Game Design?

Elements of Game Design – From Pong to Next gen...

What is meant by Gameplay?

I believe that gameplay can be best described as the way in which players interact with a game. The elements that make up gameplay include; the game’s rules, the game’s controls, game challenges (overcoming them), the game’s plot/ storyline and the connection it creates with the players.

 "A good game is one that you can win by doing the unexpected and making it work” Quote from Rollings, Andrew; Morris, Dave (2000) Game Architecture and Design New Riders Games.  Defining the word gameplay is quite hard without listing lots of different variants; however in summary I think gameplay is the overall experience a player gets from playing a game.

Who are the leading lights in Game Design?

 

In my view, the biggest and most innovative game design companies are those that have the best game design “track records” and consistently deliver gripping story lines. These include; Rockstar North, Ubisoft Montreal, Nintendo EAD and Bungie. These companies have produced many major titles including; Grand Theft Auto, Assassin’s Creed, Super Mario Bro’s, Halo and many more. These titles have been around for a number of years and have established themselves as “Classic” games. All of these companies have developed unique brands and have their own “Money Makers”. For example Rockstar North’s is Grand theft Auto, and Bungie’s is the “best seller”, Halo.

 

Where does Game Design take place in the modern Developer? Is it a single person’s responsibility?

From a creative perspective, game design takes place in a multi-disciplined team where each member of the team is directly responsible for his or her own role, but is also responsible for ensuring that their work fits in with the rest of the team’s efforts and contributes toward the overall design objective.



However, from a business perspective there is also a need for managerial structure which enables key creative and project management decisions to be made quickly and effectively.  This requires a level of “senior management”.

Do different genres require different design principles?

In my view different genres of game do not require different design principles. All next generation games need atmospheric music (requiring live recording), complex level and environmental designs (requiring the creation of side missions and interactive 3D environments), very complex plots (requiring in depth script writing and control logic) high resolution characters (requiring complex 3D character generation) and high levels of control interaction (requiring the use of sophisticated software techniques and powerful game engines). Irrespective of whether it is a Horror, Sci-fi, Action, Puzzle or Sport game these design principles remain the same.

What’s important for you, when you play?

 

When I play a game, I look for several key attributes.  These include: effective and responsive controls, level’s that flow well, a gripping plot, realism in all aspects of the game and a good reward/ achievement system? Because at the end of the day, what I want from a game is to be entertained and immersed in an imaginary world without the distractions of poor or inappropriate game design.