1. Designing a Game Conceptualization

2. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Great ideas come from everywhere. Great ideas come from everywhere. They spring up day or night, while sleeping, driving, or watching TV. They spring up day or night, while sleeping, driving, or watching TV. Ideas are impossible to predict. Ideas are impossible to predict. If you are not paying attention, they will slip right past you. If you are not paying attention, they will slip right past you.

3. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Carry a notepad and pen with you at all times. Carry a notepad and pen with you at all times. Jot down your ideas from a burst of inspiration to slow trickles that seep into your mind. Jot down your ideas from a burst of inspiration to slow trickles that seep into your mind. Creative people often have ideas while driving. Creative people often have ideas while driving. Ideas are ephemeral and will vanish before they are fully formed. Ideas are ephemeral and will vanish before they are fully formed.

4. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? If you want to be a game designer, you must think of yourself as an Olympic contender in the sport of idea brainstorming. If you want to be a game designer, you must think of yourself as an Olympic contender in the sport of idea brainstorming.

5. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Generating good ideas is hard work and requires dedication. Generating good ideas is hard work and requires dedication. If you get into the habit of jotting down all of your ideas, your problem will be that you don’t have time to develop all of them. If you get into the habit of jotting down all of your ideas, your problem will be that you don’t have time to develop all of them.

6. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Try not to drown in a sea of your own creativity. Try not to drown in a sea of your own creativity. The problem isn’t the number of ideas; it’s that your ideas aren’t being organized in a way that gives them value. The problem isn’t the number of ideas; it’s that your ideas aren’t being organized in a way that gives them value.

7. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Learn to use a database program to create an IDEABASE. Learn to use a database program to create an IDEABASE. Create categories for premise, plot, character, etc. Create categories for premise, plot, character, etc. When you need to use an idea, you can sort quickly by heading. When you need to use an idea, you can sort quickly by heading.

8. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Forcing yourself to record and organize your ideas will accomplish two things: Forcing yourself to record and organize your ideas will accomplish two things: 1.It cements the ideas in your memory for later retrieval. 2.It gives you a chance to discard the lousy ideas. This is the first step in editing This is the first step in editing

9. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Structured brainstorming is a powerful skill. Structured brainstorming is a powerful skill. It takes practice to become good. It takes practice to become good. You might be a brainstorming beginner of a brainstorming expert. You might be a brainstorming beginner of a brainstorming expert. Brainstormers train themselves how to generate workable ideas and solutions to problems. Brainstormers train themselves how to generate workable ideas and solutions to problems.

10. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Another brainstorming process is to create an Idea Tree. Another brainstorming process is to create an Idea Tree. Start with 5 trees trunks – well spaced apart. Start with 5 trees trunks – well spaced apart. Name each tree something you love. Name each tree something you love. Write down 2 ideas (branches) for each tree Write down 2 ideas (branches) for each tree Continue the process to develop each tree. Continue the process to develop each tree.

11. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques List Creation: List everything you can dream up on a certain topic. List Creation: List everything you can dream up on a certain topic. Idea Cards: Take a deck of index cards and write a single idea on each one. Now, pair the cards. For example, pair Dinosaur with Drag Racing. Your next game could be about dinosaurs racing prehistoric cars. Idea Cards: Take a deck of index cards and write a single idea on each one. Now, pair the cards. For example, pair Dinosaur with Drag Racing. Your next game could be about dinosaurs racing prehistoric cars.

12. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Stream of Consciousness: Sit down at the computer and start writing like crazy. Don’t worry about being coherent. Don’t think about punctuation or spelling. After 10 minutes spewing words on a particular topic, read over what you have done. Stream of Consciousness: Sit down at the computer and start writing like crazy. Don’t worry about being coherent. Don’t think about punctuation or spelling. After 10 minutes spewing words on a particular topic, read over what you have done.

13. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Randomize It: Take out a dictionary and open it up to any page, then start with the word you see first. A newspaper or magazine also works. Now start writing down ideas related to that word. The word you find might be microwave and you have an idea about a future on Earth where microwaves are used to levitate people. Randomize It: Take out a dictionary and open it up to any page, then start with the word you see first. A newspaper or magazine also works. Now start writing down ideas related to that word. The word you find might be microwave and you have an idea about a future on Earth where microwaves are used to levitate people.

14. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Research: If you have a basic idea, try researching the topic. Find out all you can about the topic. Maybe the idea of ants fascinates you. Learn about ant hills, how ants live and work, what ants eat, what are army ants. You could design a board or digital game around the name Ant Colony or Ants In Your Pants. Research: If you have a basic idea, try researching the topic. Find out all you can about the topic. Maybe the idea of ants fascinates you. Learn about ant hills, how ants live and work, what ants eat, what are army ants. You could design a board or digital game around the name Ant Colony or Ants In Your Pants.

15. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Extreme Measures: Put yourself into new situations. Force yourself to try something entirely different, whitewater rafting, snorkeling, a new sport or even a new hobby. The next thing you know, you are designing an underwater game where players are snorkeling and coming into contact with fish, stupid sponges, evil jellyfish, and a wise old turtle. The game could be called SNORK. Extreme Measures: Put yourself into new situations. Force yourself to try something entirely different, whitewater rafting, snorkeling, a new sport or even a new hobby. The next thing you know, you are designing an underwater game where players are snorkeling and coming into contact with fish, stupid sponges, evil jellyfish, and a wise old turtle. The game could be called SNORK.

16. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Team Brainstorming: Working with others is both stimulating and highly productive. Two or more people can bounce ideas back and forth. Two minds can build upon the core idea in ways that a single mind cannot. Hearing your ideas being discussed by someone else helps you take a perspective look at your concepts. Team Brainstorming: Working with others is both stimulating and highly productive. Two or more people can bounce ideas back and forth. Two minds can build upon the core idea in ways that a single mind cannot. Hearing your ideas being discussed by someone else helps you take a perspective look at your concepts.

17. Conceptualization Brainstorming Techniques Rules of Team Brainstorming: Rules of Team Brainstorming: 1.State a purpose. 2.No idea is bad! Never criticize ideas. 3.Encourage differing views. 4.Vary the structure – don’t rely on just one method of brainstorming. 5.Go for lots of ideas – try for 100 ideas per hour.

18. Conceptualization Editing & Refining Now change gears and put on your critical hat. Now change gears and put on your critical hat. Schedule your editing sessions on different days from your brainstorming sessions. Schedule your editing sessions on different days from your brainstorming sessions. Make it clear to everyone that brainstorming is over. Make it clear to everyone that brainstorming is over. Pull out the ideas that work. Pull out the ideas that work. Narrow down to the top 10 ideas. Narrow down to the top 10 ideas.

19. Conceptualization Editing & Refining Nominal Group Technique: Now that you have your top 10 ideas, have each person put the list into rank order – assign a number value from one to 10. Nominal Group Technique: Now that you have your top 10 ideas, have each person put the list into rank order – assign a number value from one to 10. Find the average rank score of each idea. Find the average rank score of each idea. Rearrange your list using the new combined rank order. Rearrange your list using the new combined rank order.

20. Conceptualization Editing & Refining Take your newly ranked list and narrow down to the top 3 ideas. Take your newly ranked list and narrow down to the top 3 ideas. Discuss these ideas. You might even brainstorm each idea for game development feasibility. Discuss these ideas. You might even brainstorm each idea for game development feasibility. Take a new group ranking. Repeat the processes until you have 1 idea that everyone agrees on and that can feasibility be used in a game. Take a new group ranking. Repeat the processes until you have 1 idea that everyone agrees on and that can feasibility be used in a game.

21. Turning Your Idea Into A Game If you are going to produce a truly original game, try to forget all of the other games – for a second. If you are going to produce a truly original game, try to forget all of the other games – for a second. Don’t combine existing games to create a better one. Don’t combine existing games to create a better one. Work from your vision of the type of game you’d like to play. Work from your vision of the type of game you’d like to play.

22. Turning Your Idea Into A Game Is your game about Africa? Is your game about Africa? Does it have wild animals? Does it have wild animals? How will the animals interact? How will the animals interact? Does the player have clearly defined goals? Does the player have clearly defined goals? What obstacles get in the way in getting to the goals? What obstacles get in the way in getting to the goals? The game mechanics stem from your main idea. The game mechanics stem from your main idea.

23. Turning Your Idea Into A Game What will be your game’s mechanics? What will be your game’s mechanics? What do you want your game to look like? What do you want your game to look like? How will your game function? How will your game function? Don’t lock in your ideas early in the development process. Give yourself time to play around and experiment. Don’t lock in your ideas early in the development process. Give yourself time to play around and experiment.

24. Elements of Game Design Players Players Number of playersNumber of players Role of playersRole of players Player interaction patternsPlayer interaction patterns Objectives Objectives Procedures Procedures Rules Rules Resources Resources Conflict Conflict ObstaclesObstacles OpponentsOpponents DilemmasDilemmas Boundaries Boundaries Outcome Outcome Challenge Challenge Play Play Premise Premise Character Character Story Story Formal Elements: Dramatic Elements:

25. Questions to Ask Yourself What is the conflict in my game? What is the conflict in my game? What are the rules and procedures? What are the rules and procedures? What actions do players take and when? What actions do players take and when? Are there turns? How do they work? Are there turns? How do they work? How many players can play? How many players can play? How long does a game take to resolve? How long does a game take to resolve? What is the working title? What is the working title? Who is the target audience? Who is the target audience?

26. Fleshing Out Game Structure Define each player’s goal. Define each player’s goal. What does each player need to do to win? What does each player need to do to win? What is the single most important player action in the game? Describe how it functions. What is the single most important player action in the game? Describe how it functions. Map out how a typical turn works. Map out how a typical turn works. How do the players interact with each other? How do the players interact with each other?