Game Design Workshop, Second Edition A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games
Picking this back up, it's slow going with all the exercises. Really enjoying the overview of Magic The Gathering from Richard Garfield.
Chapter 6 is all about coming up with and validating ideas for games. Lots of good ideas in here about brainstorming, etc. Will be a good chapter to review back to.
Really like reading about EA's Preproduction workshop. The pencil/paper/dice prototype that the LoTR team used is very similar to what I did on the current game I'm working on and seems like a fun and easy way to do initial prototyping.
All finished with Part 1. Really enjoying all the designer perspectives and their advice on game design. Which, is often similar among designers: play games, pay attention, don't be afraid to fail, learn to program, etc.
It's not an easy read, there's a lot of great information here and while it's well written and full of great examples and exercises, it's also mentally taxing. But I'm enjoying it so far.
Citing how Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's idea of Flow applies to enjoyment:
First, the experience usually occurs when we confront tasks we have a chance of completing. Second, we must be able to concentrate on what we are doing. Third and fourth, the concentration is usually possible because the task undertaken has clear goals and provides immediate feedback. Fifth, one acts with a deep but effortless involvement that removes from awareness the worries and frustrations of everyday life. Sixth, enjoyable experiences allow people to exercise a sense of control over their actions. Seventh, concern for the self disappears, yet paradoxically the sense of self emerges stronger after the flow experience is over. Finally, the sense of the duration of time is altered; hours pass by in minutes, and minutes can stretch out to seem like hours. The combination of all these elements causes a sense of deep enjoyment that is so ...
This chapter's been about breaking down the various parts of a game. Lots of good examples covering various procedures, mechanics, rules, etc. One that's interesting to me when thinking about social/online gaming is boundaries. How are the boundaries of a game changed when you apply real-world relationships and currency to in-game resources and mechanics? Will need to think about this more and do some research.
American McGee (DOOM/Quake levels, Alice, Grimm)
Started out creating content for DOOM II with in-house, custom tools.
Good advice I can jive with: Think beyond games to entertainment, think about the big picture.
Games have: players, objectives, procedures, rules, resources, conflict, boundaries, outcome (uncertainty is important) and formal elements.
To be fun and engaging, games should provide: challenge, play (abstract, but, essentially, something to do), character, story and dramatic elements.
Warren Spector (Ultima VI, Wing Commander, Dues Ex)
Talks about designer/player dialogue and how compelling that can be. Suggests learning to program, at least the basics. Then, make games, get into making mods, or maps for games you like.
Additional information
- Pages: 496
- ISBN: 0240809742
- EAN: 9780240809748
- Dewey: 794.81526
- Binding: Paperback
- Publisher: Morgan Kaufmann