The birth of a game design

October
25

What's the starting point of a game design? Some may argue that it begins with a story. Others might start with a game genre in mind. Still others may suggest starting with a compelling game mechanic. They're all perfectly great starting points for the game concept but I would argue that there needs to be more structure before a game concept becomes a design.

In fact, this is what game design and creative writing have in common. Both activities begin by first defining its key elements. Where they differ are the key elements itself. Today, I'm going to delve into the first two elements of a game design.

Follow up:

The goal(s)

The design goals are the desired learning outcome from playing the game. What skills would a player learn/grow through playing? I cannot emphasize the importance of defining clear and precise goals. Goals drive the entire game development. They aid in defining the direction - especially when its comes to design decisions when all the options look to be equally "fun". In addition, they provide a basis for measuring the success of the game design in meeting its goals. Let's consider the design goals of some of the better known games today.

In Tetris, I would argue that the design goal focuses on the skill of planning ahead. In the earlier levels of Tetris, the user can finish these levels without a lot of forethought with respect to puzzle piece placements. However, as the pacing speeds up, it becomes critical to lay down the pieces in such a manner as to accommodate the upcoming pieces. Perhaps the game designer didn't intend for the game to be about planning ahead, it doesn't change the fact that the gameplay ultimately distills down to that goal.

A more complex game like Prince of Persia: Rival Swords might have more than one design goal. I would argue that a key design goal is to learn to navigate through the environment effectively. The main user activity involves actively looking for ways of navigating through the environment in order to minimize danger. A second design goal is to promote stealth tactics. The combat activity seemed to be intentionally designed such that direct conflicts with three or more enemies are extremely dangerous and should be avoided.

Like themes in stories, design goals are not presented directly to the audience (users). Instead, they are embodied in all aspects of the game design and its development.

The topic

If goals define what the design is intending to accomplish, the topic defines the setting where the game plays out. The topic definition can be as narrow or as wide as desired. For example, Bejeweled is focused on jewels and is more of a rather broad theme. On the other hand, the Prince of Persia series topic/subject is an Arabian Nights fairy tale.

On the surface, the topic seems like a rather innocuous decision to make. In truth, its impact is second only to the design goals - the topic not only sets the time and place, it also sets the rules of reality - assuming that the game is more reality-based. We'll go more into this when we start talking about defining the game style.