Game Design

Game Design

As a person who has played my fair share of games over the course of my life I was quite surprised when I discovered that I didn't really know what a game was. I could tell you a game if I saw one but if I had to explain the concept to another person who somehow had never heard of a game then I would struggle. I would have probably just said something along the lines of "it's like when you want to do something that doesn't really matter for fun against someone" but that doesn't really make sense so the readings have definitely made me clear up the exact vernacular I would use if I ever find myself in that situation.

The dictionary definition of a game is as follows "an activity that one engages in for amusement or fun." This definition isn't great as things like cooking, watching tv or sleeping fit the description and when someone says they like games nobody expects that to be the extent. The reading has many more parameters for what makes a game but the main four I like are "games are an activity with rules, goals and decision making" there may be a couple non game things that fit those rules but I feel that those are the four main ones.

Now that I can nail down a better explanation of what a game actually is I should be more equipped to create a game of my own as I can check back to the rules and make sure my game has followed them. Without this my game may lack something important and I could end up making some sort of visual novel or an interactive movie which isn't exactly what I'm aiming for, however I am still not entirely sure what exactly it is which I am aiming for when I make my first ever game in unity over the coming weeks.

However knowing what a game is isn't enough. I need to know how to design a game. I need to spend time thinking about how my game will begin, what will happen in the middle and how it will end along with the transitions between these. If my game has story as a core element then I will need to figure out how to lead the narrative through these stages and if gameplay is more at the helm then I will need to find a way to keep it interesting throughout.

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-making-of-divinity-original-sin-2/
That is an article about the making of divinity original sin 2, in my opinion one of the best games ever. The article has the developers mention prototypes that were used before making the game full scale, this is something that could certainly prove useful to me. They also mentioned repeating the great parts of earlier games they made but that isn't really an option for me.

https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/182380/postmortem_mcmillen_and_himsls_.php
That is an article about an indie game named "the binding of isaac" the part which stood out to me most was when they mentioned that they drew inspiration from the legend of zelda's dungeon system and expanded upon it to create something that hadn't really been done before, at least not to that extent. This simple idea led to one of the best selling indie games of all time and has spawned a sequel and a spin off is currently in the works too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvm0CN3tQFI

That is a video about the making of "oblivion" an open world RPG which I have personally put countless hours into. Around the 12 minute mark they mention that some things they make for the game don't make it in but it's just fun to make crazy, cool stuff. this leads me to think that I shouldn't be too serious about everything I make for my game, if I make something cool and it can fit in then sure, throw it in. If I make something that has no place in the world, perhaps I modify it or learn from it when making other parts.



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