Books
-Schell,
J. 2009. Art
of game design. 1St
ed.
Burlington:
CRC Press
-Rogers, S. 2010. Level up!: the guide to great video game design. 1st ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
Online
- Conway, S. 2009 A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132475/a_circular_wall_reformulating_the_.php
-Rogers, S. 2010. Level up!: the guide to great video game design. 1st ed. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
Online
- Conway, S. 2009 A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132475/a_circular_wall_reformulating_the_.php
I focused on chapters that were most relevant to my project, rather than go in to depth about multiplayer, marketing etc. Again, this post is just an extensive list of chapters/quotes I may find useful for my project and more just so I have an extra copy of these notes online - not for the benefit of this blog.
Chapter 2
- You are not creating a game, you are creating an experience
Chapter 4
Four Basic Elements of a Game
1. Mechanics
“These are the procedures and rules of your game. Mechanics describe the goal of your game, how players can and cannot try to achieve it, and what happens when they try... when you choose a set of mechanics as crucial to your gameplay, you will need to choose technology that can support them, aesthetics that amphasize them clearly to players, and a story that allows your (sometimes strange) game mechanics to make sense to the players.”
2. Story
“This is the sequence of events that unfolds in your game. It may be linear and pre-scripted, or it may be branching and emergent. When you have a story you want to tell through your game, you have to choose mechanics that will both strengthen that story and let that story emerge.”
3. Aesthetics
“This is how your game looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels. Aesthetics are an incredibly important aspect of game design since they habe the most direct relationship to a player's experience.”
4. Technology
“We are not exclusively referring to “high technology” here, but to any materials and interactions that make your game possible such as paper and pencil” etc
Ask yourself
- Is my game design using elements of all four types?
- Could my design be improved by enhamcing elements in one or more of the categroies?
- Are the four elements in harmony, reinforcing each other, and working together toward a common theme?
Ask yourself:
- What elementsd of the game make the experience enjoyable?
- What elements of the game detract from the experience?
- How can I change game elements to improve the experience?
Chapter 5
The Elements Support a Theme
Unifying Themes
- All elements of your game will reinforce one another as they will be working towards a common goal. Sometimes it is best to let a theme emerge as you are creating the game.
Step 1: Figure out what your theme is
Step 2: Use every means possible to reinforce that theme
The theme is what your game is about. Most game themes are experience based. If you don't know what your theme is, it is very likely your game is not engaging people as much as it could.
Resonance (Resonant themes)
Ask yourself:
- what is it about my game that feels powerful and special?
- When I describe my game to people, what ideas get them really excited?
- If I had no constraints of any kind, what would this game be like?
- I have certain instincts about how this game should be. What is driving those instincts?
--
Chapter 6
The Game Begins With An Idea
1. Think of an idea
2. Try it out
3. Keep changing it and testing it until it seems good enough
Look outside of games for inspiration
Ask yourself:
- What is an experience I have had in my life that I would want to share with others?
- In what small way can I capture the essence of that experience and put it into my game?
This requires imagination and an open mind, be willing to try the impossible
State the Problem
e.g. “How can I make a web based game that teenagers will really like?” makes clear both your goal and your constraunts. One advantage to this might be that you realise you are mistakingly over-constraining the real problem. e.g. “How can I make a web-based experience that teenagers will enjoy?”
Three advantages of clearly stating a problem:
1. Broader creative space. Most people jump to solutions too fast and start their creative process there. If you start your process at the problem instead of at a proposed solution, you will be able to explore a broader creative space and find solutions that are hiding where noone else was looking.
2. Clear measurement. You have a clear measurement of the quality of proposed ideas: How well do they solve the problem?
3. Better communication. When you are designing with a team, communication is much easier if the problem has been clearly stated. Very often, collaborators will be trying to solve quite a different problem and not realize it if the problem has not been clearly stated.
When creating a problem statement, ask yourself:
- What problem, or problems, am I really trying to solve?
- Have I been making assumptions about this game that really have nothing to do with its true purpose?
- Is a game really the best solution? Why?
- How will I be able to tell if the problem is solved?
Defining the constraints and goals for your game as a problem statement can help move you to a clear game design much more quickly.
Brainstorming Tips:
1. Write down solutions.
2. Write or type – whatever is best for you.
3. Sketch
4. Creative play
5. Change your perspective (literally)
6. Immerse yourself. (Talk to people who like horror games, play horror games etc)
7. He who derails, rerails.
8. Spare no expense – waste as much paper etc as needed
9. Write on the wall (post it notes?)
10. Posting things around you you can easily remember where they are, find connections between different ideas.
11. Write everything – the best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas
12. Number your lists.
13. Brainstorm in categories (Technology ideas, mechanics ideas, story ideas etc)
14. Talk to yourself
15. Find a partner
--
- You are not creating a game, you are creating an experience
Chapter 4
Four Basic Elements of a Game
1. Mechanics
“These are the procedures and rules of your game. Mechanics describe the goal of your game, how players can and cannot try to achieve it, and what happens when they try... when you choose a set of mechanics as crucial to your gameplay, you will need to choose technology that can support them, aesthetics that amphasize them clearly to players, and a story that allows your (sometimes strange) game mechanics to make sense to the players.”
2. Story
“This is the sequence of events that unfolds in your game. It may be linear and pre-scripted, or it may be branching and emergent. When you have a story you want to tell through your game, you have to choose mechanics that will both strengthen that story and let that story emerge.”
3. Aesthetics
“This is how your game looks, sounds, smells, tastes and feels. Aesthetics are an incredibly important aspect of game design since they habe the most direct relationship to a player's experience.”
4. Technology
“We are not exclusively referring to “high technology” here, but to any materials and interactions that make your game possible such as paper and pencil” etc
Ask yourself
- Is my game design using elements of all four types?
- Could my design be improved by enhamcing elements in one or more of the categroies?
- Are the four elements in harmony, reinforcing each other, and working together toward a common theme?
Ask yourself:
- What elementsd of the game make the experience enjoyable?
- What elements of the game detract from the experience?
- How can I change game elements to improve the experience?
Chapter 5
The Elements Support a Theme
Unifying Themes
- All elements of your game will reinforce one another as they will be working towards a common goal. Sometimes it is best to let a theme emerge as you are creating the game.
Step 1: Figure out what your theme is
Step 2: Use every means possible to reinforce that theme
The theme is what your game is about. Most game themes are experience based. If you don't know what your theme is, it is very likely your game is not engaging people as much as it could.
Resonance (Resonant themes)
Ask yourself:
- what is it about my game that feels powerful and special?
- When I describe my game to people, what ideas get them really excited?
- If I had no constraints of any kind, what would this game be like?
- I have certain instincts about how this game should be. What is driving those instincts?
--
Chapter 6
The Game Begins With An Idea
1. Think of an idea
2. Try it out
3. Keep changing it and testing it until it seems good enough
Look outside of games for inspiration
Ask yourself:
- What is an experience I have had in my life that I would want to share with others?
- In what small way can I capture the essence of that experience and put it into my game?
This requires imagination and an open mind, be willing to try the impossible
State the Problem
e.g. “How can I make a web based game that teenagers will really like?” makes clear both your goal and your constraunts. One advantage to this might be that you realise you are mistakingly over-constraining the real problem. e.g. “How can I make a web-based experience that teenagers will enjoy?”
Three advantages of clearly stating a problem:
1. Broader creative space. Most people jump to solutions too fast and start their creative process there. If you start your process at the problem instead of at a proposed solution, you will be able to explore a broader creative space and find solutions that are hiding where noone else was looking.
2. Clear measurement. You have a clear measurement of the quality of proposed ideas: How well do they solve the problem?
3. Better communication. When you are designing with a team, communication is much easier if the problem has been clearly stated. Very often, collaborators will be trying to solve quite a different problem and not realize it if the problem has not been clearly stated.
When creating a problem statement, ask yourself:
- What problem, or problems, am I really trying to solve?
- Have I been making assumptions about this game that really have nothing to do with its true purpose?
- Is a game really the best solution? Why?
- How will I be able to tell if the problem is solved?
Defining the constraints and goals for your game as a problem statement can help move you to a clear game design much more quickly.
Brainstorming Tips:
1. Write down solutions.
2. Write or type – whatever is best for you.
3. Sketch
4. Creative play
5. Change your perspective (literally)
6. Immerse yourself. (Talk to people who like horror games, play horror games etc)
7. He who derails, rerails.
8. Spare no expense – waste as much paper etc as needed
9. Write on the wall (post it notes?)
10. Posting things around you you can easily remember where they are, find connections between different ideas.
11. Write everything – the best way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas
12. Number your lists.
13. Brainstorm in categories (Technology ideas, mechanics ideas, story ideas etc)
14. Talk to yourself
15. Find a partner
--
Chapter 7
The game improves through iteration
Choosing an idea
Your finished design will have to make it through eight filters, or tests. Only when the design passes all of them it is “good enough”.
Filter 01 – Does it feel right?
Most personal of all the filters. Gut feelings are important.
Key question “Does it feel right?”
Filter 02 – Demographics
Key question “Will the intended audience like this game enough?”
Filter 03 – Experience design
Take in to account everything you know about creating a good experience, including aethetics, interest curves, resonant theme, game balancing, and many more. To pass the filter you game must stand up to the scrutiny of many lenses.
Key question “Is this a well-designed game?”
Filter 04 – Innovation
If you are designing a new game by definition there needs to be something new about it. A subjective question, but an important one.
Key question “Is this game novel enough?”
Filter 05 – Business and Marketing
Are the theme and story going to be appealing to consumers? Is the game so easily explainable that one can understand what it is just by looking at the box? What are the expectations consumers are going to have about this game based on the genre? How do the features of this game compare to other similar games in the marketplace? Will the cost of producing this game be so high as to make it unprofitab;e? Will retailers be willing to sell this game? The answers to these will impact your design.
Key question “Will this game sell?”
Filter 06 – Engineering
Until you have built it, a game idea is just an idea and ideas are not bound by the constraints of what is possible or practical.
Key question “Is it technically possible to build this game?”
Filter 06 – Social/Community
Sometimes it is not enough for the game to be fun. Some of the design goals may require a strong social component, or the formation of a thriving community around your game. Depends on the design of your game.
Key question “Does this game meet out social and community goals?”
Filter 08 – Playtesting
Key question “Do the playtesters enjoy this game enough?”
The Rule of the Loop
“The more times you test and improve you design, the better your game will be.”
The process of game design and development is necessarily iterative, or looping. It is impossible to accurately plan how many loops it is really foinf to take before your game passes all eight filters and is “good enough”. This is what makes game development s incredibly risky – you are gambling that you will be able to get your game to pass all eight filters on a fixed budget, when you really don't know if it will.”
Don't just slap the game together and hope for the best. You don't want to ship a game you know isn't good enough or suffer the expense of continuing development until it is.
Loop question 1 How can I make every loop count?
Loop question 2: How can I loop as fast as possible?
Waterfall method
The waterfall model had one good quality: it encouraged developers to spend more time in planning and design before just jumping into the code. Except for that, it is complete nonsense, because it violates the Rule of the Loop. Managers found it incredibly appealing, but programmers knew it to be absurd – software is simply too complex for such a linear process to ever work.
Barry Boehm model [agile or spiral model] – risk assessment and prototyping at their core.
1. Come up with a basic design.
2. Figure out the greatest risks in your design.
3. Build prototypes that mitigate those risks.
4. Test the prototypes.
5. Come up with a more detailed design based on what you have learned.
6. Return to step 2.
Repeat loop until system is done.
Loop question 1 How can I make every loop count?
Spiral model answer: Asses your risks and mitigate them.
Loop question 2: How can I loop as fast as possible?
Spiral model answer: Build many rough prototypes.
Risk Assesment and Prototyping
Make a risk list for you game
e.g.
Risk 1. mechanic x might not be as fun as we think
Risk 2. game engine might not be able to handle drawing x, y, z at once
Risk 3. creating assets might take longer than we think to get right
Risk 4. we aren't sure people will like our characters and story
Risk 5. publisher might want x, y, z instead
(In reality there will probably be many more risks)
Risk Mitigation
The idea is to minimise or eleiminate these risks as soon as possible, usually by building small prototypes.
- Game mechanics can often be abstracted and played in a simpler form
“Have a programmer make a very abstract version of this gameplay mechanic, perhaps in 2D, with simple geometic shapes instead of animated characters” [can use this of evidence of the benefits of 2D!!!] If it isn't fun you can make quick modifications to the prototype until it is.
-Use placeholders to see what the engine can handle [stress testing]
- Have the artist create a couple assets and see how long it takes. If it takes longer than expected change your game design immediately.
- Show concept art, storyboards etc to your target demographic to see their reactions.
What can keep this game from being great?
How can we stop that from happening?
Eight Tips for Prototyping1. Every prototype should be designed to answer a question, sometimes more than one. [see risk mitigation]
2. Forget quality. Quality is time consuming.
3. Don't get attached.
4. Prioritise your prototypes
5. Prototype different things at the same time [i.e. art and code wise]
6.Try paper prototyping [pg. 88 for blog] [get people to play my paper prototype in uni]
7. Pick a “fast loop” game engine for prototyping
8. Building the toy first [creative play]
interesting quote on page 90 about creating the medium/toy before the game.
Ask yourself:
Is my game had no goal, would it be fun at all? If not how can I change that?
When people see my game, do they want to start interacting with it, even before they know what to do? If not, how can I change that?
The game improves through iteration
Choosing an idea
Your finished design will have to make it through eight filters, or tests. Only when the design passes all of them it is “good enough”.
Filter 01 – Does it feel right?
Most personal of all the filters. Gut feelings are important.
Key question “Does it feel right?”
Filter 02 – Demographics
Key question “Will the intended audience like this game enough?”
Filter 03 – Experience design
Take in to account everything you know about creating a good experience, including aethetics, interest curves, resonant theme, game balancing, and many more. To pass the filter you game must stand up to the scrutiny of many lenses.
Key question “Is this a well-designed game?”
Filter 04 – Innovation
If you are designing a new game by definition there needs to be something new about it. A subjective question, but an important one.
Key question “Is this game novel enough?”
Filter 05 – Business and Marketing
Are the theme and story going to be appealing to consumers? Is the game so easily explainable that one can understand what it is just by looking at the box? What are the expectations consumers are going to have about this game based on the genre? How do the features of this game compare to other similar games in the marketplace? Will the cost of producing this game be so high as to make it unprofitab;e? Will retailers be willing to sell this game? The answers to these will impact your design.
Key question “Will this game sell?”
Filter 06 – Engineering
Until you have built it, a game idea is just an idea and ideas are not bound by the constraints of what is possible or practical.
Key question “Is it technically possible to build this game?”
Filter 06 – Social/Community
Sometimes it is not enough for the game to be fun. Some of the design goals may require a strong social component, or the formation of a thriving community around your game. Depends on the design of your game.
Key question “Does this game meet out social and community goals?”
Filter 08 – Playtesting
Key question “Do the playtesters enjoy this game enough?”
The Rule of the Loop
“The more times you test and improve you design, the better your game will be.”
The process of game design and development is necessarily iterative, or looping. It is impossible to accurately plan how many loops it is really foinf to take before your game passes all eight filters and is “good enough”. This is what makes game development s incredibly risky – you are gambling that you will be able to get your game to pass all eight filters on a fixed budget, when you really don't know if it will.”
Don't just slap the game together and hope for the best. You don't want to ship a game you know isn't good enough or suffer the expense of continuing development until it is.
Loop question 1 How can I make every loop count?
Loop question 2: How can I loop as fast as possible?
Waterfall method
The waterfall model had one good quality: it encouraged developers to spend more time in planning and design before just jumping into the code. Except for that, it is complete nonsense, because it violates the Rule of the Loop. Managers found it incredibly appealing, but programmers knew it to be absurd – software is simply too complex for such a linear process to ever work.
Barry Boehm model [agile or spiral model] – risk assessment and prototyping at their core.
1. Come up with a basic design.
2. Figure out the greatest risks in your design.
3. Build prototypes that mitigate those risks.
4. Test the prototypes.
5. Come up with a more detailed design based on what you have learned.
6. Return to step 2.
Repeat loop until system is done.
Loop question 1 How can I make every loop count?
Spiral model answer: Asses your risks and mitigate them.
Loop question 2: How can I loop as fast as possible?
Spiral model answer: Build many rough prototypes.
Risk Assesment and Prototyping
Make a risk list for you game
e.g.
Risk 1. mechanic x might not be as fun as we think
Risk 2. game engine might not be able to handle drawing x, y, z at once
Risk 3. creating assets might take longer than we think to get right
Risk 4. we aren't sure people will like our characters and story
Risk 5. publisher might want x, y, z instead
(In reality there will probably be many more risks)
Risk Mitigation
The idea is to minimise or eleiminate these risks as soon as possible, usually by building small prototypes.
- Game mechanics can often be abstracted and played in a simpler form
“Have a programmer make a very abstract version of this gameplay mechanic, perhaps in 2D, with simple geometic shapes instead of animated characters” [can use this of evidence of the benefits of 2D!!!] If it isn't fun you can make quick modifications to the prototype until it is.
-Use placeholders to see what the engine can handle [stress testing]
- Have the artist create a couple assets and see how long it takes. If it takes longer than expected change your game design immediately.
- Show concept art, storyboards etc to your target demographic to see their reactions.
What can keep this game from being great?
How can we stop that from happening?
Eight Tips for Prototyping1. Every prototype should be designed to answer a question, sometimes more than one. [see risk mitigation]
2. Forget quality. Quality is time consuming.
3. Don't get attached.
4. Prioritise your prototypes
5. Prototype different things at the same time [i.e. art and code wise]
6.Try paper prototyping [pg. 88 for blog] [get people to play my paper prototype in uni]
7. Pick a “fast loop” game engine for prototyping
8. Building the toy first [creative play]
interesting quote on page 90 about creating the medium/toy before the game.
Ask yourself:
Is my game had no goal, would it be fun at all? If not how can I change that?
When people see my game, do they want to start interacting with it, even before they know what to do? If not, how can I change that?
--
Chapter 9
The Experience is in the Player’s Mind
The Experience is in the Player’s Mind
Psychology
Models
Cites Charlie Brown as an example of how the brain models things – “At first glance, nothing seems too unusual about him – he’s just a boy. But upon reflection, he looks nothing like a real person. His head is nearly as big as his body! His fingers are little bumps! Most distressing of all, he is made of lines… His unreality doesn’t become apparent until we stop and consciously think about it” Charlie Brown matches the internal model of a human, we except the overlay large head because as humans we put so much emphasis on human emotions and expressions in our internal model of human beings. [2D art in all its stylisation is believable because of the way the brain models these images] “In our minds our models are reality”
“As a designer, if you can understand and control how that illusion is formed in your player’s mind, you will create experiences that feel as real, or more real, than reality itself.”
Focus
One crucial technique our brains use to make sense of the world is the ability to focus its attention selectively. When we create games, our goal is to create an experience interesting enough that it holds the player’s focus as long and as intensely as possible”
Talks about the concept of flow.
Key components to put a player in a state of flow
- Clear goals.
-No distractions.
-Direct feedback.
-Continuously challenging.
“Flow activities must manage to stay in the narrow margin of challenge thar lies between boredom and frustration” Csikszentmihalyi calls this margin the “flow channel.”
Consider what is holding your player’s focus. Ask yourself:
-Does my game have clear goals? If not, how can I fix that?
-Are the goals of the player the same goals I intended?
-Are there parts of the game that distract players to the point they forget their goal? If so, can these distractions be reduced, or tied to the game goals?
-Does my game provide a steady stream of not-too-easy, not-too-hard challenges, taking into account the fact the player’s skills may be gradually improving?
- Are the player’s skills improving at the rate I had hoped? If not, how can I change that?
vertical slice Montreal lab
considering using isometric bounding box for my environment concept art
Empathy
“As human beings, we have an amazing ability to project ourselves into the place of others. When we do this, we think the other person’s thoughts and deel their feelings, to the best of our ability” (player and player character relationship?)
“As game designers, we will make use of empathy in the same ways that novelists, graphic artists, and filmmakers do” “in games, you don’t just project your feelings into a characters, you project your entire decision-making capacity into that character, and can become them in a way that isn’t possible in non-interactive media.”
Imagination
Imagination = problem solving.
Motivation
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in relation to in game taks. Multiplayer games fulfil the human need of relationships etc. Feeling like you achieved something fulfils self-esteem and mastery.
--
Models
Cites Charlie Brown as an example of how the brain models things – “At first glance, nothing seems too unusual about him – he’s just a boy. But upon reflection, he looks nothing like a real person. His head is nearly as big as his body! His fingers are little bumps! Most distressing of all, he is made of lines… His unreality doesn’t become apparent until we stop and consciously think about it” Charlie Brown matches the internal model of a human, we except the overlay large head because as humans we put so much emphasis on human emotions and expressions in our internal model of human beings. [2D art in all its stylisation is believable because of the way the brain models these images] “In our minds our models are reality”
“As a designer, if you can understand and control how that illusion is formed in your player’s mind, you will create experiences that feel as real, or more real, than reality itself.”
Focus
One crucial technique our brains use to make sense of the world is the ability to focus its attention selectively. When we create games, our goal is to create an experience interesting enough that it holds the player’s focus as long and as intensely as possible”
Talks about the concept of flow.
Key components to put a player in a state of flow
- Clear goals.
-No distractions.
-Direct feedback.
-Continuously challenging.
“Flow activities must manage to stay in the narrow margin of challenge thar lies between boredom and frustration” Csikszentmihalyi calls this margin the “flow channel.”
Consider what is holding your player’s focus. Ask yourself:
-Does my game have clear goals? If not, how can I fix that?
-Are the goals of the player the same goals I intended?
-Are there parts of the game that distract players to the point they forget their goal? If so, can these distractions be reduced, or tied to the game goals?
-Does my game provide a steady stream of not-too-easy, not-too-hard challenges, taking into account the fact the player’s skills may be gradually improving?
- Are the player’s skills improving at the rate I had hoped? If not, how can I change that?
vertical slice Montreal lab
considering using isometric bounding box for my environment concept art
Empathy
“As human beings, we have an amazing ability to project ourselves into the place of others. When we do this, we think the other person’s thoughts and deel their feelings, to the best of our ability” (player and player character relationship?)
“As game designers, we will make use of empathy in the same ways that novelists, graphic artists, and filmmakers do” “in games, you don’t just project your feelings into a characters, you project your entire decision-making capacity into that character, and can become them in a way that isn’t possible in non-interactive media.”
Imagination
Imagination = problem solving.
Motivation
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in relation to in game taks. Multiplayer games fulfil the human need of relationships etc. Feeling like you achieved something fulfils self-esteem and mastery.
--
Chapter
11
Game Mechanics Must Be In Balance
Twelve most common types of balance
1. Fairness
Symmetrical games, equal resources to all players. Asymmetrical games to simulate a real world situation; give players another way to explore gamespace; personalization; to level the playing field; create interesting situations
Ask yourself:
-Should my game be symmetrical? Why?
-Should my game be asymmetrical? Why?
-Which is more important: that my game is a reliable measure of who has the most skill, or that it provides an interesting challenge to all players?
-If I want players of different skill levels to play together, what means will I use to make the game interesting and challenging for everyone?
Common techniques for finding balance:
- Increase difficulty with each success
-Let players get through the easy parts fast (allow skilled players to easily finish a level quickly if they can easily master it)
-Create “layers of challenge” e.g. end of level grading
-Let players choose the difficulty level
-Playtest with a variety of players
Ask yourself:
-what are the challenges in my game?
-Are they too easy or too hard or just right?
-Can my challenges accommodate a wide variety of skill levels?
-How does the level of challenge increase as the player succeeds?
-Is there enough variety in the challenges?
-What is the max level of challenge in my game?
Meaningful choices- where should I go? How should I spend my resources? What should I practice and try to perfect? How should I dress my character? Should I try to get through the game quickly or carefully? Should I focus on offense or defense? What strategy should I use in this situation? Which power should I choose? Should I play safe or risk?
A good game gives the player meaningful choices.
If choices > Desires, then the player is overwhelmed.
If choices < Desires the player is frustrated
if Choices = desires, the player has a feeling of fulfilment
Ask yourself:
-What choices am I asking the player to make?
-Are they meaningful? How?
-Am I giving the player the right number of choices? Would more make them feel powerful? Would less make the game clearer?
-Are there any dominent strategies in my game?
LOW RISK/ LOW REWARD or HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD
Skill vs chance
-Are my players here to be judged (skill) or to take risks (chance)?
-Skill tends to be more serious than chance: Is my game serious or casual?
-Are parts of my game tedious? If so, will adding elements of chance enliven them?
-Do parts of my game feel too random?
Head vs hands
How much of the game should involve thinking and how much dexterity of controls?
Game Mechanics Must Be In Balance
Twelve most common types of balance
1. Fairness
Symmetrical games, equal resources to all players. Asymmetrical games to simulate a real world situation; give players another way to explore gamespace; personalization; to level the playing field; create interesting situations
Ask yourself:
-Should my game be symmetrical? Why?
-Should my game be asymmetrical? Why?
-Which is more important: that my game is a reliable measure of who has the most skill, or that it provides an interesting challenge to all players?
-If I want players of different skill levels to play together, what means will I use to make the game interesting and challenging for everyone?
Common techniques for finding balance:
- Increase difficulty with each success
-Let players get through the easy parts fast (allow skilled players to easily finish a level quickly if they can easily master it)
-Create “layers of challenge” e.g. end of level grading
-Let players choose the difficulty level
-Playtest with a variety of players
Ask yourself:
-what are the challenges in my game?
-Are they too easy or too hard or just right?
-Can my challenges accommodate a wide variety of skill levels?
-How does the level of challenge increase as the player succeeds?
-Is there enough variety in the challenges?
-What is the max level of challenge in my game?
Meaningful choices- where should I go? How should I spend my resources? What should I practice and try to perfect? How should I dress my character? Should I try to get through the game quickly or carefully? Should I focus on offense or defense? What strategy should I use in this situation? Which power should I choose? Should I play safe or risk?
A good game gives the player meaningful choices.
If choices > Desires, then the player is overwhelmed.
If choices < Desires the player is frustrated
if Choices = desires, the player has a feeling of fulfilment
Ask yourself:
-What choices am I asking the player to make?
-Are they meaningful? How?
-Am I giving the player the right number of choices? Would more make them feel powerful? Would less make the game clearer?
-Are there any dominent strategies in my game?
LOW RISK/ LOW REWARD or HIGH RISK/HIGH REWARD
Skill vs chance
-Are my players here to be judged (skill) or to take risks (chance)?
-Skill tends to be more serious than chance: Is my game serious or casual?
-Are parts of my game tedious? If so, will adding elements of chance enliven them?
-Do parts of my game feel too random?
Head vs hands
How much of the game should involve thinking and how much dexterity of controls?
--
Chapter 10
Some Elements are Game Mechanics
Mechanic 1: Space
Every game takes place in some kind of space. This space is the “magic circle” of gameplay.
Game spaces:
1. Are either discrete or continuous
2. Have some number of dimensions
3. Have bounded areas which may or may not be connected
Discrete places that actually have any boundaries or meaning in the game.
Think about where your game takes place when all the surface elements are stripped away.
Functional space:
Ask yourself:
-Is the space of this game discrete or continuous?
- How many dimensions does it have?
-What are the boundaries of the space?
-Are there sub-spaces? How are they connected?
-Is there more than one useful way to abstractly model the space of this game?
Mechanic 2: Objects, Attributes, and States
Your game space must have objects in it. Characters, props, tokens, scoreboards, anything that can be seen or manipulated.
Attributes are categories of information about an object. They can be static (e.g. colour) or dynamic (e.g. changing speed)
Dynamic state
Ask yourself:
-What are the objects in my game?
-What are the attributes of the objects?
-What are the possible states for each attribute? What triggers the state changes for each attribute?
-What state is known by the game only?
-What state is known by all players?
-What state is known by some or only one player?
-Would changing who knows what state improve my game in some way?
Mechanic 3: Actions
Actions are the “verbs” of game mechanics.
1st kind of action are the operative actions. These are the base actions to player can take.
2nd kind of actions are resultant actions. These are actions that are only meaningful in the ;arger picture of the game – they have to do with how the player is using operational actions to achieve a goal.
Mechanic 4: Rules
Rules define the space, the objects, the actions, the consequences, constraints and goals.
Most important rule
Good games have three important qualities – they are:
1. Concrete. Players understand and can clearly state what they are supposed to achieve.
2. Achievable. Players need to think that they have a chance of achieving a goal.
3. Rewarding. If the goal has the right level of challenge, just achieving it is a reward in itself. But why not go further?
Goals
Ask yourself:
-What is the ultimate goal of my game?
-Is that goal clear to players?
-If there is a series of goals, do the players understand that?
-Are the different goals related to each other in a meaningful way?
-Are my goals concrete, achievable and rewarding?
-Do I have a good balance of short- and long-term goals?
-Do players have a chance to decide on their own goals?
The lens of rules.
Look at the game and make out its most basic structure, ask yourself:
-What are the foundational rules of my game? How do these differ from the operational rules?
-Are there “laws” or “house rules” that are forming as the game develops? Should these be incorporated into my game directly?
-Are there different modes in my game? Do these modes make things simpler or more complex?
-Who enforces the rules?
-Are the rules easy to understand?
Mechanic 5: Skill
The mechanic of skill shifts the focus away from the game and on to the player.
Most games do not just require one skill from the player. Skills can be divided in to three main categories:
1. Physical skills. (manipulating a controller etc)
2. Mental skills (memory, observation, puzzle-solving, decision making)
3. Social skills (reading an opponent etc)
Ask yourself:
-What skills does my game require from the player?
-Are there categories of skill the game is missing?
-Which skills are dominant?
-Are these skills creating the experience I want?
-Are some players better at these skills that others?
-Can players improve with practice?
-Dpes this game demand the right level of skill?
Mechanic 6: Chance
Concerns interactions between all 5 other mechanics. Chance is essential to fun because it means uncertainty/surprise.
--
Chapter
14
Experiences can be judged by their interest curves
Experiences can be judged by their interest curves
Start off with a “bang” to hook the player, climatic event at end of game.
1. Over all game: Intro movie, followed by a series of levels of rising interest, ending with a major climac where the player beats the game.
2. Each level: New aesthetics or challenges engage the player at the start, and then the player is confronted with a series of challenges (battles, puzzles, etc.) that provide rising interest until the end of the level before climax of level.
3. Each challenge: Every challenge the player encounters hopefully has a good interest curve in itself, with an interesting introduction, and stepped rising challenges as you work your way through it.
Ask yourself:
-If I draw an interest curve of my experience, how is it generally shaped?
-Does it have a hook?
-Does it have gradually rising interest, punctuated by periods of rest?
-Is there a grand finale, more interesting than everything else?
-What changes would give me a better interest curve?
-Is there a fractal structure to my interest curve? Should there be?
-Do my intuitions about interest curve match the observed interest of the players?
Projoection:
-What is there in my game that players can relate to? What else can I add?
-What is there in my game that will capture a player's imagination? What else can I add?
-Are there places in the game that players have always wanted to visit?
-Does the player get to be a character they could imagine themselves to be?
-Are there other characters in the game that the players would be interested to meet (or to spy on)?
-Do the players get to do things that they would like to do in real life, but can't?
-Is there an activity in the game that once a player starts doing, it is hard to stop?
--
Chapter
15
One Kind of Experience Is The Story
One Kind of Experience Is The Story
When player goal is
achieved, move ont o the next part of story
Ask yourself:
-What is the relationship between the main character and the goal? Why does the character care about it?
-What are the obstacles between the character and the goal?
-Is there an antagonist who is behind the obstacles? What is the relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist?
-Do the obstacles gradually increase in difficulty?
-Some say “The bigger the obstacle, the btter the story.” Are your obstacles big enough? Can they be bigger?
Ask yourself:
-What is the relationship between the main character and the goal? Why does the character care about it?
-What are the obstacles between the character and the goal?
-Is there an antagonist who is behind the obstacles? What is the relationship between the protagonist and the antagonist?
-Do the obstacles gradually increase in difficulty?
-Some say “The bigger the obstacle, the btter the story.” Are your obstacles big enough? Can they be bigger?
-Great stories often involve the protagonist
transforming in order to overcome the obstacle. How does your
protagonist transform?
Vogler's Syniposis of the Hero's Journey
1. The ordinary world – Establishing scenes that show our hero as a regular person leading an ordinary life.
2. The call to adventure- The hero is presented with a challenge that disrupts their ordinary life.
3. Refusal of the call – The hero makes excuses about why he can't go on the adventure.
4. Meeting with the mentor – some wise figure gives advice, training or aid.
5. Crossing the threshold – The hero leaves the ordinary world, often under pressure, and enter the adventure world.
6. Tests, allies, enemies – The hero faces minor challenges, makes allies, confronts enemies, and learns the workings of the adventure world.
7. Approaching the cave – The hero encounters setbacks and needs to try something new.
8. The ordeal – The hero faces a peak life or death crisis.
9. The reward – The hero survives, overcomes fear, and gets the reward.
10. The road back – The hero returns to the ordinary world, but problems still aren't solved.
11. Resurrection – The hero faces a still greater crisis, and has to use everything he has learned.
12. Returning with the elixir – The journey is now well and truly over and the hero's success has improved the lives of everyone in the world.
[References the Triangle of Weird, see "Level Up!"]
-does my game realyy need a story? Why?
-Why will players be interested in this story?
-How does the story support other parts of the tetrad (aesthetics, technology, gameplay)? Can it do a better job?
-How do the other parts of the tetrad support the story? Can they do the job?
-How can my story be better?
Vogler's Syniposis of the Hero's Journey
1. The ordinary world – Establishing scenes that show our hero as a regular person leading an ordinary life.
2. The call to adventure- The hero is presented with a challenge that disrupts their ordinary life.
3. Refusal of the call – The hero makes excuses about why he can't go on the adventure.
4. Meeting with the mentor – some wise figure gives advice, training or aid.
5. Crossing the threshold – The hero leaves the ordinary world, often under pressure, and enter the adventure world.
6. Tests, allies, enemies – The hero faces minor challenges, makes allies, confronts enemies, and learns the workings of the adventure world.
7. Approaching the cave – The hero encounters setbacks and needs to try something new.
8. The ordeal – The hero faces a peak life or death crisis.
9. The reward – The hero survives, overcomes fear, and gets the reward.
10. The road back – The hero returns to the ordinary world, but problems still aren't solved.
11. Resurrection – The hero faces a still greater crisis, and has to use everything he has learned.
12. Returning with the elixir – The journey is now well and truly over and the hero's success has improved the lives of everyone in the world.
[References the Triangle of Weird, see "Level Up!"]
-does my game realyy need a story? Why?
-Why will players be interested in this story?
-How does the story support other parts of the tetrad (aesthetics, technology, gameplay)? Can it do a better job?
-How do the other parts of the tetrad support the story? Can they do the job?
-How can my story be better?
--
Chapter 18
Worlds contain characters
Worlds contain characters
first-third person perspective “The relationship between player and avatar is strange. There are times when the player is distinctly apart from the avatar, but other times when the player's mental state in completely projected into the avatar, to the point that the player gasps if the avatar is injured or threatened. This should not be completely surprising – after all, we have the ability to project ourselves into just about anything we control. When we drive a car, for example, we project our identity into the car, as if it is an extension of ourselves.”
“Designers often debate about which is more immersive: the first- or third-person view. One argument is that greater projection can be achieved by providing a first-person perspective on a scene with no visible avatar. However, the power of empathy is strong, and when controlling a visible abatar, guests often wince in imagined pain upon seeing their avatar suffer a blow, or sigh in relief upon seeing their avatar escape physical harm.”
“The experience of projection can be so much more powerful if we actually relate to the character in some way.”
“the less detail that foes into a character, the more opportunity the reader has to project themselves into that character.”
“people don't play games to be themselves – they play games to be the people they wish they could be.”
Chapter Nineteen
Worlds Contain SpacesDifferent types of space
1. Linear
2. Grid
3. Web
4. Points in Space
5. Divided Space
--
Chapter 20
The Look and Feel of a World is Defined by Its Aesthetics
The value of aesthetics
Aesthetics is the third quadrant of the elemental tetrad. Some game designers have disdain for aesthetic considerations in a game, calling them mere “surface details” that have nothing to do with what they consider important”
Benefits of good artwork:
- It can draw the player into a game they might have passed over.
-It can make the game world feel solid, real, and magnificent, which makes the player take the game more seriously and increases endogenous value.
-Aesthetic pleasure is no small thing. If your game is full of beautiful artwork then every new thing that the player gets to see is a reward in itself.
-Just as the world often ignored character flaws in a beautiful woman or a handsome man, players are more likely to tolerate imperfections in your design if your game has a beautiful surface.”
The Look and Feel of a World is Defined by Its Aesthetics
The value of aesthetics
Aesthetics is the third quadrant of the elemental tetrad. Some game designers have disdain for aesthetic considerations in a game, calling them mere “surface details” that have nothing to do with what they consider important”
Benefits of good artwork:
- It can draw the player into a game they might have passed over.
-It can make the game world feel solid, real, and magnificent, which makes the player take the game more seriously and increases endogenous value.
-Aesthetic pleasure is no small thing. If your game is full of beautiful artwork then every new thing that the player gets to see is a reward in itself.
-Just as the world often ignored character flaws in a beautiful woman or a handsome man, players are more likely to tolerate imperfections in your design if your game has a beautiful surface.”
Look at an object for
“its shapes, colours, proportions, shadows, reflections, and
textures – to see its relationship to its environment and to the
peole who use it, and to see its function, and to see its
meaning”
How to Let aesthetics Guide Your Design
“Some people mistakingly believe that it doesn’t make sense to get artists involved ina game project until the game design is near completion. But our minds are very visual, and it is often the case that an illustration or pencil sketch can completely change the course of a design”
“if you have a distinct and appealing art style, you should seriously consider basing your games around it.”
Good concept art will:-Make your idea clear to everyone
-Let people see, and imagine entering, your game world
-Make people excited about playing your game
-Make people excited about working on your game
-Allow you to secure funding and other resources to develop your game
“an illustration is just another kind of prototype”
How Much Is Enough?“beautiful art takes time, and sometimes rough sketches or rough models are enough to do the job.”
Audio“Audio feedback is much more visceral than visual feedback, and more easily simulates touch”
Balancing Art and Technology“artists are simultaneously empowered by and restrained by technology”
How to Let aesthetics Guide Your Design
“Some people mistakingly believe that it doesn’t make sense to get artists involved ina game project until the game design is near completion. But our minds are very visual, and it is often the case that an illustration or pencil sketch can completely change the course of a design”
“if you have a distinct and appealing art style, you should seriously consider basing your games around it.”
Good concept art will:-Make your idea clear to everyone
-Let people see, and imagine entering, your game world
-Make people excited about playing your game
-Make people excited about working on your game
-Allow you to secure funding and other resources to develop your game
“an illustration is just another kind of prototype”
How Much Is Enough?“beautiful art takes time, and sometimes rough sketches or rough models are enough to do the job.”
Audio“Audio feedback is much more visceral than visual feedback, and more easily simulates touch”
Balancing Art and Technology“artists are simultaneously empowered by and restrained by technology”
--
"Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design" - Scott Rodgers
"Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design" - Scott Rodgers
Level 1.
A game is an activity with rules and a victory condition
Game objective should be simple.
A game is an activity with rules and a victory condition
Game objective should be simple.
Level 3. Writing the
Story
Triangle of weirdness =
Pick one to be unfamiliar to the player:
Characters, Activities, World
Pick more than one and you risk alienating your audience
There are three different types of people in your audience:
- Players that are into the story as it happens
-Players that want to get in to the story in depth
- Players that don't care about your story at all
What is at stake?
-Some games need a story. Some games don't. All games need gamplay.
-A story always has a beginning, middle and end.
-Never mistake story for gameplay.
-Almost ANYTHING can be made into gameplay.
-Create a world the player will want to play in, and they will come back to play.
- Make death matter.
- Keep names short and descriptive.
- Don't underestimate kids; they're smarter than you think.
-
Triangle of weirdness =
Pick one to be unfamiliar to the player:
Characters, Activities, World
Pick more than one and you risk alienating your audience
There are three different types of people in your audience:
- Players that are into the story as it happens
-Players that want to get in to the story in depth
- Players that don't care about your story at all
What is at stake?
-Some games need a story. Some games don't. All games need gamplay.
-A story always has a beginning, middle and end.
-Never mistake story for gameplay.
-Almost ANYTHING can be made into gameplay.
-Create a world the player will want to play in, and they will come back to play.
- Make death matter.
- Keep names short and descriptive.
- Don't underestimate kids; they're smarter than you think.
-
Level 4. You can design the game, but can you do
the paper work?
Writing the GDD, Step 1: The One-Sheet
The one-sheet is a simple overview of your game. Keep it interesting, informative and short.
Include the following:
Game title
Intended game systems
Target age of players
Intended PEGI (Pan European Games Information) rating
A summary of the game's story, focusing on gampeplay
Distinct modes of gameplay
Unique selling points (5)
Competitive products
Ten-Pager
Writing the GDD, Step 1: The One-Sheet
The one-sheet is a simple overview of your game. Keep it interesting, informative and short.
Include the following:
Game title
Intended game systems
Target age of players
Intended PEGI (Pan European Games Information) rating
A summary of the game's story, focusing on gampeplay
Distinct modes of gameplay
Unique selling points (5)
Competitive products
Ten-Pager
Title page
--
ONLINE
--
A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games - Stephen Conway
fourth wall “to describe instances when the video game medium consciously blurs the boundaries between the fictional and real world, either drawing something into the fictional world from outside, or expelling something out of the fictional into the non-fictional (the narrative mused upon by a self-aware protagonist, a character monologue directed at the user, and so on).”
“Traditionally the fourth wall was our suspension of disbelief; it was the demarcation between stage and audience, the wall of the cinema screen, the television set, it was the barrier that allowed us to see into another world without becoming part of it.”
“No matter the technique, to break the fourth wall is normally to break the suspension of disbelief, to remind the audience it is just a film, just a television show, just a performance. Yet in video games, the inverse will often apply. As discussed, many of these so-called fourth wall breaks actually serve to further immerse the player, extending the immersion beyond the screen, and this is where we find the term "breaking the fourth wall" extremely lacking.”
“the physical interaction demanded by computer games creates a completely different relationship between product and audience.”
Problem with the fourth wall in video games, the fourth wall is unclear - “When you play a game, you fulfil the dual role of audience member and performer on stage”
Ways the fourth wall can be broken in video games”
Acknowledgement of the player e.g. a character directly addressing the player“Firstly, a direct acknowledgement of the player by the game is a clear fourth wall break in the most conventional sense”
self-awareness as a game “a display of self-awareness by the product to its own status as game, such as a character’s commentary on his position as avatar” e.g. Max Payne 2001.
“making reference to an artefact, event or person that is obviously outside the fictional world of the game”e.g. Easter egg in God of War where Kratos argues with creator.
Max Payne
“It reads simply, "You are in a computer game, Max", which instigates a memorable monologue from the player-character:
"The truth was a burning green crack through my brain. Weapon statistics hanging in the air, glimpsed out of the corner of my eye. Endless repetition of the act of shooting, time slowing down to show off my moves. The paranoid feeling of someone controlling my every step. I was in a computer game. Funny as hell, it was the most horrible thing I could think of."
Note, in dissertation I can discuss how silent hill 2 save system blurs the lines between player and game via save system. Can also talk about the companion app for year walk,
“there is an enjoyment to be had in such breaks, a thrill in the unexpected independence of the technology, like the child who dreams of his toys living their own secret lives when he or she is not watching.”
“We believe that we are in power, and we assume that the computer or console has no personality or consciousness.”
“magic circle in Metal Gear Solid, when the controller is taken over by a supporting cast member, Naomi Hunter; remarking that the avatar (Solid Snake) must be stressed, she asks that you place the controller on your neck. A second or two later the controller starts vibrating, attempting to mimic a neck massage.
Though cited fondly by critics and fans as a memorable fourth wall break, this is not truly a breaking of the fourth wall in the traditional definition, as it is not actively breaking the suspension of disbelief. Instead, it is relocating the fourth wall, enhancing the sense of immersion, as the fourth wall is moved from in front of the player to behind, and they are drawn further into the fictional universe of the gameworld, which now includes the control pad's hardware features.”
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Reqium “whether this is construed as dramatic or comedic depends upon the player's cognizance of the joke, as real complaints about these fictitious bugs and errors were all too common within the first few months of the game's release. The game will also shift into more dramatic contractions, such as the controller suddenly refusing to respond to commands, leaving the player-character vulnerable to any nearby attackers.”
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, controller taken away from the player “The pleasure for the gamer lies in witnessing this surprising autonomy, in feeling a loss of control over the system.”
Metal Gear Solid 4:
“During this particular encounter, to prove the potency of his power, Psycho Mantis asks Snake to put the controller down so he can demonstrate his skill. A few seconds later, in accordance with Psycho Mantis's instruction, the controller vibrates on one side or the other, moving itself left and right at his command.
Again, the fourth wall is not broken, but instead moved, as the magic circle expands, so that the player goes beyond and inside the fourth wall, and immerses his or herself further into the fictional world of the video game. A direct connection is made not simply between avatar and gameworld, but player and gameworld.”
--
ONLINE
--
A Circular Wall? Reformulating the Fourth Wall for Video Games - Stephen Conway
fourth wall “to describe instances when the video game medium consciously blurs the boundaries between the fictional and real world, either drawing something into the fictional world from outside, or expelling something out of the fictional into the non-fictional (the narrative mused upon by a self-aware protagonist, a character monologue directed at the user, and so on).”
“Traditionally the fourth wall was our suspension of disbelief; it was the demarcation between stage and audience, the wall of the cinema screen, the television set, it was the barrier that allowed us to see into another world without becoming part of it.”
“No matter the technique, to break the fourth wall is normally to break the suspension of disbelief, to remind the audience it is just a film, just a television show, just a performance. Yet in video games, the inverse will often apply. As discussed, many of these so-called fourth wall breaks actually serve to further immerse the player, extending the immersion beyond the screen, and this is where we find the term "breaking the fourth wall" extremely lacking.”
“the physical interaction demanded by computer games creates a completely different relationship between product and audience.”
Problem with the fourth wall in video games, the fourth wall is unclear - “When you play a game, you fulfil the dual role of audience member and performer on stage”
Ways the fourth wall can be broken in video games”
Acknowledgement of the player e.g. a character directly addressing the player“Firstly, a direct acknowledgement of the player by the game is a clear fourth wall break in the most conventional sense”
self-awareness as a game “a display of self-awareness by the product to its own status as game, such as a character’s commentary on his position as avatar” e.g. Max Payne 2001.
“making reference to an artefact, event or person that is obviously outside the fictional world of the game”e.g. Easter egg in God of War where Kratos argues with creator.
Max Payne
“It reads simply, "You are in a computer game, Max", which instigates a memorable monologue from the player-character:
"The truth was a burning green crack through my brain. Weapon statistics hanging in the air, glimpsed out of the corner of my eye. Endless repetition of the act of shooting, time slowing down to show off my moves. The paranoid feeling of someone controlling my every step. I was in a computer game. Funny as hell, it was the most horrible thing I could think of."
Note, in dissertation I can discuss how silent hill 2 save system blurs the lines between player and game via save system. Can also talk about the companion app for year walk,
“there is an enjoyment to be had in such breaks, a thrill in the unexpected independence of the technology, like the child who dreams of his toys living their own secret lives when he or she is not watching.”
“We believe that we are in power, and we assume that the computer or console has no personality or consciousness.”
“magic circle in Metal Gear Solid, when the controller is taken over by a supporting cast member, Naomi Hunter; remarking that the avatar (Solid Snake) must be stressed, she asks that you place the controller on your neck. A second or two later the controller starts vibrating, attempting to mimic a neck massage.
Though cited fondly by critics and fans as a memorable fourth wall break, this is not truly a breaking of the fourth wall in the traditional definition, as it is not actively breaking the suspension of disbelief. Instead, it is relocating the fourth wall, enhancing the sense of immersion, as the fourth wall is moved from in front of the player to behind, and they are drawn further into the fictional universe of the gameworld, which now includes the control pad's hardware features.”
Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Reqium “whether this is construed as dramatic or comedic depends upon the player's cognizance of the joke, as real complaints about these fictitious bugs and errors were all too common within the first few months of the game's release. The game will also shift into more dramatic contractions, such as the controller suddenly refusing to respond to commands, leaving the player-character vulnerable to any nearby attackers.”
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, controller taken away from the player “The pleasure for the gamer lies in witnessing this surprising autonomy, in feeling a loss of control over the system.”
Metal Gear Solid 4:
“During this particular encounter, to prove the potency of his power, Psycho Mantis asks Snake to put the controller down so he can demonstrate his skill. A few seconds later, in accordance with Psycho Mantis's instruction, the controller vibrates on one side or the other, moving itself left and right at his command.
Again, the fourth wall is not broken, but instead moved, as the magic circle expands, so that the player goes beyond and inside the fourth wall, and immerses his or herself further into the fictional world of the video game. A direct connection is made not simply between avatar and gameworld, but player and gameworld.”
No comments:
Post a Comment