Transcript Slides - The collected game design rants of Marc LeBlanc

Is this thing on?
Game Design Workshop
Orientation
Orientation Overview

Part I: Workshop Format

Part II: Outline Our Formal Approach

Part III: Formal Approach in Detail

Part IV: Iterative Design
Part I: Introduction
In this part we will:
 Explain the workshop high concept


Describe the format

Introduce the faculty
About The Workshop
This is the sixth year
 Hands-on
 Focused on iteration
 Grounded in a formal approach to game
design
 Intended to be open-ended

Things You Won’t Learn Here
How to get a job as a game designer
 How to write a design document
 Where game ideas “come from”
 How to get your game funded
 How to use a level editor

In Other Words...

It’s not about the Business
(Getting a job, pitching a game, getting funded)

It’s not about the Profession
(Writing documents, tracking bugs, using tools)

It’s about the Craft
(Making games that are fun)
What You’ll be Doing
Playing games
 Analyzing games
 Critiquing games
 Modifying games
 Refining games

Workshop Format

Small-group activities.
Main Exercises
 Electives (choose 1 of 3 activities)
 New: Uber-elective

Introducing the Faculty
Myself
 Austin Grossman
 Jonathan Hamel
 Robin Hunicke
 Frank Lantz

Andrew Leker
 Steve Librande
 Art Min
 Randy Smith
 Tim Stellmach

A Few Ground Rules
Please attend the whole thing
 Collaborate, Share, and Encourage
 Save the “meta-discussion” for the very end
 Turn the laptop off

Part II: A Formal Approach
In this section, we present:
 A formal framework for game design


A view of the designer-player relationship
Game Design “Frameworks”

Paradigms for organizing our
understanding
Game Design “Frameworks”
Paradigms for organizing our
understanding
 Example Frameworks:

The 400 Project
 Design Patterns

Game Design “Frameworks”
Paradigms for organizing our
understanding
 Example Frameworks:

The 400 Project
 Design Patterns


Separate from the process
Our Framework

Grounded in a formal approach

Organized around the designer-player
relationship
The Designer-Player Relationship


Designer
Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Game

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Book
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Book
Movie
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Book
Movie
Painting
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Book
Movie
Painting
Chair
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Book
Movie
Painting
Chair
Car
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship

Designer
Creates
Game
Book
Movie
Painting
Chair
Car
Pizza
Consumes

Player
The Designer-Player Relationship
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Creates
Game
Consumes
Designer

Player
The difference is the way that
games are consumed.
Media Consumption Example:
A Theatrical Play
The “design team” knows:
 Script
 Lighting
 Acoustics
 Seating
 Intermissions

Games, by Contrast
The designer doesn’t know:
 When will the player play?
 How often? For how long?
 Where? With Whom?

And most importantly...
 What will happen during the game?

Obligatory Editorial

This lack of predictability is the essence
of play.

It should be embraced, not eschewed.
Games as Software
Code
Games as Software
Code
Process
Games as Software
Code
Process
Requirements
Games as Software
Code
Rules
Process
Requirements
Games as Software
Code
Process
Rules
Game
“Session”
Requirements
Games as Software
Code
Process
Requirements
Rules
Game
“Session”
“Fun”
A Design Vocabulary
Code
Process
Requirements
Rules
Game
“Session”
“Fun”
A Design Vocabulary
Code
Process
Requirements
Mechanics
Rules
Game
“Session”
“Fun”
A Design Vocabulary
Mechanics
Process
Requirements
Dynamics
Game
“Fun”
A Design Vocabulary
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics
The MDA Framework
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics
Definitions

Mechanics: The rules and concepts that
formally specify the game-as-system.

Dynamics: The run-time behavior of the
game-as-system.

Aesthetics: The desirable emotional
responses evoked by the game
dynamics.
The Designer/Player
Relationship, Revisited

Designer
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics

Player
The Player’s Perspective
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics

Player
The Designer’s Perspective

Designer
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics
Three “Views” of Games

But they are causally linked
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics
The Building Blocks: Formal
Models
No Grand Unified Theory
 Instead, lots of little models
 Models can be formulas or abstractions
 We can think of models as “lenses”
 Discovering new models is an ongoing
process

MDA is a “Taxonomy” for
Models
Knowledge of Aesthetics
 Knowledge of Dynamics
 Knowledge of Mechanics


Knowledge of the interactions between
them
Properties of Good Models
We want our models to be:
 Formal (well-defined)
 Abstract (widely applicable)
 Proven (known to work)


On any given game, we expect to use
several different abstractions, not one big
one.
Part III: MDA in detail

In this part, we discuss Aesthetics,
Dynamics and Mechanics in detail.
The Designer’s Perspective

Designer
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics
Understanding Aesthetics

We need to get past words like “fun” and
“gameplay.”

What kinds of “fun” are there?

How will we know a particular kind of
“fun” when we see it?
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
Eight Kinds of “Fun”

Sensation
Game as sense-pleasure
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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
Sensation
Fantasy
Game as make-believe
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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

Sensation
Fantasy
Narrative
Game as unfolding story
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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Sensation
Fantasy
Narrative
Challenge
Game as obstacle course
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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Sensation
Fantasy
Narrative
Challenge
Fellowship
Game as social framework
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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Sensation
Fantasy
Narrative
Challenge
Fellowship
Discovery
Game as uncharted territory
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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





Sensation
Fantasy
Narrative
Challenge
Fellowship
Discovery
Expression
Game as self-discovery
Eight Kinds of “Fun”
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Sensation
Fantasy
Narrative
Challenge
Fellowship
Discovery
Expression
Submission
Game as mindless pastime
Clarifying Our Aesthetics
Charades is “fun”
Counter-Strike is “fun”
Final Fantasy is “fun”
Clarifying Our Aesthetics
Charades is
Fellowship, Expression, Challenge
Counter-Strike is
Challenge, Sensation, Competition, Fantasy
Final Fantasy is
Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Challenge,
Masochism
Each game pursues multiple aesthetics.
Again, there is no Game Unified Theory.
Clarifying Our Goals

As designers, we can choose certain
aesthetics as goals for our game design.

We need more than a one-word definition
of our goals.
Formulating an “Aesthetic Model”
For each aesthetic goal:
 Write a formal definition
 List criteria for success
 List modes of failure
Serves as an “aesthetic compass”
 These are often reusable

Some examples…
Goal: Competition
Definition: A game is competitive if
players are emotionally invested in
defeating each other.
 Success:

Players are adversaries.
 Players want to win.


Failure:
A player feels that he can’t win.
 A player can’t measure his progress.

Goal: Pirate Fantasy

Definition: A pirate fantasy conforms to the genre
conventions of pirate movies, and permits the
player to engage in certain kinds of anti-social
pirate behavior.
Goal: Pirate Fantasy

Definition: A pirate fantasy conforms to the genre
conventions of pirate movies, and permits the
player to engage in certain kinds of anti-social
pirate behavior.
Success:





Empowerment
Independence
Greed
Treachery
Prey upon Weak
Goal: Pirate Fantasy

Definition: A pirate fantasy conforms to the genre
conventions of pirate movies, and permits the
player to engage in certain kinds of anti-social
pirate behavior.
Success:





Empowerment
Independence
Greed
Treachery
Prey upon Weak
Failure:



Vulnerability
Compassion
Generosity
Goal: Drama
Definition: A game is dramatic if:
 Its central conflict creates dramatic tension.
 The dramatic tension builds towards a climax.
Dramatic Tension
Clima x
Conflict
Resolution
Narrative Time
Goal: Drama

Success:




A sense of uncertainty
A sense of inevitability
Tension increases towards a climax
Failure:


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The conflict’s outcome is obvious (no uncertainty)
No sense of forward progress (no inevitability)
Player doesn’t care how the conflict resolves.
Aesthetics Summary
Have an aesthetic vocabulary
 Articulate your aesthetic goals
 Formulate aesthetic models

On to Dynamics...
Understanding Dynamics

What about the game’s behavior can we
predict before we go to playtest?

How can we explain the behavior that we
observe?
Formalizing Game Dynamics
Input
(Player)
Rules
Output
State
(Graphics/
Sound)
The “State Machine” Model
Examples: Chess, Counter-Strike
Models of Game Dynamics

Again, no Grand Unified Theory

Instead, a collection of many Dynamic
Models.

Dynamics models are analytical in
nature.
Some examples…
Example: Random Variable
This is a model of 2d6:
Chance in 36

2
3
4
5
6Die7roll8
9 10 11 12
Example: Feedback System

A feedback system monitors and regulates its own state.
Room
Thermometer
Heater
Too Cold
Too Hot
Cooler
Controller
An Ideal Thermostat
Example: Operant
Conditioning

The player is part of the system, too!

Psychology gives us models to explain
and predict the player’s behavior.
Where Models Come From

Analysis of existing games

Other Fields:


Math, Psychology, Engineering…
Our own experience
On to Mechanics...
Dynamics Summary

Models of Dynamics are analytical

They help us Explain and Predict

They can come from other fields, existing
games, or our experience.
Understanding Mechanics

There’s a vast library of common game
mechanics.
Examples

Cards
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
Shooters

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Shuffling, Trick-Taking, Bidding
Ammunition, Spawn Points
Golf

Sand Traps, Water Hazards
Mechanics vs. Dynamics

There’s a grey area
Some behaviors are direct consequences of
rules.
 Others are indirect.
 “Dynamics” usually means the latter.

Mechanics vs. Dynamics

There’s a grey area
Some behaviors are direct consequences of
rules.
 Others are indirect.
 “Dynamics” usually means the latter.


Dynamics and Mechanics are different
views of games.
Mechanics vs. Dynamics

There’s a grey area
Some behaviors are direct consequences of
rules.
 Others are indirect.
 “Dynamics” usually means the latter.

Dynamics and Mechanics are different
views of games.
 Dynamics emerge from Mechanics.

Mechanics Summary

Knowledge of game mechanics is largely
encyclopedic

A vocabulary of mechanics is a design
tool as well as a communication tool.

Dynamics emerge from Mechanics
Interaction Models

How do specific dynamics emerge from
specific mechanics?

How do specific dynamics evoke specific
aesthetics?
Example: Time Pressure
“Time pressure” is a dynamic.
 It can create dramatic tension.
 Various mechanics create time pressure:

Simple time limit
 “Pace” monster
 Depleting resource

Moving Forward…
Let’s hope the future brings us:
 A rich aesthetic vocabulary
 A eclectic library of game mechanics
 A catalog of formal models: Aesthetic,
Dynamic, Interaction
In other words,
 “Formal Abstract Design Tools”
Part IV: Iterative Design
Wherein we discuss the relationship of
MDA to the iterative design process.
What Is “Iterative Design?”
Analyze
Test
Revise
We’re not limited to “tuning”

Parameter tweaking

“Fiddling with knobs”
MDA in the Process

Aesthetic Models help us:
Articulate our goals
 Point out our game’s flaws
 Measure our progress


Dynamic Models help us:


Pinpoint our problems
Both kinds help us:

Evaluate possible revisions
Learning From the Process
Between iterations, we re-evaluate:
 Our goals
 Our models
 Our assumptions
Sometimes we need to revise our own
thinking as well.
The Iterative Design Process
When we start
 Know our aesthetic goals
While we iterate
 Aesthetic and dynamics models guide
our way
Between Iterations
 Learn from the process
Time for Coffee...
After the break, go to the classroom that
matches the color of your poker chip:
Blue
Red
White
C1
C3
C4
Part V: Some Common
Themes

Here are some themes you’ll see
throughout the workshop.

Designer
Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics

Player
Theme: Dynamics and
Fantasy

Our game dynamics have meaning within
our game’s core fantasy.

That meaning may or may not be
compatible.

In order to remain faithful to our subject
matter, dynamics and fantasy must be in
alignment.
© Steve Jackson Games www.sjgames.com
Theme: State Space and
Design Flexibility

The state space of a game is the set of
possible states the system can be in.

The larger the state space, the easier it is
to make changes.

As we modify our design, we can expect
the state space to grow.
Slides: www.8kindsoffun.com
Marc LeBlanc
Steve Librande
[email protected]
[email protected]
Andrew Leker
Austin Grossman
[email protected]
[email protected]
Art Min
Robin Hunicke
[email protected]
[email protected]
Tim Stellmach
Frank Lantz
[email protected]
[email protected]
Randy Smith
Jonathan Hamel
[email protected]
[email protected]