Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Game Design Questionaire

Complete the following questions.

What is your name?

Where are you from?

What is your favorite board game - why?
What is your favorite card game - why?
What is your favorite video game - why?
What is your favorite sport - why?

What purpose do you think games serve?

Write down three (3) concepts that you think are important to game design.

Finally, write down two truths and one lie about yourself. The class will attempt to guess which is the lie when we discuss your answers to these questions!

Project: Board Game, Stage 1

Project: Board Game (due 2/10)
Stage: 1
Goal: Bring a board game to class on Friday, January 20.


You will play this game with several other people in class, so try to bring a fairly simple game that has simple rules and a moderate game time. At the beginning of class, you will present this game and demonstrate the rules to everyone.

We will spend the rest of class playing each other's games in scheduled play sessions. During the playtime, keep a notepad open and write down what you like and don't like about the game. Also think about what could be better.

After the playtime, we will compile feedback notes from everyone on each game, categorized as plus and minus. We will construct problem statements to help fix the negatives and enhance the positives.

Board game shopping spree

The following locations are great resources for board games. Check em out!

Yelp Link

Gamescape
333 Divisadero St (btwn Oak and Page)
415-621-4263
http://gamescapesf.net/

Just Awesome Board Game Store
320 West Portal Ave
415-681-GAME
http://www.justawesomethewebsite.com/

Jeffery's Toys
685 Market St

Lens # 4: The Lens of Curiosity

To use this lens, think about the player's true motivations - not just the goals of your game, but the reason the player wants to achieve those goals. Ask yourself these questions:

What questions does my game put into the player's mind?

What am I going to do to make them care about these questions?

What can I do to make them invent even more questions?

Lens # 3: The Lens of Fun

Fun is desirable in nearly every game, although sometimes fun defies analysis. To maximize your game's fun, ask yourself these questions:

What parts of my game are fun? Why?

What parts need to be more fun?

Lens # 2: The Lens of Surprise

Surprise is so basic that we can easily forget about it. Use this lens to remind yourself to fill your game with interesting surprises. Ask yourself these questions:

What will surprise players when they play my game?

Does the story in my game have surprises? Do the game rules? Artwork? Technology?

Do your rules give players ways to surprise each other?

Do your rules give ways for players to surprise themselves?


Surprise is a crucial part of all entertainment - it is the root of all humor, strategy, and problem solving. Our brains are hardwired to enjoy surprises - find ways to incorporate them into your game!

Lens # 1: The Lens of Essential Experience

To use this lens, you stop thinking about your game and start thinking about the experience of the player. Ask yourself these questions:

What experience do I want the player to have?

What is essential to that experience?

How can my game capture that essence?


If there is a big difference between the experience you want to create and the one you are actually creating, your game needs to change. You need to clearly state the essential experience you desire, and find as many ways as possible to instill this essence into your game.

Syllabus

DT/FM-216 : Intermediate 3D Modeling and Animation
Instructor: Greg Lemon
T/TH 4:15-7:00

DT-220-4 Conceptual Game Design

Conceptual Game Design

Games are one of the oldest and most relevant forms of human experience. Every day, whether we realize it or not, we play games with each other, ourselves, and the world around us through body language, verbal/non-verbal communication, goal setting, and emotional and logical manipulation.

This course teaches the history, philosophies and practices of formalized game design from both an analogue and digital outlook, and helps students to develop and analyze their own game designs through a multitude of lenses and perspectives. The goal of the course is for students to develop several games throughout the course of the semester, including card and board games, as well as a videogame that can be published to the iPhone/Pad and web. No prior knowledge of programming is required for this class, as students will use Game Salad, a Mac application that allows non-programmers to quickly build videogames in an easy to use graphical user interface. Basic computer skills and the ability to produce simple two-dimensional art are helpful.

Grading:

25% : Participation
25% : Board Game
25% : Collectable Card Game
25% : Video Game

Attendance:

Missing more than four (4) classes will result in a failing (F) grade for the class.

The goal of the class is to become the best game designer you can be. You will design, test and complete three game projects throughout the course. Each project is worth 25% of your final grade. In addition, there is a 25% class participation grade.

PATICIPATION - 25% - DUE EVERY CLASS
In order to become a great game designer, you must come to class. Class is where you test your game designs with other players, and help other designers test theirs. You will be expected to provide feedback, ask questions, and contribute to discussions and playtests. Keep in mind that this is all related to playing games...no papers, no exams, just designing and playing games. This class is supposed to be fun, so come to class, get in the game and play!

BOARD GAME – 25% - DUE FEB 10
A board game of your design, based loosely off an existing successful game. You will design new mechanics, story, and art to support yout design. We will conduct several rounds of in-class playtestsing to evaluate your design and produce the most enjoyable experience possible. Final board games will include custom boards, tokens, rule sheets, etc.

COLLECTABLE CARD GAME – 25% - DUE MARCH 9
A collectable card game of your design, based loosely off an existing successful game. You will design new mechanics, story, and art to support yout design. We will conduct several rounds of in-class playtestsing to evaluate your design and produce the most enjoyable experience possible. Final card games will include custom cards and instructions.

VIDEO GAME – 25% - DUE MAY 4
A video game for the Mac iOS of your design, based loosely off an existing successful game. You will design new mechanics, story, and art to support yout design. We will conduct several rounds of in-class playtestsing to evaluate your design and produce the most enjoyable experience possible. Final video games will be submitted to the instructor on the final day of class.

The Art of Game Design




Buy this book. Now. It's worth 100000000000 x what is being charged for it. It's also what I will be basing the majority of the lectures in class off of. Oh, and it related to pretty much every other creative medium outside of games as well.

Go get it!