Game Design
What is game design?
I have learned about it and I have decided to share it with you.
To ask that question, one first needs to ask "What is a game?". There are many definitions but the one that stuck with me the most was "A voluntary effort to overcome unnecessary obstacles". The term was coined by Bernard Suits in the book "The Grasshopper", published in 1978.
The first part of this definition tells us that it is a "voluntary effort" which means it is not needed for survival, or to gather resources needed for survival. It also tells us that players need to put in effort to win, be it physical or mental, or in case of some videogames, both.
The second part tells us that players need to "overcome unnecessary obstacles". This tells us that players have to stick to "arbitrary rules", speaking in terms of real life. The players are not forbidden by the laws of physics to follow the rules, but if they do not follow the rules, then it would not be the game.
Game design involves the creation of an experience akin to that. In fact, I have created one in several minutes using several guidelines my lecturer provided me with.
The game is a board game that uses a six sided dice, similar to Snakes and Ladders. I created a spiraling track divided into squares. I gave it a space theme, where players attempt to fly to the centre of the galaxy to reach a McGuffin. The players choose one of three spaceships, each of which has its own perk. The Tank has extra armour and is immune to dark matter residue*. The Speeder can roll again if the player rolls a six. The Destroyer can shoot cannons if it lands on the same space as another ship, pushing it back several spaces, depending on a dice roll.
*Dark Matter Residue is left on a space when a player rolls a six. This is "residue from a particularly strong warp drive engage". When a player lands on dark matter residue, they lose a turn.
All over the board are black holes and white holes. If a player lands on a black hole they are transported through a wormhole to a white hole (but not vice versa). This can be either beneficial or detrimental to their progress in the game.
The first person to reach the centre of the galaxy enters the 4th dimension and becomes god. Therefore, once one person reaches the end, the game is over.
Just like that, I created a game in fifteen minutes using nothing more than pencil and paper.
YouTube: Why do we play games? By Vsauce
My game is absolutely not a perfect game. If I were to actually develop a game like this, I would test it over and over with slightly different rules in an attempt to create a good balance of rivalry between players and fun. The game wouldn't be fun if one player had a much stronger ship than another. The game wouldn't be fun if the game lasts too short or too long. This would require a lot of play testing (either by myself or by friends/family/other people)
The Angel Problem [Game Theory] by CodeParade
I have learned about it and I have decided to share it with you.
To ask that question, one first needs to ask "What is a game?". There are many definitions but the one that stuck with me the most was "A voluntary effort to overcome unnecessary obstacles". The term was coined by Bernard Suits in the book "The Grasshopper", published in 1978.
The first part of this definition tells us that it is a "voluntary effort" which means it is not needed for survival, or to gather resources needed for survival. It also tells us that players need to put in effort to win, be it physical or mental, or in case of some videogames, both.
The second part tells us that players need to "overcome unnecessary obstacles". This tells us that players have to stick to "arbitrary rules", speaking in terms of real life. The players are not forbidden by the laws of physics to follow the rules, but if they do not follow the rules, then it would not be the game.
Game design involves the creation of an experience akin to that. In fact, I have created one in several minutes using several guidelines my lecturer provided me with.
The game is a board game that uses a six sided dice, similar to Snakes and Ladders. I created a spiraling track divided into squares. I gave it a space theme, where players attempt to fly to the centre of the galaxy to reach a McGuffin. The players choose one of three spaceships, each of which has its own perk. The Tank has extra armour and is immune to dark matter residue*. The Speeder can roll again if the player rolls a six. The Destroyer can shoot cannons if it lands on the same space as another ship, pushing it back several spaces, depending on a dice roll.
*Dark Matter Residue is left on a space when a player rolls a six. This is "residue from a particularly strong warp drive engage". When a player lands on dark matter residue, they lose a turn.
All over the board are black holes and white holes. If a player lands on a black hole they are transported through a wormhole to a white hole (but not vice versa). This can be either beneficial or detrimental to their progress in the game.
The first person to reach the centre of the galaxy enters the 4th dimension and becomes god. Therefore, once one person reaches the end, the game is over.
Just like that, I created a game in fifteen minutes using nothing more than pencil and paper.
YouTube: Why do we play games? By Vsauce
My game is absolutely not a perfect game. If I were to actually develop a game like this, I would test it over and over with slightly different rules in an attempt to create a good balance of rivalry between players and fun. The game wouldn't be fun if one player had a much stronger ship than another. The game wouldn't be fun if the game lasts too short or too long. This would require a lot of play testing (either by myself or by friends/family/other people)
The Angel Problem [Game Theory] by CodeParade
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