Saturday 9 March 2013

Elements of Game Design

Game design is one of the most important elements of games yet one that I have never really thought a lot about. Yet as I have got older and began to take interest in game reviews and getting more picky in the games I play. With that of course you begin to notice which games are more successful than others ect. And this is all down to how the game is designed.

Things are much tougher for game developers and designers today though. When video games first started out, all the game bases and genres were being created but now with all the bases set, creating something new and innovative is very difficult. Money has also becoming a factor as many game companies are creating games purely for a profit and not because they themselves truly want to make the game. This means the game becomes like a tick box, being created to do certain things but for no other reason than that it will be based on something already popular and gain some attention from those Gamers. For me it would be the large amount of singing and dancing games, they are all almost identical and in no way innovative just being created because they know they will sell. Even First Person Shooters and Role Playing Games are becoming very generic and similar.


Even the box art looks the same
Its games where the team puts in their full effort that are successful. If the designer wants to make a game he himself would like to play then more often than not others will also want to play it too. Why would someone really want to make a game that already exists? Its unlikely to happen if the motivation is there for it to be made. In this way the team will be putting in all their effort and  creating something special.



Game designers have to think through many different elements. One of which is the genre f the game. Depending on what type of game it is, will determine many elements of the game.
Another is how to challenge the player. Games are challenge based and we enjoy playing them so much by overcoming these challenges. It gives the player bragging rights, but today games have become very simplistic almost holding your hand all the way through it. The player isn't stupid if you leave them with it they will be able to work it out with simple hints given in the way that the game is designed. For example showing the player whats going to happen before they them self have to complete it. But instead we get long tedious descriptions of what to do which takes the player out of the immersion of the game.

Along with the idea of immersing the player in the game the designer has to think of the world that they can get lost in. Players like to fantasize and in-vision themselves as the characters. A mage, a bounty hunter, a purple dragon; games give you the opportunity to become these characters and control them and get lost in their stories.

There are so many elements in a game that need to be thought about but they are not just one persons responsibility though more one idea then being enhanced by others. Such as the level designers, character designer and writers but all working on the Lead designers idea. Without the strong base idea its just not going to work properly.

When I play a game, for me its the ability to fully be immersed in the story that is key. The world the characters, learning about them, exploring them and forgetting about much else is what I really enjoy in a game. Often for me even if some of the elements are not as strong as they should be I can still enjoy it purely for the fact I was still able to fall into the game.



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