Formal Abstract Design Tools

Notes on  Doug Church

'games are not books, games are not movies. In those media, the tools used......are used to manipulate the viewers or readers, to make them feel or react exactly the way the director or author wants them to.  I believe the challenge of computer games design is that our most important tools are the ones that empower players to make their own decisions'

• Modern games fuse a technical base with a vision for the players experience (Design,art,audio,levels,code all work together to achieve this)

• Games and Games consoles are evolving becoming more and more sophisticated 

• Design is the least understood aspect of computer game creation(design is the game without it is just a CD full of data)

• Game designers only describe "fun and "not fun

• Using a design vocabulary lessons innovations and mistakes into a form we can all look at remember and benefit from 
• Design is hard to point out just looking at a screen 
• Evolutionary path often stagnate 
• 
  

• Formal- implying precise definition and the ability to explain it to someone else

• Abstract- To emphasise precise definition and the ability to explain it to someone else 

• You don't build a house out of tools,rather you build a house with tools 

Intention

Making an implementable plan of ones own creation in response to the current situation in the game world and ones understanding of the game play options.

Perceivable Consequence

• Any action the player undertakes results in direct feedback.

• A clear reaction from the game world to the action of the player

• Story another abstract tool-story refers to any narrative thread that is continued throughout the game (the narrative thread whether designer driven or player driven that binds events together and drives the player forward toward completion of the game)

• Using multiple tools (Cooperation,conflict,confusion)
• Rpg designer created paths offer moments that often feel as involving as player -directed actions if not more so.

• The most powerful tools are the ones that involve and empower players to make there own decisions 

• We must engage in discussion and analysis to get a set of tool from which we refine until they are well understood

My thoughts

Doug Church talks about tools that we use to shape our games and how designers need a design vocabulary.

I believe in today's world and especially for digital games you need to combine these tools in order to capture and engross the player. I do believe that often the tools used ultimately shape the game you are creating.

Portal and portal 2 is a game that springs to mind here. the game offers the player (perceivable consequence)

as well as intention the whole game offers the player these tools in abundance and ultimately it is intention tool that is used in order to overcome the game.

In summary I believe we need these tools to shape games. however I don't think these tools are used to shape every game and games can be successful without the thought process gone into his article certainly for modern digital games this tools are needed more and more

I have no words i must Design

 Notes on Greg Costikyan 

Costikyan says "A game is an iterative structure of endogenous 

meaning that requires players to struggle towards goals"

• The game is plastic (adaptable to every platform)

• Puzzles are static - a logic structure to be solved my clues
• games that are not static are games that change with the players actions. (interactive)

• Interaction with a purpose,the need to make decisions.
• Excellence in decision making is what bring success 

• Not all games have goals (but players may create goals)
• Sims as an example of a game without goals, but a software tool to manipulate (create goals)

• Competition is one way of making a game with struggles
• Struggles must be balanced in games -   to Hard = Frustration To easy = dullness  
• Choosing difficulty in a game allows players to choose how hard they want the struggle to be.

• Interaction of games rules components and software create a structure within which people play 
• Board game structure is readable (visual) Digital game structure is invisible  
• Small change in structure breeds a big change in player behaviour

• Understand kind of experiences you want to impart to your players and create systems that enable those experiences.

• A game without struggle is a dead game
• The purpose of a game is to entertain 

My Thoughts

Costikyan says "A game is an iterative structure of endogenous 

meaning that requires players to struggle towards goals"

I believe in what costikyan says here. He sums up what a game is all about in a catchy neat phrase.

However Personally to describe a game as having endogenous meaning i believe may cater for some games out there simple games(monopoly or domino's) but other games can mean a lot more to players maybe not your casual gamers but for competitive gamers some games or characters to them can mean a lot.

I agree with Costikyan that "games must be broken down into identifiable chunks in order to understand them"

However sometimes its better not to over complicate things. some of the most successful games out there are also some of the simplest without maybe implementing some of the key components Costikyan talk about.

In summary reading what Costikyan says has been very interesting in getting into the nitty gritty of what games really are Games ultimately have to be entertaining.

Paidea And Ludus whats It all About?

Paidea and Ludus

If you asked someone in the gaming community what Paidea means the probably would look back at you with a very puzzled face so so what does it mean?

• Paidea can be described effectively as "play for pleasure"

• Ludus can be described as a game that is more constrained to rules with a clear outcome (winner)

Paidea

Examples of Paidea Might be something as simple as swing ball,there are no real rules to abide by you u simple hit the ball with your racket as the ball swings around.another example might a child that creates a game virtual word with toys and proceeds to play a game from the sheer pleasure they get from it.

Ludus

Ludus on the other hand is more rule bound the game would typically contain a set number of moves, or boundaries on what you can and cant do.You may have to implement a certain strategy to reach the goal or finish.

Although these two category's may seem quite different there are a whole host of games that may contain both Paidea and Ludus

Games such as monopoly you would say would fall in the category of Ludus but it defiantly has Paidea fun and pleasure in there to You are required to play the game by a set of rules and must follow these to win the game, however a person will experience fun and pleasure by simply playing by these rules.

I believe you can also put these defintions into types of gamers

Paidea-casual gamers who play for a quick bit of fun

Ludus- competitive gamers who play to win who like challenges. 

As well as these definitions there are also other catagorys games can fall into

Agon  - or competition many games fall in here such as Fifa,Call of duty or Halo

Alea   - Can be seen as games with chance or randomness such as poker (although some may disagree with this) or snakes and ladders.

Ilinx   - Games defined by movment such as Tony Hawks pro skater 

Mimicry - games that are simulation,make believe or role play. such as Final Fantasy.

My Thoughts

There are many games out there today which can fall into these categorys. However i question can you really define a game by one of these defintions? games can have many of these attributes roled into one 

games such as the very popular Grand Theft Auto here is a game that falls into many of these category's

as the gaming industry  continues to grow and expand games are becoming larger and more immersive

I strongly believe games in  today's world are focused on achieving many of these category's as one whole package as people demand more and more from games. 

    

In the Beginning There Is The Designer

I recently read a chapter from the author Jesse Schell i decided to take notes on this chapter and upload them here with key points and phrases i extracted from the reading.

How do i become a game designer?

• Design games start now! Dont wait! Dont even finish this conversation! Just start designing games! Go Now! 
• Tell yourself you are a Game designer,people often become what the pretend to be 

• When something must be done never think about possibility and impossibility

• You will fail yes you will fail again and again and again but these failures are your only path to success. 
• If you aren't dropping (Failing) you aren't learning

• Confident and fearless

• The most important skill for a game designer is listening
• Not just merely hearing what is being said a deeper listening ,listening between the lines

• You must approach everything as a child does assuming nothing,observing everything,listening to everything

• Listen to your team

• Listen to your audience 

• Listen to your game so you can understand how it runs. listen to your game like a mechanic listens to car to know what is wrong with it.

• Skill is a minor gift. The major gift is love of work. Through love and passion of work,having the major gift eventually through time your skill will be as great or greater than someone with a minor gift. 

My Thoughts   

I really enjoyed the chapter i read from (Jesse Schelle The Art Of Game Design)  I love the way jesse really breaks down game design to its core.

As a wannabe Game designer the key points underlined in this chapter have been what i can only describe as a breath of fresh air. I especially like the way Jesse Schelle talks to you (the reader) on a very personal level, you feel compelled to read on as the author captures you with the humorous and clever ways of thinking.

This has lead me to order the book in full (Jess Schell The Art Of Game Design)

Critical Games studies

Interview Questions 

In this exercise we where asked to pair up with a partner and to ask them questions to find 

out more about there tastes in art and culture

the questions and answers to these where as follows.

• What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading (or the last fiction book u read)?
• (A) Lord of the rings trilogy

• What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading (or the last non fiction book u read)?
• (A) Game creation and Careers by Marc Saltzman 

• what is the last live performance (music,drama or dance) you attended?
• (A) The holy grail in London

• What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema/online or watched on dvd?
• (A) The conjuring (horror)

• How often do you read the newspaper? (which one? online or physical?)
• (A) The Sun newspaper physical 3 times a week

• Which art gallery/museum/exhibition did you last visit?
• (A) Ipswich museum 

• How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
• (A) around 20 hours per week

• How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?
• (A) around 5 hours per week