1. F UNDAMENTALS OF G AME D ESIGN G AMES AND V IDEO G AMES Sayed Ahmed BSc. Eng. in CSc. & Eng. (BUET) MSc. in CSc. (U of Manitoba) http://sayed.justEtc.net http://www.justETC.net Just E.T.C for Business, Education, and Technology Solutionss www.JustEtc.net Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 1

2. T OPICS Define Games Essential Elements of Games Define games based on the elements What computers bring to gaming How video games differ from traditional games Specific ways how video games entertain people Some other enjoyable feature That you need to know for Game Design Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 2

3. W HAT IS A G AME Playing and pretending are essential elements of playing games Play: Arise from human’s desire to entertain themselves Nonessential and usually recreational activities Pretending: Is the mental ability to create a notional reality Different from the actual/real world We can create, abandon, or change at will Toys, Puzzles, and Games Toys: We play with toys No defined rules or games Puzzles: We play with (or solve) puzzles No defined rules but defined goals Games: With defined rules and goals Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 3

4. W HAT IS A G AME Definition of a Game A game is a type of play activity Conducted in the context of a pretended reality In which the participants try to achieve at least one arbitrary, nontrivial goal By acting in accordance with rules Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 4

5. T HE E SSENTIAL E LEMENTS OF A G AME Play Pretending A Goal The Rules Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 5

6. T HE E SSENTIAL E LEMENTS OF A G AME Play Participatory form of Entertainment Books and movies provide presentational form of entertainment not necessarily passive but not interactive Pretending Magic Circle: boundary that divides ideas and activities from game world and real world Single Player Games: Pretending – just select the player and pretend with the game world Multiplayer game: All players pretend together and agree to the game world rules We even pretend in traditional games as the rules or activities may not have any real significance or effect in real world Exception: The win loss can cause death or not Gambling Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 6

7. T HE E SSENTIAL E LEMENTS OF A G AME A Goal Games should have one or more goals (objects) Not necessarily quantifiable (Simcity) Victory condition, termination condition, loss condition Loss condition: You cannot win but can loss RollerCoaster Tycon: Lose by running out all of your money and having your park collapse Rules and Goals within the magic circle But winning or losing can affect the real world as well The Rules Definitions and instructions that the players agree to accept during the duration of the game Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 7

8. T HE E SSENTIAL E LEMENTS OF A G AME Rules The following things are defined by rules The semiotics of the game The gameplay The sequence of play The goal(s) of the play The termination condition (may or may not have) Metarules Rules about rules When certain rules expire or can get changed Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 8

9. T HINGS THAT A G AME IS N OT Games are not always Competition or conflict It can be cooperative as well Entertainment and recreation Can be part of Study, practice, training, and work About fun Fun is not intrinsic to the game itself Fun is just an emotional response to playing a game That’s why the definition does not mention about Competition, conflict, entertainment, or fun Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 9

10. G AMEPLAY Essential Elements of Gameplay Challenges Actions Challenges Task set for the player Nontrivial to accomplish Overcoming a challenge must require Physical or mental effort Unique, recurring, or continuous Shooting down – recurring Avoiding to get hit - continuous Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 10

11. G AME P LAY : C HALLENGES Challenges Simple, complex (make a game profitable) Can be divided into smaller challenges Completing an obstacle course divided into Climbing over a fence, crawling under a barrier, jumping across a gap Optional challenges Preventing opponents to score goals May not be explicitly told But can be logically formed from the rules Nontrivial but not necessarily difficult Think about casual players, children, inexperienced players Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 11

12. G AME P LAY : A CTIONS Actions Rules specify What actions players can take to surmount the challenges Actions that are allowed Actions that are prohibited Which ones are required and under what circumstances Games also Permit Optional actions Listen to radio Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 12

13. G AMEPLAY : D EFINITION OF G AME P LAY Gameplay consists of The challenges that the player must face to arrive at the objective of the game The actions that the player is permitted to take to address to those challenges As a game designer you should create them simultaneously No point to create interesting challenges without defining actions to overcome those Some designers consider fantasy and imagination to be part of gameplay In general, fantasy and imagination are good sources of fun as well Part of pretending (assuming that he is the pilot – reality of the situation) You may design fantasy separately from gameplay Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 13

14. F AIRNESS Players expect that the Game rules should be fair In single player games Fairness is a complicated issue It depends on the expectation of the player The outcome should reflect the actions Also dependent on the balancing In multiplayer games Each player should have equal chance of winning the game At the beginning Make games symmetric Lies outside the magic circle Not an essential element Culturally constructed notion Social metarule on how the players will judge the rules of the game Players try to change the rules (real world games) Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 14

15. S YMMETRY AND A SYMMETRY Symmetric Game All players play by the same rule Try to achieve the same victory condition Basketball Initial conditions, actions allowed, and the victory condition are identical for both teams Chess and Backgammon are symmetric Except that one player will go first But in Chess – it does not give any special advantage (like tic tac toe) Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 15

16. S YMMETRY AND A SYMMETRY Symmetry and Fairness All players should start in the same state If a player is already more skilled with the game He should better take a handicapped role Sometimes people feel – this is fairness Example: Amateur Golf (allows handicapped concept), Professional Golf Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 16

17. S YMMETRY AND A SYMMETRY Asymmetric Games Different players may play with different rules May try to achieve different goals For example: Wargames More asymmetric if based on historical events Starts with different number of troops and weapons (different kinds as well) Start from different locations It may be necessary for different players to have different objectives – to make the game fair Difficult to say players with equal skills have equal chance of winning At the beginning of the game People adjust the rules to reflect their own notions of fairness For example: Fox and Geese Games Adjustment of rules Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 17

18. C OMPETITION AND C OOPERATION Two player competitive (you versus me) Chess, backgammon Multiplayer competitive (everyone for himself) Monopoly Multiplayer cooperative (all of us together) Lego Star Wars – two-player cooperative Gauntlet – four-player cooperative Team based (us versus them) Soccer and sports game Partner games - bridge Single Player Solitaire, arcade games, Mario for Wii Hybrid competition modes Diplomacy: Overall context – competitive but also permits cooperative modes Coordinate strategies, later renege for own advantage Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 18

19. C ONVENTIONAL G AMES VERSUS V IDEO G AMES A game designer Ideally should be able to design all kinds of games May be with pen and pencil Video Game A video game is a game mediated by a computer Whether it is the traditional desktops and laptops or computers built in A tiny keychain A huge electronic play environment at a theme park Computers help to borrow entertainment techniques from Books Film Karaoke Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 19

20. C OMPETITION AND C OOPERATION Design considerations You may offer options regarding Single player, multiplayer, team based Adds considerably for the design and implementation Competition: Conflict of interest Cooperation Cooperate to achieve the same goal Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 20

21. V IDEO GAMES : H IDING THE R ULES Video Games Do not require written rules The machine implements and enforces them Players need to be told how to play Not the rules Computer sets the magic circle The computer also determines when the player reaches the goal Players don’t have to think the game to be a game Try and see if the game permits it Provide good immersion and pretending Disadvantage of Hiding With uninformed rules players cannot optimize their moves Many players do not like trial and error process Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 21

22. S ETTING THE PACE Pace of game The rate at which the events required by the rules take place In traditional games A timer in timer/time based games Non-timer based games The players or a referee sets the pace of the game Video Games The computer sets the pace of the game Unless waiting for the players input The game moves at a pace the designer has set This allows us to make Fast and furious games – constantly throwing enemies or other challenges Slow and deliberate games Players can think as long as they want Games can automatically modulate the pace by giving a rest period between period of intense activity Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 22

23. P RESENTING A G AME W ORLD Game designers can Place imaginary people, places, and situations in the game world Can use sound and appropriate video/graphics effect to make the players sense the game world directly Video games target to present game worlds Similar to fictional world in televison or film Recent advancement of computer graphics has made this almost reality Video games are now full of Pictures, animation, movies, music, dialog, sound effect, and so on Designers now experimenting with a wide range of visual styles, augmented reality or mixed reality Computers are used with real world activities to play a game Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 23

24. C REATING A RTIFICIAL I NTELLIGENCE Strategy Path-finding Natural language parsing Natural language generation Pattern recognition Simulated people and creatures Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 24

25. H OW V IDEO G AMES E NTERTAIN Gameplay Aesthetics Harmony Storytellling Risks and rewards Novelty Learning Creative and Expressive play Immersion Socializing Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 25

26. H OW V IDEO G AMES E NTERTAIN Gameplay Aesthetics Harmony Storytellling Risks and rewards Novelty Learning Creative and Expressive play Immersion Socializing Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 26

27. S UMMARY We have learned that Play, pretending, a goal, and rules are the essential elements of a game How they work together to create the experience of playing one Game play is defined as Challenges and actions Important issues of game design Winning and losing, fairness, competiton, and cooperation Informed what computers bring in the world of gaming With this knowledge You are now ready to learn How games are structured How to design them What it takes to be a designer Just E.T.C sayed@justetc.net 27