Fullerton’s chapter on Stages and Methods of Development talks about the different stages of game production. There are different phases of production that involve different lines of work, and a great image of the phases can be seen on page 424, image 13.1. The phases described in this image are the Concept Phase, the Preproduction Phase, the Production Phase, the QA Phase, and Maintenance Phase. The Concept Phase is where ideas about the game are shared, maybe there’s come art concepts and mechanics. There is also a budget associated with the game so that the developers and publishers know about how much it would cost to produce the product. The Preproduction Phase is where the prototype of the game is created. This is usually only one level or one section of the game, and is served to see how feasible the game will be. If the game is not feasible, the project is often scrapped. The Production Phase is where the majority of the work takes place. Developers get to work on designing the game and make it playable and functional. The QA Phase is where the game is tested for bugs or glitches in the game, and allows the developers to clean up their code to make a well polished game. Once the game is ready, it launches and the Maintenance Phase is to fix any bugs or exploits that the QA team might have missed.

I think this layout for the different stages of development works really well for some games, but I don’t think that all games can fall under this diagram. A lot of games have had a big focus on providing content post release, whether that be DLC, free updates, new playable characters, map changes and more. I am interested to see what the production phases would look like for a game like Fortnite, a game that is still in early access and is still getting massive content updates. Another game that I would like to see the production phase visualized is World of Warcraft or any other MMO like Star Wars The Old Republic or Elder Scrolls Online. These games have big content updates to keep the player base coming back after years of service. Would the big content updates look like smaller versions of the stages of development? Or would there be more phases of development that would fall in the post-launch part of the diagram?

Sources:

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

Today in class, we talked about Fullerton’s Chapter on fun and Accessibility. We brainstormed on why we enjoyed games and why we thought they were fun. Some people had contradictory statements, like some games are fun because they’re relaxing to play like Minecraft and other games are really competitive, like League of Legends. Some games are difficult to master, like Dark Souls, but other games are easy to pick up, like The Sims. I think that depending on the mood that you’re in, there’s always going to be a game that works better than another. If you want to get a few friends together to play a relaxing party game, something like Mario Party or Overcooked would fit that bill. If you want to be super competitive with a team, games like Overwatch or Valorant can work well with that. If you want a lot of creative freedom and explore a fun story, Dungeons and Dragons is a good answer to that.

We also talked about accessibility in games. The example we used in class was Jackbox Party Pack. This game is accessible because only one person needs to own the product for everyone in the party to play. The game also works with a web browser, so if you have a laptop, phone, or tablet and an internet connection, you can play the game. Another way that games are accessible is by changing keybinds for their games. This allows people who are disabled to make keybinds that work for them. There was a professional Fortnite streamer named Ewok who was deaf. She relied solely on the “visualize audio cues” feature, which lets Ewok see footsteps, gunfire, and more. I think this is a great example of accessibility in video games.

Sources:

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

As Fullerton mentioned in her chapter on playtesting, it is the most important part of game design. Playtesting shows how the players engage in the game and what parts are balanced or not balanced. I really enjoyed Fullerton’s model for iterative game design on page 278 that shows the different phases of design. There’s the concept phase, where designers generate and formalize ideas. Then as it continues to the preproduction phase, the production phase and the QA phase, the developers constantly test their ideas, evaluate results, and revise their product for launch. This is similar to the GDC talk about iterative design, particularly the image of the design process of the car. It first starts out as a skateboard, then a scooter, then a bike, then a motorcycle, then a car. Each of these designs are iterative and work separately, but build off of each other. I have been involved in a few playtesting experiences. I was a pre-alpha tester for Spellbreak, a fantasy battle royale developed by Proletariat, Inc. I playtested the abilities and mechanics of the game, and also tried to find any glitches or faults in the map. After testing, I had to complete a survey about what I thought about the game and it’s mechanics. I also playtested a game called Karlson, an indie first person parkour shooter from a developer and youtuber named Dani. This playtest was a lot less formal, since it was conducted by one developer instead of a team of developers, but I was still able to provide feedback and eventually have it greenlit on Steam.

Sources:

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

This week in class, we talked about perspectives in video games. Fullerton describes the different perspectives seen in video games, such as top down, isometric, side view, first-person and third-person. Each perspective has its own gameplay elements. Top down perspective provides a fixed overhead angle where the game is played. An example of this type of perspective is Bloons Tower Defence, a tower defence game where you can place structures and defend from incoming balloons. The camera is fixed on the map, and the perspective doesn’t move, which will allow the player full use of the play space. Side view is self explanatory, a side camera perspective that is used a lot with puzzle or platform games. Side-scrollers, like the 2D Mario games are an example of this perspective as the camera allows the player to see either side of the character.
Isometric perspective allows more of a top-down point of view, but doesn’t show the entire play space. This lets the player move the camera around the play space. Games like League of Legends use an isometric perspective to show a limited space around the player’s character. It also allows the player to freely spectate the map, which can be helpful to see how your teammates are doing or where the enemy is. First-person perspective is the point of view of a character from their eyes. This greatly restricts the view of the player’s surroundings, but it allows for much more detail and precision aiming. Counter Strike is an example of this perspective and requires precision aim to shoot opponents. Third-person perspective is the over-the-shoulder view of a character. This allows the player to see more of their environment and the actions their character performs. Assassin’s Creed uses the third-person perspective to show when the characters are hidden, allows the character to face forward while looking behind them, and it shows a more comfortable view of the parkour mechanics. These mechanics would not be as successful with a first person perspective. Mirror’s Edge tried to use a first-person perspective for a parkour game, and although it works, it’s not as easy to look at compared to the third-person perspective.

Sources:

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

This week in class we talked about system dynamics. This is the complex systems in a game that the player interacts with during gameplay. This could be something like the map shrinking in a battle royale game to keep players moving closer together and engaging in fights. This could also be progression in a game; as you continue playing, you can unlock more tools and objects that give you more variety in the way you play. In Grand Theft Auto, you start out with the beginner tools like a pistol and a small car, but as you progress, you can unlock planes and tanks and explosives which lets you be much more creative with your gameplay.

We also talked about information systems, which are tools in game that give you information in the game. In class, we used Fortnite as an example. Things like the minimap showing where the storm is coming from, keybinds for different gear slots, and the friendly health and shield bars are all examples of information systems. One game that I think does a good job with their information systems is Dead Space. In this game, there is no Heads Up Display, so every information system is shown in game. Instead of displaying your health as a number in the corner of the screen, your health is shown as a green liquid on the back of your character’s suit. Instead of an ammo counter, you have to aim your weapon to see how much ammo you have left. When you open the map, your character will open it up in game. I think this is a very interesting way to make the game more dynamic and immersive.

I think Will Wright’s talk “Dynamics for Designers” at GDC helped explain how these systems are implemented in games. He talked about game space, which is the open possibility space that the player can interact with. This would include things like the map space, character skill trees, NPCs, enemy players and so on. The game space can also be dynamically iterated on to create an even more complex game. A big game recently that has a dynamic game space is Animal Crossing. This game has different elements that have been iterated on to create a complex, fun game. There are daily fossils that you can dig up, specific fish that you can only catch in certain times of the year, turnips that you can sell and make a profit, all on top of the map design and customization with building bridges, terraforming and placing items around the map. All of these systems come together into one complex game space that makes a game that has you coming back to play every day.

Sources:

Wright, Will. Dynamics for Designers. Vimeo, 2003, vimeo.com/193267720.

Yesterday in class, we played cooperative board games. These games pitted the players against the game rules and systems. These games are a nice change of pace from a single player story based game or a competitive multiplayer game, since we had to work together and strategize and communicate in order to win.

My group played Pandemic, a game where there are four plagues that spread throughout the world and it is our job to stop the plagues from spreading and to find cures. Each player has a different role in the game, like a dispatcher who can move other player’s pieces, or a scientist who can find a cure with one less card, and a quarantine specialist who can prevent outbreaks in cities they’re in or any neighboring cities. These roles help make the players feel like they’re contributing to the game because they can do things that other players can’t. It encourages the players to work together and use their abilities together. A dispatcher can move a quarantine specialist a couple extra spaces so an outbreak doesn’t occur, or a scientist can cure a disease early in the game so that when the medic passes through cities, they don’t need to take an action to remove the disease from the city. 

I have always enjoyed cooperative games like Pandemic because it’s approachable. Anyone can pick up the game and feel like they are playing a big part in the success of the group. A coop video game that I think does a good job at this is Borderlands. The characters that the players choose have different abilities; phase locking enemies, throwing down an exploding turret, going bezerk, the list goes on. When you play in the cooperative mode, you can pair your abilities together, like phase locking an enemy, then throwing the exploding turret at the enemy to blow them up. Like Pandemic, Borderlands is also approachable to different types of players. If you want to max out your skill tree and attach the best mods to mow down your enemies, you can min-max your character. But if you just want to explode a bunch of psychos and have fun, you can do that too.

Cooperative games require coordination and proper communication to get the most out of the game. In Pandemic, planning a few steps ahead and talking with your teammates is almost essential to beating the game. In Borderlands, communicating when to coordinate attacks and use abilities is helpful to ensure that you beat the bad guys. This communication is what helps make cooperative games so fun and so engaging.

Sources:

Pandemic, Z-MAN Games, 2007

Last week in class we talked about storytelling through setting and environment. The first game that we talked about is “Half Life 2.” The start of this game takes place in a run down city where the Combine are asserting their power. The game doesn’t tell this to the player, but shows it through the way the NPCs interact with the player. The player is constantly being escorted by the Combine in the opening scene. There was even a time where a soldier knocks a can on the ground and tells you to pick it up. If you don’t pick it up, the officer will hit you with his baton. The civilians also show how the Combine is asserting their power. There is a point in the game where the player has to go through an apartment complex. The people don’t have a lot of belongings; a couch, a TV, and maybe a chair or bed. The civilians’ lack of personal items shows the player that the Combine’s influence has spread to their homes. If they don’t answer the door, the Combine will break in.

The second game that we played through was “Firewatch.” The opening scene tells the story of the main character while also including small gameplay bits that teaches the player the basic movement controls. This opening scene sets the tone for the game and why Henry is taking this job. The back and forth between the complex, sad story and the calm, peaceful environments tells the player that Henry wants to escape from his life for the summer.

Another game that does a good job with environmental storytelling is “Fallout 3.” This game takes place in a wasteland after nuclear bombs have struck the earth. One of the first towns you go to after escaping your vault is a place called Megaton. In the center of town is an atomic bomb that didn’t detonate during the fallout, and townspeople have even started to worship the bomb and subject themselves to radiation. This town shows us how much life in the wasteland has changed people. 

Last week we watched the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Rapid Prototypes!” YouTube video by Mark Barrett on GDC. This video talks about what the processes are when it comes to prototyping and designing a game. It got me thinking about my own game design process and how I (try to) develop my solo project. 

There were a few slides that really stood out to me that I thought about during the development of the solo project. The first topic was how he defined rapid prototyping. In the slide that he presented, he showed two different ways to develop a car. One was by starting with a wheel, then adding axles, then a chassis, then a steering wheel. In that case, only the final piece was a viable product that can be used. The second way to develop a car was by first starting out with a skateboard, then adding a handle and turning it into a scooter, then adding pedals and a seat and turning it into a bicycle, then giving it a motor and turning it into a motorcycle, then giving it four wheels and turning it into a car. Each time the design was iterated on, it still kept its functionality. I felt like I applied this to my project by making every branching instance connect with each other and make sure that everything was connected before I added more detail to the stories. Once I had finished the main branch of my project, I began to iterate on it, creating more encounters, which meant more branches and more options that the player can choose.

Another topic that Barnett covered was the idea of a core diagram. A core diagram consists of the core mechanic, the secondary mechanic, progression and then the narrative. He used Pac-Man as an example, and said that the core mechanic of the game wasn’t to eat everything, but to move. I thought about what my project’s main mechanic would be and I think it would have to be reading. This is the mechanic that you spend the most time doing, while something like choosing dialog options is more of a secondary mechanic. The progression in my game is to get to the end of the story, while the narrative is the story itself and the experiences that you have while playing.

Sources:

Barrett, Mark. “Hitchhiker’s Guide to Rapid Prototypes!” GDC, YouTube, 6 September 2017.

In Class last Tuesday, we dissected Audre Lorde’s article, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference.” One piece of Lorde’s article that stood out to me was the idea of a mythical norm, an idea or state that people perceive the “regular” or “average” person to be. The ones that do not share the qualities of the mythical norm are considered different. Lorde mentions that the american norm is classified as “white, thin, male, young, heterosexual, christian and financialy stable,” (Lorde pg. 116). 

When I think of the idea of a mythical norm, my first thought went to Jason West and Vince Zampella. These two are the co-founders of Infinity Ward and are responsible for creating the Call of Duty series. The mythical norm can be seen clearly with this series’ protagonists, as most games involve a young, thin, white male main character fighting the evil organization that happens to be in that particular game. In 2010, West and Zampella left Infinity Ward to create Respawn Entertainment, who are the developers behind the Titanfall series and Apex Legends. 

Since the creation of Apex Legends, West and Zampella have tried to make their games as inclusive as possible. The roster in Apex Legends is very diverse, consisting of two women of color with Bangalore and Lifeline, a non-binary character with Bloodhound, and an openly gay man with Gibraltar. As Apex Legends continues to grow and add more characters, we will continue to see more diversity and representation within the game.

Although the idea of a mythical norm is still present in video games, There are games that try to be inclusive and break that idea. I hope that future developers follow in Respawn Entertainment’s footsteps and create a cast of characters that is diverse, lively, and fun to interact with.

Works Cited:

Lorde, Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference, Sister Outsider, 2016

Play is, by definition, taking part of an activity for enjoyment. Games are a form of play, in which there are a set of rules the players must follow to reach some sort of goal. Every game has different rules that must be followed, and you must be able to understand the rules of the game in order to play. Brian Upton mentions in his article, The Aesthetic of Play, “As long as I take a few minutes to learn the rules, I can play a game that originated in Germany or Ghana, or Peru, or ancient Mesopotamia, and it will function properly for me as a game” (Upton, pg. 9). This quote resonates with me, as I have played and learned to play many games throughout my life, and all it takes is some time to get used to the rules of the game.

One example of this is with Uno. In Uno, your goal is to clear your hand of cards, but some cards hold special properties. You can use a skip card to skip a person’s turn, reverse to change the order of players, and a wild card to change the color. If you have ever played Uno before, these might seem like second nature to you, but for someone who has never played Uno, they might not get it right away. It is only until they learn the rules of the game will they understand that they can put down a card of a different color as long as it’s the same number, or if they put down a plus four wild card, the person next to them will not be happy.

Rules play a very important role in play. Games must enforce the rules in order for the players to enjoy the game and have fun. Some players like to have less rules put on them so they can have as much creativity as possible. Games like Dungeons and Dragons does a great job at giving the player choices and the ability to change the story through their actions. Some players like to play games that are more story focused. Single player video games do a good job at telling a story while also keeping the player interacting with the world they immerse themselves in. People play games differently, and prefer some games over others, but every game has a set of rules and each player must follow the rules in order for the games to function.

Sources:

Upton, Brian. The Aesthetic of Play, 2015