a journey at the heart of game design

Prof. Pier Luca Lanzi – Politecnico di MilanoDesign Methods and Processes – May, 18th 2016 – Alta Scuola Politecnica

A Journey at the Heart

of Game Design

sto giocando a …some of the gamesI recently played

http://www.polimigamecollective.orghttps://www.facebook.com/polimigamecollective

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_(2012_video_game)

players

why do we play a new game?

what do we “see”?

what “moves” us?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dixit_(card_game)http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61apq-6v-mL.jpg

Uncharted 4 Official Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh5HV4iic1Y

narrative

The Walking Dead Season One Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhL776xz9YU

Fallout 4 Official Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdm1WcFHvcw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Story_%28video_game%29

CharacteR

Graphic style

The Witness Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7h7AleSCF4

Lumino City Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btpeCVRslFM

audio

Bastion - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZAuKkv4eZEBit Trip Beat - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHbg-sNqe4wDark Echo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuOC8oTrFbM

Narrative +

Character +

graphic style +

audio =

AESThETIC

designers

grokDynamicsMechanics Aestethic

player

game designer

MDA MODEL

“jump”

Super Mario Bros. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia8bhFoqkVE

Geometry Dash - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k90y6PIzIaE

Space is Key 140 Official Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XV478axBuiU

140 Official Trailer - http://vimeo.com/59001919

“shoot”

Unfinished Swanhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9YaFY8S75M

Splatoonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L54s2m1dPs

“the RPG LOOP”

explore/combat

collect

spend

improve

“physics”

Angry Birds Official Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNNzRyd1xz0

“CO-OP”

Journey Official Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU3nNT4rcFg

Spaceteam Official Trailer - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3fsvKnIVJg

Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes Official Trailer - http://www.keeptalkinggame.com

“time”

Super Hot Gameplay Trailerhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Gz2FIlPXk

New mechanics can

be rather simple

Downwell Official Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UygovwXlbsU

Or can define new genres

“unfolding”

Lifeline Launch Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P81rf74MF7w

Procedural

rhetoric

Procedural rethoric

• Concept developed by Ian Bogost in the book “Persuasive Games” (MIT Press 2007)

• Videogames are part of a new form of rhetoric since their “procedurality” involves interaction

• Procedural Rhetoric is defined as “the practice of using processes persuasively.”

The Best Amendment - http://www.molleindustria.org/the-best-amendment/

Let’s Play “The Best Amendment”!

Engineering fun

Cartoon from “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” Raph Koster © (http://www.theoryoffun.com)

Cartoon from “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” Raph Koster © (http://www.theoryoffun.com)

Cartoon from “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” Raph Koster © (http://www.theoryoffun.com)

Cartoon from “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” Ralph Koster © (http://www.theoryoffun.com)

Cartoon from “A Theory of Fun for Game Design” Ralph Koster © (http://www.theoryoffun.com)

humans love patterns!

Highway to Hell by AC/DC © AC/DC

The world's ugliest music: Scott Rickard TEDxMIAhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RENk9PK06AQ

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Super_Mario_64_jumping.jpg

Excerpt from Indie Game the Movie – http://www.indiegamethemovie.com

'A Minute to Learn… A Lifetime to Master’

James R. Becker

games that fail to exercise the brain become boring

fun is all about the brain feeling good (endorphines)

the moment of triumph when we learn to master a task

triggers the release of chemicals triggering good feelings

fun comes from “richy interpretable” situations

Designing for

players

Bartle’s Player Types - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartle_Testhttp://mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm

Osterweil’s Four Freedoms

• Freedom to explore§ Players should be allowed to explore

• Freedom to fail§ Players fail all the time in a game§ Failure has to be present in game§ Bad games don’t know how to treat failure

• Freedom of identity play§ Players love to be to be in someone else’s shoes§ E.g., play as Darth Vader, dress as a doll

• Freedom to effort§ Players should be able to play as they feel, soft or hard§ Sniper vs Assault vs Support vs Engineer

Flow (M. Csikszentmihalyi)

transparency

transparent, visible mechanicsincrease player comfort

pre luck vs. post luck

role playing games typicallyfavor post luck

design your own

Ruzzle board

bad transparency good transparency

“pre-luck” is an interesting wayto present interesting decisions

the end is near and so I

face the final curtain …

Play games

Make games

Say something

HISTORY Books!

• The Rough Guide to Videogames by Kate Berens, Geoff Howard (Sep 8, 2008)

• Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time by Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton (Mar 4, 2009)

• The Ultimate History of Video Games: From Pong to Pokemon–The Story Behind the Craze That Touched Our Lives and Changed the World by Steven L. Kent (Oct 2, 2001)

• Replay: The History of Video Games by Tristan Donovan (Apr 20, 2010)

• Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture – David Kushner (Amazon)

Movies

• Get Lamp!• King of Kong• Chasing Ghosts• High Score• Once Upon Atari• Intellivision Lives• Rise of the Video Games• Video Game Revolution• Video Game Invasion The History Of A Global Obsession• History Of Video Games• Video Games The Story of Computer Games• Game Loading the Rise of the Indies• From Bedroom to Billions• Indie Game the Movie

Contacts

• Email§ pierluca.lanzi@polimi.it

• Skype§ pierluca.lanzi

• Web§ http://www.polimigamecollective.org

• Game design§ http://www.gamasutra.com

• Game Jam§ http://www.ludumdare.com§ http://www.globalgamejam.org

http://www.polimigamecollective.orghttps://www.facebook.com/polimigamecollective