewards.

  9. Elements of a game system

  10. Elements of a game system (continued) • Space – the part of the world where the game takes place. Can be part of the real world (e.g. soccer field) or virtual (as in video games). • Goals – what players try to achieve to win the game. • Mechanics – the actions that happen in the game. The ‘verbs’ of the game (e.g. running, jumping, racing, solving). • Components – the things that are part of the game. Can be physical (e.g. ball, base, umpire) or virtual (e.g. avatar, enemy, power-up). • Rules – indicate the things that can (and cannot) happen in the game.

  11. Exercise: the elements of… basketball Can you identify an example of the space, goals, mechanics, components and rules of basketball?

  12. The elements of game systems are connected Like the gears in a machine, the elements of a game are connected. Making a change to one affects the rest of the system.

  13. Exercise: modifying the greatest game ever

  14. Game Revision

  15. The iterative design process Game design is an iterative process. Even the best designers don’t get it right on the first try: they play lots of games, plan their designs, make their games, get feedback from users, analyze data and use it to improve the game… over and over.

  16. Design and iterate on a physical game Design a game using only the objects in this bag (see activity plan)

  17. The game creation process Pre-production Production Post-production Many professional game developers use a process like this one to make their games. It can happen over a day at a game jam or over years on a AAA title. Thinking about these steps can help you make a better game.

  18. Pre-production

  19. Production

  20. Post-production Constant playtesting and iteration happen during production and post-production as user feedback is used to improve the game.

  21. The Game Design Document Platform Genre Controls Core Gameplay Visual Style Audience The Game Design Document is a key outcome of the game design process. It tells the people who will make the game how to realize the designer’s vision. Check out the resource materials for more info and examples. Mechanics Characters & Storyline

  22. Game Design Tools C++ Modding Tools College/ Professional High School There are lots of great tools for learning game design and making games. Some are designed for beginners who want to learn (no programming!). Others let you make games like the pros! Middle School Elementary School Game Design Programming Scaffolded/Constrained Unscaffolded/Unconstrained

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