The #1 Skill for Game Designers and How to Practice It

The #1 Skill for Game Designers

and How to Practice It

Roberto DillonJames Cook University (Singapore)

roberto.dillon@jcu.edu.au

1999 2005 2009 2011

An often hot topic on LinkedIn groups

What's the most important skill for a Game Designer? Often degenerating in hundreds of comments!

Creativity Programming or Artistic skills Writing Having an open mind Curiosity ...

An often hot topic on LinkedIn groups

What's the most important skill for a Game Designer? Often degenerating in hundreds of comments!

Creativity Programming or Artistic skills Writing Having an open mind Curiosity ... Critical Analysis Listening Explaining your ideas

An often hot topic on LinkedIn groups

What's the most important skill for a Game Designer? Often degenerating in hundreds of comments!

Creativity Programming or Artistic skills Writing Having an open mind Curiosity ... Critical Analysis Listening Explaining your ideas

Communication

How to communicate effectively? “A method is needed in order to reason accurately”

Descartes

Game Designers explain their approaches in very subjective ways.How can we communicate our ideas in an easy to understand way?we need a “pragmatic” approach for explaining and describe games For example by breaking down a game at different level of complexities and analyze their relationships.

The A.G.E. Framework(inspired by the MDA framework)

FUN

Actions• the core actions that a player can perform usually described in terms of verbs.

• E.g. moving, jumping, kicking a ball, shooting, taking cover

Gameplay• the resulting play achieved by using and combining the available "actions". These can be either verbs or higher level concepts

• E.g. fighting, race to an end, territorial acquisition

Experience• the emotional experience that engages players during the game.

Emotional Experience

The most difficult part to explain How do players feel when they play? What do players really want? What triggers „Fun“??

„6-11 Framework“

„Fun” as an outcome from engaging the player through basic emotions and instincts

6 Basic Emotions Ekman, Plutchik, Izard etc.

11 Instincts / Instinctive behaviors

Their correspondences / relationships

„6 Emotions”

• Fear

„6 Emotions”

• Fear

• Anger

„6 Emotions”

• Fear

• Anger

• Pride

„6 Emotions”

• Sadness

„6 Emotions”

• Sadness

• Excitement

„6 Emotions”

• Sadness

• Excitement

• Joy

„11 Instincts”

• Survival

„11 Instincts”

• Survival

• Revenge

„11 Instincts”

• Survival

• Revenge

• Curiosity

„11 Instincts”

• Self Identification

„11 Instincts”

• Self Identification

• Aggressiveness

„11 Instincts”

• Self Identification

• Aggressiveness

• Competition

„11 Instincts”

• Protection / Care

„11 Instincts”

• Protection / Care

• Greed

„11 Instincts”

• Protection / Care

• Greed

• Collecting

„11 Instincts”

• Communication

„11 Instincts”

• Communication

• Color Appreciation

In general: Emotions can trigger instincts Instincts push the player to act in the game Easy to link instincts to gameplay and actions

Explaining a game

Fear

Anger

Survival

Aggressiveness

Escaping Avoiding danger

ChasingFighting

HidingRunning

RunningKickingCasting a spell

Explaining a game, step by step From Actions to Experience: Play the game

What can I do in the game? Note: check the controls!

From Actions to Experience: Once we nailed down the Actions...

Gameplay: What can I use them for? What am I trying to do?

Experience: Why am I doing it? How do I feel while playing?

Explaining a game, step by step

Frogger (Konami, 1981)

Actions What can I do in the game?

Frogger (Konami, 1981)

Actions • Move Left/Right• Advance• Retreat

Gameplay What am I trying to do?

Frogger (Konami, 1981)

Actions • Move Left/Right• Advance• Retreat

Gameplay• Avoid being run over by cars (avoidance)• Reach a safe spot at the top of the screen(race to an end)

Experience How do I feel while playing?

Frogger (Konami, 1981)

Actions • Move Left/Right• Advance• Retreat

Gameplay• Avoid being run over by cars (avoidance)• Reach a safe spot at the top of the screen(race to an end)

Experience How do I feel while playing?

Joy Excitement

Survival

Fear

Pride

Identification

Frogger (Konami, 1981)

Actions • Move Left/Right• Advance• Retreat

Gameplay• Avoid being run over by cars (avoidance)• Reach a safe spot at the top of the screen(race to an end)

Experience How do I feel while playing?

Joy Excitement

Survival

Fear

Pride

Identification

Frogger (Konami, 1981)

Actions • Move Left/Right• Advance• Retreat

Gameplay• Avoid being run over by cars (avoidance)• Reach a safe spot at the top of the screen(race to an end)

Experience How do I feel while playing?

Joy Excitement

ProtectionPride

NO! I’m not the frog! I’m just trying to rescue it!

Actions • Place/Remove unit• Zoom In/Out• Start/Stop evolution

Gameplay • Evolution (Conway’s Game of Life, 1970)• Expand control over the grid (territorial acquisition)• Protect the “Beacon” (tower defense)Experience

Excitement

Protection

Curiosity

Defense: Evolution (Adsumsoft, 2014, Android/iOS)

Pride Joy

Turky’s Date (Adsumsoft, 2014, Android/iOS)

Actions • Slide Tiles• Use Magic

Gameplay • Drive Turky around to get bonuses (herding) • Protect Turky (avoidance)• Reach Picky (race to an end)• Make the bad guys fall

Experience

Excitement Joy

Protection

CollectingRevenge

Pride

TitleDate/Version

< topic / high level description >

Main IllustrationCalloutCallout

< description >

Details,Zoom InSidebar

Sidebar

• Bullet points• …• …

Sidebar or

Flowchart

One Page GDD(Stone Librande, Creative Director, EA/Maxis, www.stonetronix.com)

One Page GDD

Conclusions• To be good game designers we need to

communicate effectively• We need a reliable approach for explaining our ideas• Gaining insights, discuss, sharing experiences

• AGE model • Narrow but clear definitions• Easy to relate the different layers• Desired emotional experience seen in terms of intuitive

components (6-11 Framework)• Straightforward to learn and adopt in a variety

of contexts• One Page GDD

Thanks for Your attention!

roberto.dillon@jcu.edu.au or

roberto@ProgramAndPlay.com

rdillon73

Adsumsoft:http://Adsumsoft.ProgramAndPlay.com