This week we looked at dynamic elements and how information is displayed in games.

It’s interesting how information in games should be easy to understand so that players who have not played the game yet can guess what they mean. The use of colors is also crucial. For example, red is always associated with danger or the enemies. On the other hand, green or blue can be associated with allies. There are more examples that we discussed in class such as map, symbols, tiles/squares, environment, and more that show how the game works. So how the information is displayed help the players understand the game and the dynamic system of the game which brings us to the next topic that I want to discuss.

In Fullerton’s chapter 5 “Working with System Dynamic” it is mentioned that “if you can take components away from a system without affecting its functioning and relationships, then you have a collection, not a system. A system, by definition, requires that all elements be present for it to accomplish its goal”. It is important to notice that removing the information that we talked about in the above from a game does not affect the dynamic system of the game. However, it will affect how the players understand it. In Fornite, the game shows that we can destroy objects to get materials and this is accomplished by showing that we have the amount of resources displayed and making material signs appear as we destroy something.

So in designing a game, it’s important to evaluate how the dynamic system works. A game should be developed with as minimum elements as possible, because the more element there are, the harder it is to keep track of the overall experience or the balance of the game. This minimum state consist of the base rules and design of the game. From there, we keep incrementing more dynamic elements to the game. So if we were to make a game like Fornite, it should start with basic 3rd person shooting elements, a simple map and from there, maybe we can add more elements such as materials for building, a more complex map, different kinds of weapons and more.

Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, 4th Edition. 2019.