Game Design Patterns

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Game Design Patterns

• Staffan Björk, Tobias Rydenhag Jussi Holopainen

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Disclaimer!

• We are not
• business people
• game designers
• service providers
• programmers (well not in this role)
• We are
• researchers

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People talk about games

• But either as an abstract thing
• Everything is a game and dont ask me about the
  details now
• Or about a specific game
• and specific details
• But there doesnt seem to be too many common and
  well-defined concepts by used
• Is it important that things are defined?

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What are game design patterns?

• A way to describe design choices that reoccur in
  many games
• An explanation to why these design choices have
  been made
• A guide of how to make similar design choices in
  your own game project
• What is required to make the pattern emerge
• What consequences can the pattern have on game
  play?
• We will not talk about the origins of design
  patterns in architecture nor its use within
  software engineering, human-computer interaction
  or interaction design

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Again, what are game design patterns?

• Examples
• Power-Ups
• Boss Monster
• Paper-Rock-Scissor
• Cut Scenes
• Role Reversal
• Parallel Lives
• Orthogonal Unit Differentiation
• Stimulated Social Interaction

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Why is this interesting?

• Need a vocabulary for talking about games
• Describe and compare games while focusing on the
  interaction provided in games
• Need to discuss game designs in a structured
  fashion
• Provide a tool for, especially experimental, game
  design

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Game Mechanics?

• Similarities
• Describe specific elements of games
• Differences
• Patterns use structured description
• More than one sentence
• Consequences of applying a pattern
• Patterns stresses the influence they have on each
  other
• Subpatterns
• Superior patterns
• Potential conflicting patterns

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Formal Abstract Design Tools?

• Doug Church
• Formal Abstract Design Tools. Gamasutra, 1999.
  Originally Game Developer magazine, Vol 3, Issue
  28, July 1999.
• Focus
• precise definition and the ability to explain it
  to someone else
• emphasize the focus on underlying ideas, not
  specific genre constructs
• form a common vocabulary
• Examples
• INTENTION Making an implementable plan of one's
  own creation in response to the current situation
  in the game world and one's understanding of the
  game play options.
• PERCEIVABLE CONSEQUENCE A clear reaction from
  the game world to the action of the player.

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400 Design Rules?

• Hal Barwood Noah Falstein
• Better By Design The 400 Project. Game Developer
  magazine, Vol. 9, Issue 3, March 2002, p. 26.
• http//www.theinspiracy.com/400_project.htm
• Collect proven game design rules and techniques
• Stated as instructions to follow but acknowledge
  that there may be trumping rules
• Parts
• Imperative Statement
• Domain of Application
• Dominated Rules
• Dominating Rules
• Examples Aliases
• Examples
• Turn Constants into Variables
• Fight Player Fatigue
• Let the Player Turn the Game Off
• Dont Penalize the Player

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Game Design Patterns?!?!

• Berndt Kreimeier has introduced game design
  patterns in The Case For Game Design Patterns
• www.gamasutra.com/features/20020313/kreimeier_01.h
  tm
• Concerned with content patterns
• Parts
• Name
• Problem
• Solution
• Consequences
• Focuses on problem-solution pair

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Yet again, what are game design patterns?

• Important characteristics
• Recurring game mechanics or elements of
  interaction in games
• Semi-formal inter-dependent descriptions
• Can be intentional or emergent in game designs
• No canonical definition
• Our definition (others are possible)
• Not only a collection of patterns
• The methods in which they can be used

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Our pattern template

• Name
• Description
• Consequences
• Using the pattern
• Relations
• References
• Works upon a structural framework (game sessions,
  rules, players, actions, closures, information
  structures, control structures, etc.)

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Our pattern template, cont.

• Name
• Preferable short, specific, and idiomatic
• Description
• Concise description of the pattern
• how it affects the structural framework (if it
  does)
• In what games the pattern is typically found

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Our pattern template, cont.

• Consequences
• What effects the game pattern has on game play
• What superior patterns the pattern supports
• Potentially conflicting patterns and why
• Using the pattern
• What components from the structural framework are
  required to use the game
• Subpatterns that can be used to instantiate the
  pattern

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Our pattern template, cont.

• Relations
• Superior patterns
• Subpatterns
• Potentially conflicting patterns
• References
• To descriptions of the phenomena not using
  patterns
• Games exemplifying the pattern
• Patents

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Structural Framework

• A activity-based model of game interaction
• The medium patterns occur in
• Includes many of traditional concepts used to
  describe games

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Structural Framework, cont.
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Example pattern

• Producer-Consumer

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Producer-Consumer

• Name
• Producer-Consumer
• Description
• The production of resource by one game element
  that is consumed by another game element or game
  event

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Producer-Consumer

• Examples

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Producer-Consumer

• Consequences
• Concrete, and very common pattern
• Can regulate the flow of the game
• Can increase the complexity of the game,
  especially if the players can control the
  producer-consumer elements
• Can increase the feeling of player control

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Producer-Consumer

• Using the pattern
• Production regulation
• Based on time or turn, player actions, game
  events, element configuration, continuous
  production vs. one-time etc.
• Effects what is produced, indicators to players,
  play mode changes etc.
• Consumption regulation
• Based on and effects as in production
• Use of Factory, Accumulator and other related
  patterns

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Producer-Consumer

• Relations
• Subpatterns Factory, Accumulator, Symmetric
  distribution, Asymmetric distribution , Symmetric
  abilities, Asymmetric abilities,
• Superior Limited Resources, Trade, Investments,
  Resource Management and Control,
• References
• Rolling, A. Adams, E. Andrew Rolling Ernest
  Adams On Game Design.

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Break
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Uses of game design patterns

• Inspiration
• Creative design tool
• Design verification
• Problem-Solving for Game Interaction Design
• Communication and analysis

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Inspiration

• Avoid getting stuck in the same thoughts
• Avoid missing possible ideas
• Each pattern is an example of possible
  interaction in a game
• No need to distill ideas from existing games
• Can be used tarot-like for brainstorming

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Inspiration example

• Brainstorming session
• Game for future mobile phones
• 9 participants
• Design requirements
• number of required players 3-12
• technical details has to use Instant Messaging
  etc.
• use of certain patterns from Bluffing, Stimulated
  Social Interaction, Cooperation, Competition,
  Hovering Closure, Coalition Dynamics, Tension,
  Producer-Consumer etc.

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Inspiration example

• Brainstorming in groups of three
• The usual slam-each-idea-on-the-table-one-at-the-t
  ime
• Short, one sentence game features, themes,
  characters, mechanics, player to player
  interaction etc.
• Patterns as anchors
• Group the ideas for more concrete concepts

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Creative Design Tool

• A collection of patterns as the starting point
  for a game concept
• Refinement can be done by examining and choosing
  additional patterns, gradually building a more
  concrete game design

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Creative Design Tool example

• Setting
• Soap operas
• 4-12 players
• Design exercise for future mobile phones..
• Main patterns
• Stimulated Social Interaction
• Tension

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Creative Design Tool example

• Stimulated Social Interaction
• Trading -gt Producer-Consumer -gt Asymmetric
  Distribution -gt Completion of Collection Closure
• Mutual Goals
• Shared Rewards
• Tension
• Bluffing -gt Impartial Information
• Possibility of Betrayal -gt Uncommitted Alliances
  -gt Collaborative Action -gt Delayed Outcome

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Creative Design Tool example

• Goal of the game
• Create soap opera episodes as comic strips
• Game Components
• Each episode contains 12 scenes
• Scenes require Drama Points Love, Hate, Wealth,
  Lust based on characters, setting and mood
  (Completion of Collection Closure)
• Producers Wish List, i.e. This actor has to be
  in 4 scenes

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Creative Design Tool example

• Actions
• Accept wish (Producer of Drama Points, Impartial
  Information)
• Create scene (Consumer of Drama Points, Impartial
  Information, Personalization)
• Trade and coalitions (Trading, Bluffing,
  Collaborative Actions, Uncommitted Alliances,
  Impartial Information)
• Complete an episode (Mutual Goals, Shared
  Rewards, Delayed Outcome)

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Design Verification

• Use of the patterns and structural framework to
  check design against intentions
• Spot gaps in design
• Spot overemphasizes
• Spot redundancies
• Spot opportunities

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Problem-Solving in Interaction Design

• Understanding why a design has certain wanted and
  unwanted characteristics
• NOT why the game isnt fun or good!
• Give examples of what can be added to, or removed
  from, a design to achieve a certain effect

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Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example

• Imagine a basic racing game
• Complaint Not enough variation in game play
  how about some power-ups?
• what Power-Ups could exist?
• Give Privileged Actions
• otherwise unavailable (laying mines)
• simply modification (speed-up)
• Replenish Limited Resources (gas)

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Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example

• when should they be available?
• Fixed or variable intervals (Timing, Reward
  Schedule)
• Consequence of events in the game (e.g. a
  character is killed and his weapon can be picked
  up by other players)
• Rare are Limited Resources
• Where should they appear?
• Predetermined location
• allows players to identify Strategic Points
• Random location (increasing Randomization)

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Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example

• who should be able to take them?
• how long should the effect of the power-up last?
• can disrupt player balance
• Limit the effect (e.g. max health)
• Use as Balancing Effect
• Intangible to players meeting certain criteria
• Power-up available only to disadvantaged players
• Reveal the nature of power-up only after being
  picked up (Impartial Information). Modify the
  nature of power-up according to the players
  status in the game.

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Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example

• Treadmilling in MMOGs
• Repetitive actions for progression
• (Can be) boring, but is necessary
• Use of macros
• Sense of progression
• Strong incentive to stay in the game
• Progression structures
• High sense of achievement (leveling)
• Constant acknowledgements
• Social pressure

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Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example

• Possible modifications
• Diminished Rewards
• Limited Resources
• Variable Reward Schedule
• Possibility of critical failure
• Mentor

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Communication and Analysis

• Offer a neutral definition instead of relying on
  that subjective understandings match
• Patterns can be used as concise definitions that
  make descriptions shorter and more specific
• Makes the design process more visible
• Explain design decisions
• Identify new patterns

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Communication and Analysis

• Avoid jargon specific to profession
• Allows comparisons with other games
• How same pattern used in different ways
• The selection of patterns used
• How the patterns relate to each other

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Communication and Analysis example

• Patterns as design requirements
• Common understanding of the features of the game
  with all stakeholders (publisher, producer,
  development team, marketing)
• Easier to check if the features present in design
• Design decisions easier to explain
• To achieve Social Interaction I used Trade in
  such and such way

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Conclusion

• A possible common language for game design
• A collection of game design knowledge
• Tool for
• Inspiration
• Structured creative design
• Problem-solving
• Communication and Analysis

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Thank you

• http//www.gamedesignpatterns.org

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Discussion

• Silver-bullet?
• Vitamins or pain-killers?
• Destroys creativity?
• Encyclopedic committee?

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Recommended Reading

• Kreimeier, B. The Case For Game Design Patterns
• www.gamasutra.com/features/20020313/kreimeier_01.h
  tm
• Kreimeier, B. Game Design Methods A 2003 Survey
• http//www.gamasutra.com/features/20030303/kreimei
  er_01.shtml
• Wright, W. Dynamics for Designers. Presentation
  at GDC 2003
• http//www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/Wright_Will.pp
  t
• Smith, H. Orthogonal Unit Differentiation,
  Presentation at GDC 2003
• http//www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/Smith_Harvey.p
  pt
• Rollings, A. Adams, E. Andrew Rollings Ernest
  Adams on Game Design
• Our website www.gamedesignpatterns.org