CIS 300

1

• CIS 300
• Introduction to Computer Game Design
• http//www.cis.cornell.edu/courses/cis300/2007sp
• http//gdiac.cis.cornell.edu
• Lecture 2 Players, Designers, and Ideas
• Spring 2007

2
Announcements

• You read Chapters 1 and 2 of RA for today.
• Read Chapter 3 for Tuesday
• First Communications Lab end of class
• Form Groups
• Determine meeting time
• Comm Lab 1.5 Due Tuesday Midnight to be posted
  soon
• CSUG accounts coming soon

3
Last time reasons to Play

• To be experience a story
• To be engaged by visuals
• To be challenged
• To socialize with players
• To prove superiority
• To escape reality
• To create a reality
• To learn
• To be inspired
• To be stimulated
• To relax
• Core gamers and Casual gamers play differently,
  and for different reasons.
• Core gamers play lots of games, always to the
  finish. They want hard games, and will tolerate
  frustration.
• Casual gamers play for enjoyment, and will stop
  when the game stops being fun. They want
  challenge, but only reasonable challenge, and
  rarely twitch challenge.

4
Bartles Four Types

• Richard Bartle wrote a paper on MUD players that
  describes for types of players
• Achievers Want to overcome obstacles and
  accumulate rewards.
• Explorers Want to discover and understand the
  game world and its mechanics.
• Socializer Want to interact with other players,
  and possibly role-play.
• Killers Want to use the game to cause distress
  to other players.
• (These correspond to suits Diamonds, Spades,
  Hearts, and Clubs)
• He was referring specifically online play, but
  the model also applies to single player games.

5
Design Decisions

• Some are more important to a particular kind of
  gamer, but all are needed to make a game
• Rules What is the system of the game?
• Challenges What are the obstacles that the
  player must overcome? What is the fundamental
  gameplay? What is the victory condition?
• Setting What is the nature of the game world?
• Interaction Model How does the player affect
  the game world?
• Perspective How does the player see the game
  world?
• Player Role Who or what is the player in the
  world?
• Game Modes How are the challenges put together,
  and what is the surrounding interaction context?
• Story What story will the player experience?

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Examining Game Design

• Rollings Adams Areas of Game Design
• Core Mechanics The rules the provide the
  foundations of gameplay.
• Interactivity The mechanisms by which the player
  plays the game
• Storytelling and Narrative The source of
  (dramatic) tension that compels players to play.
• Salen and Zimmermans Game Design Schemas
• Rules is formal schema focusing on the intrinsic
  mathematical structures of games.
• Play is an experiential schema emphasizing the
  players interaction with the game and other
  players.
• Culture is a contextual primary schema
  highlighting the cultural contexts into which and
  game is embedded.

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Where do Ideas come from?

• We can look in many places for inspiration
• History
• Fantasy
• Literature
• Art
• Other Games
• Mundane Life
• really, anything
• Is this too broad to help us? Perhaps we could
  benefit with a more functional approach.

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Forming an idea Approach 1

• Start by figuring out the genre, setting,
  premise, and overall narrative.
• Easy to brainstorm this way
• Good settings can make a game seem very original
• Good for designing to a specific audience
• Can get trapped into genre conventions
• May not lead to great game mechanics
• Can lead to unfocussed, overly complicated games

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Forming an idea Approach 2

• Start by determining the gameplay challenges and
  the core game mechanics.
• Most truly original games have original mechanics
• Tends to lead to simplicity and elegance
• Very hard to do without first framing a genre
• Difficult to brainstorm good gameplay
• Can lead to trite or overly abstract settings
• Difficult to sell to publishers

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Forming an idea Approach 3

• Start by thinking about what you want the player
  to see, hear, and feel form the user experience.
• Can draw upon personal gaming experiences.
• Provides an excellent overall game vision
• A very player-centric approach
• Can exploit great technology
• Also hard to do without first framing a genre
• Hard to turn into a cohesive game idea
• Often leads to very long development times

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Design Components/Schemas

• These three approaches correspond to the design
  components specified by Rollings Adams, and the
  design schemas described by Salen Zimmerman.
• Approach 1
• Storytelling and Narrative (RA)
• Culture (SZ)
• Approach 2
• Core Mechanics (RA)
• Rules (SZ)
• Approach 3
• Interactivity (RA)
• Play (SZ)
• Obviously, the best approach is a balance of all
  three.

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Concepts and CIS300

• Unfortunately, not every concept will work for
  this class
• Explicit restrictions 2D, non-networked, not and
  RPG, must have a single-player mode, must use
  GameX, etc.
• Implicit restrictions Completable by your team
  in one semester. (Suitable for the skill set of
  your group)
• Subjective restrictions Must be innovative and
  interesting

13
GDIAC Examples

• Here are some great games that (mostly) meet the
  criteria
• Roto-Cosmos An amazing puzzle game created by a
  GDIAC TA.
• Chameleon Catastrophe A slick puzzle-platformer
  created in CIS300 (not yet posted).
• Elsia A unique asymmetrical co-op multiplayer
  game created in CIS300.
• Penguin Adventure A highly polished platformer
  created in CIS300.
• Guardin the Garden A real-time strategy game
  that focuses on territory and defenses rather
  than units.

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Other Examples

• Great games from professionals (mostly) that
  also meet the criteria
• Oasis Turn-based strategy in minutes instead of
  hours
• Diner Dash A casual game that makes waiting
  tables into compelling gameplay
• Zuma A deceptively deep action-puzzler
• InsanAquarium Casual real-time strategy in a
  fishtank
• Strange Adventures in Infinite Space Epic space
  exploration and battles in a 15-minute game
• Deadly Rooms of Death A puzzle with the worst
  name ever, but one of the greatest puzzle designs
  of all time.
• Well take a look at these very soon.

15
Next Time

• Challenges and Genres