casual game design: designing play for the gamer in all of us
Post on 20-Oct-2014
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DESCRIPTION
I recently gave an hour long webinar on casual game design for the International Game Developers Association. The talk touched on some of the ground I cover in my book, "Casual Game Design." (http://bit.ly/aFDxd7) I also gave a very brief analysis of some of the design decisions that informed our iPhone Gigaputt. The slides provide a visual guide to the ideas illustrated in the talk (though they make much more sense with the audio). If I can get the audio from the IGDA I will post it here as well. In the presentation I try to define casual games and define some defining characteristics of casual play. I also touch on the importance of developing a mental model to explain games before going into the process of being a game designer. After laying this initial groundwork I look at some specific games and the mechanics that comprise the gameplay.TRANSCRIPT
Designing Play for the Gamer in All of Us
What do I mean by casual games?
A history of casual games in three parts
Principles of casual game design
1. Rules & goals must be clear.
2. Reach proficiency quickly.
2. Game adapts to player’s life & schedule.
4. Borrow from the familiar.
We all know what games are, right?
A mental model of games
Intrinsic
System of Rules
Goal
Extrinsic
Voluntary
Separate
Uncertain
Then there’s the succinct definition:
“Voluntary effort to overcome unnecessary obstacles.”
Bernard Suits
The role of the game designer.
Transform the moment of play
into a game.
Core idea
Clear goals
Spec/write the rules
Build
Playtest
Iterate
Have a broad appetite
Journey to the End of the Night
Hopscotch Highways
Ran some, ransom
Mechanics
Matching
Too little.
Too much.
New games from tweaks to old mechanics
Never forget
Constraints are crucial.
Sorting
Limited choices
More legibility
More choices
Less legibility
No replacement
With replacement
Bouncing, Tossing, Rolling & Stacking
Exploring the system
Exploring the system
Exploring the system
Gravity
provides
drama.
Variability allows for skill.
Beyond games
People love collecting stuff
And they like recognition
Play to the completist
An example of our design processMake a casual real-world game
Our challenges
Our goals
Our answer
Study the mechanics
Evolve new systems
Today’s casual player
Is tomorrow’s hardcore gamer.
That’s it. Any questions?
