{"id":51,"date":"2020-01-05T18:34:52","date_gmt":"2020-01-05T18:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/chapter\/game-ideas\/"},"modified":"2023-06-07T17:37:58","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T17:37:58","slug":"game-ideas","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/chapter\/game-ideas\/","title":{"raw":"The Design Process: Game Ideas","rendered":"The Design Process: Game Ideas"},"content":{"raw":"<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">One way to create a game is to take a bunch of elements, throw them together, and call it a game. The results of this type of design can be expected to be hit-and-miss. Some games created using such a process might be ok but many of the games will be terrible.<\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">Is there a process that can be followed that will lead to <em>better<\/em> games? There is the iterative process that we saw in the previous chapter, but we have not gone into detail on any of the iterative steps (design, playtesting, evaluation). How exactly do you come up with an initial design? What is the most effective way to playtest? When evaluating a game, what do you look for, and how do you know what to change? These are the things we will be concerned with throughout the rest of this section of the text.<\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\"><strong>Generating Ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">The first thing that happens in a design is that you must come up with the basic core of an idea. This isn\u2019t necessarily fully-formed, but just a basic concept. There are many different starting points for a game\u2019s design. Here are some examples, in no particular order:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n \t<li>Start with the\u00a0<strong>core \u201caesthetics\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 what do you want the player to feel? How do you want them to react? What should the player experience be like? Then work backwards from the player experience to figure out a set of rules that will achieve the desired aesthetic. Think about the best experience you\u2019ve ever had while playing a game; what game rules led to that experience?<\/li>\n \t<li>Start with a\u00a0<strong>rule<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>system<\/strong>\u00a0that you observe in everyday life, particularly one that requires people to make interesting decisions. Look at the world around you; what systems do you see that would make good games?<\/li>\n \t<li>Start with an\u00a0<strong>existing, proven design<\/strong>, then make modifications to improve on it (the \u201cclone-and-tweak\u201d method). This often happens when making sequels and ports of existing games. Think of a game that you thought had potential, but didn\u2019t quite take the experience as far as they could; how would you make it better?<\/li>\n \t<li>Start with\u00a0<strong>technology<\/strong>, such as a new game engine (for video games) or a special kind of game piece (like a rotateable base for miniature figures). Find a way to make use of it in a game. What kinds of items do you have lying around your living space that have never been used in a board game before, but that would make great game \u201cbits\u201d?<\/li>\n \t<li>Start with\u00a0<strong>materials<\/strong>\u00a0from other sources, such as existing art or game mechanics that didn\u2019t make it in to other projects. Design a game to make use of them. Do you have an art portfolio, or earlier game designs that you didn\u2019t turn into finished products? What about public domain works, such as Renaissance art? How could you design a game around these?<\/li>\n \t<li>Start with a\u00a0<strong>narrative<\/strong>\u00a0and then design game rules to fit, making a story-driven game. What kinds of stories work well in games?<\/li>\n \t<li>Start with\u00a0<strong>market research<\/strong>: perhaps you know that a certain demographic is underserved, and want to design a game specifically for them. Or maybe you just know that a certain genre is \u201chot\u201d right now, and that there are no major games of that type coming out in a certain range of dates, so there is an opportunity. How do you turn this knowledge into a playable game?<\/li>\n \t<li>Combinations of several of these. For example, starting with\u00a0<strong>core aesthetics<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>narrative<\/strong>\u00a0at the same time, you can make a game where the story and gameplay are highly integrated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">When you think of new ideas for games, what kinds of ideas do you have? What are your starting points? What does this say about you as a designer, and the kinds of games you are likely to make?<\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\"><strong>Other Methods of Idea Generation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">If you are stuck with \u201cdesigner\u2019s block\u201d (the game design equivalent of \u201cwriter\u2019s block\u201d) there are a number of strategies you\u2019ll see mentioned in various places. Here are a few:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n \t<li>Keep a permanent collection of all of your ideas for games, mechanics, stories, and everything else. Look back through it from time to time to see if there\u2019s anything from years ago that you can use. Add to it whenever an idea occurs to you that you can\u2019t use immediately, but that you want to return to later.<\/li>\n \t<li>Think of something random. Try to find a way to integrate it into your game.<\/li>\n \t<li>Do some research. Learn about some aspect of the game in more depth, and you will likely find new ideas.<\/li>\n \t<li>Go back to the basics. Think of the formal elements of your game. What are the player goals? Rules? Resources? And so on. Note that you\u2019ll need to define these anyway in order to have a game, so by focusing on these one at a time it may give you new questions to answer.<\/li>\n \t<li>Formalized brainstorming, either alone or in a group. Some people swear by this method, while others say the results are questionable. The best I can say is that the results are highly unpredictable\u2026 as is the case with most R&amp;D.<\/li>\n \t<li>Think critically about games. You may have this textbook on game design that contains some of what I have learned over the years, but you should write your <em>own<\/em>\u00a0book over the course of your lifetime (whether you publish it or not, at least keep it for yourself). When you discover something that does or doesn\u2019t work in a game and you think you can identify the root cause as a \u201claw\u201d (or at least a guideline) of game design that is broadly applicable, write it down! If you don\u2019t know why, write\u00a0<em>that<\/em>\u00a0down too, and come back to it periodically until you find the answer.<\/li>\n \t<li>Play lots of games! But\u2026 play as a\u00a0<em>designer<\/em>\u00a0and not just a player. Don\u2019t just play for enjoyment. Instead, play critically. Ask yourself what choices were made by the designer of the game, and why you think those choices were made, and whether or not they work. Play games in genres that you don\u2019t like or have never tried, and try to figure out why other people find them fun. Also, published hint guides can be useful to read \u2014 they are basically glorified design documents that detail all of the systems of a game!<\/li>\n \t<li>And lastly, practice. Work on your own projects. The more you make games, the better you get at making them\u2026 just like any other art form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">This chapter was adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com\/2009\/07\/09\/level-4-the-early-stages-of-the-design-process\/\">Level 4<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"> of Ian Schreiber's <em>Game Design Concepts<\/em> course.<\/span>","rendered":"<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">One way to create a game is to take a bunch of elements, throw them together, and call it a game. The results of this type of design can be expected to be hit-and-miss. Some games created using such a process might be ok but many of the games will be terrible.<\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">Is there a process that can be followed that will lead to <em>better<\/em> games? There is the iterative process that we saw in the previous chapter, but we have not gone into detail on any of the iterative steps (design, playtesting, evaluation). How exactly do you come up with an initial design? What is the most effective way to playtest? When evaluating a game, what do you look for, and how do you know what to change? These are the things we will be concerned with throughout the rest of this section of the text.<\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\"><strong>Generating Ideas<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">The first thing that happens in a design is that you must come up with the basic core of an idea. This isn\u2019t necessarily fully-formed, but just a basic concept. There are many different starting points for a game\u2019s design. Here are some examples, in no particular order:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Start with the\u00a0<strong>core \u201caesthetics\u201d<\/strong> \u2014 what do you want the player to feel? How do you want them to react? What should the player experience be like? Then work backwards from the player experience to figure out a set of rules that will achieve the desired aesthetic. Think about the best experience you\u2019ve ever had while playing a game; what game rules led to that experience?<\/li>\n<li>Start with a\u00a0<strong>rule<\/strong>\u00a0or\u00a0<strong>system<\/strong>\u00a0that you observe in everyday life, particularly one that requires people to make interesting decisions. Look at the world around you; what systems do you see that would make good games?<\/li>\n<li>Start with an\u00a0<strong>existing, proven design<\/strong>, then make modifications to improve on it (the \u201cclone-and-tweak\u201d method). This often happens when making sequels and ports of existing games. Think of a game that you thought had potential, but didn\u2019t quite take the experience as far as they could; how would you make it better?<\/li>\n<li>Start with\u00a0<strong>technology<\/strong>, such as a new game engine (for video games) or a special kind of game piece (like a rotateable base for miniature figures). Find a way to make use of it in a game. What kinds of items do you have lying around your living space that have never been used in a board game before, but that would make great game \u201cbits\u201d?<\/li>\n<li>Start with\u00a0<strong>materials<\/strong>\u00a0from other sources, such as existing art or game mechanics that didn\u2019t make it in to other projects. Design a game to make use of them. Do you have an art portfolio, or earlier game designs that you didn\u2019t turn into finished products? What about public domain works, such as Renaissance art? How could you design a game around these?<\/li>\n<li>Start with a\u00a0<strong>narrative<\/strong>\u00a0and then design game rules to fit, making a story-driven game. What kinds of stories work well in games?<\/li>\n<li>Start with\u00a0<strong>market research<\/strong>: perhaps you know that a certain demographic is underserved, and want to design a game specifically for them. Or maybe you just know that a certain genre is \u201chot\u201d right now, and that there are no major games of that type coming out in a certain range of dates, so there is an opportunity. How do you turn this knowledge into a playable game?<\/li>\n<li>Combinations of several of these. For example, starting with\u00a0<strong>core aesthetics<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong>narrative<\/strong>\u00a0at the same time, you can make a game where the story and gameplay are highly integrated.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">When you think of new ideas for games, what kinds of ideas do you have? What are your starting points? What does this say about you as a designer, and the kinds of games you are likely to make?<\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\"><strong>Other Methods of Idea Generation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-adtags-visited=\"true\">If you are stuck with \u201cdesigner\u2019s block\u201d (the game design equivalent of \u201cwriter\u2019s block\u201d) there are a number of strategies you\u2019ll see mentioned in various places. Here are a few:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Keep a permanent collection of all of your ideas for games, mechanics, stories, and everything else. Look back through it from time to time to see if there\u2019s anything from years ago that you can use. Add to it whenever an idea occurs to you that you can\u2019t use immediately, but that you want to return to later.<\/li>\n<li>Think of something random. Try to find a way to integrate it into your game.<\/li>\n<li>Do some research. Learn about some aspect of the game in more depth, and you will likely find new ideas.<\/li>\n<li>Go back to the basics. Think of the formal elements of your game. What are the player goals? Rules? Resources? And so on. Note that you\u2019ll need to define these anyway in order to have a game, so by focusing on these one at a time it may give you new questions to answer.<\/li>\n<li>Formalized brainstorming, either alone or in a group. Some people swear by this method, while others say the results are questionable. The best I can say is that the results are highly unpredictable\u2026 as is the case with most R&amp;D.<\/li>\n<li>Think critically about games. You may have this textbook on game design that contains some of what I have learned over the years, but you should write your <em>own<\/em>\u00a0book over the course of your lifetime (whether you publish it or not, at least keep it for yourself). When you discover something that does or doesn\u2019t work in a game and you think you can identify the root cause as a \u201claw\u201d (or at least a guideline) of game design that is broadly applicable, write it down! If you don\u2019t know why, write\u00a0<em>that<\/em>\u00a0down too, and come back to it periodically until you find the answer.<\/li>\n<li>Play lots of games! But\u2026 play as a\u00a0<em>designer<\/em>\u00a0and not just a player. Don\u2019t just play for enjoyment. Instead, play critically. Ask yourself what choices were made by the designer of the game, and why you think those choices were made, and whether or not they work. Play games in genres that you don\u2019t like or have never tried, and try to figure out why other people find them fun. Also, published hint guides can be useful to read \u2014 they are basically glorified design documents that detail all of the systems of a game!<\/li>\n<li>And lastly, practice. Work on your own projects. The more you make games, the better you get at making them\u2026 just like any other art form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">This chapter was adapted from <a href=\"https:\/\/gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com\/2009\/07\/09\/level-4-the-early-stages-of-the-design-process\/\">Level 4<\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\"> of Ian Schreiber&#8217;s <em>Game Design Concepts<\/em> course.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-51","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"part":48,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/51","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/51\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/51\/revisions\/52"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/48"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/51\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=51"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=51"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.usnh.edu\/creatinggames\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=51"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}