Is this thing on?. The Last Mile of Game Design Marc LeBlanc April 2004

Is this thing on?

The Last Mile of Game Design

Marc LeBlanc

April 2004

“Programming is the last mile of game design.”

- Jonathan Blow

Introduction: The Alien Archeologist

“I have two artifacts from Earth to present to the Academy.”

Artifact #1: A Game

Artifact #2: A Computing Device

Games are State Machines

• All games are computer games.

• Game design transcends media.

RulesInput Output

State(Player)

(Graphics/Sound)

The Punch Line:

Game design is programming.

Part I: Games as Software

This is Not a Programming Talk

• Graphics & Sound• Real-Time Simulation

– Physics– AI– Network– Object Database

• The Console Environment

Topics I Won’t Discuss:

Games vs. Other Software

• Fun!

• That is, games serve an emotional purpose, not a pragmatic one.

• This isn’t a definition.

What makes a “program” a “game?”

Games as Software

Code

Games as Software

Code Process

Games as Software

Code RequirementsProcess

Games as Software

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules

Games as Software

Code RequirementsProcess

RulesGame

“Session”

Games as Software

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules “Fun”Game

“Session”

A Design Vocabulary

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules “Fun”Game

“Session”

Code RequirementsProcess

Rules “Fun”Game

“Session”

A Design Vocabulary

Mechanics

RequirementsProcess

“Fun”Game

A Design Vocabulary

Mechanics Dynamics

A Design Vocabulary

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

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 and The Player

Designer

Player

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

The Player’s Perspective

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

The Designer’s Perspective

Mechanics AestheticsDynamics

MDA is a “Taxonomy” of Design Knowledge

• Knowledge of Aesthetics

• Knowledge of Dynamics

• Knowledge of Mechanics

• Knowledge of the interactions between them.

Part II: Aesthetics Explored

“Requirements Analysis”for Games

• We need to understand the emotional requirements of our software.

Requirements Analysis…

Scenario: The customer wants to cancel an order and get a refund.

Actions: – Log onto website.– Navigate to “pending orders” page.– Click “cancel” button next to order.

…for Games?

Scenario: The player wants to blow stuff up.

Actions: – Find rocket launcher.– Find victims.– Kick major booty.

What’s the Difference?

• With productivity software, the user brings his goals to the application.

• With games, the application brings goals to the user.

• Software eschews emergent behavior.

• Games embrace it.

We Need an Aesthetic Lexicon

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"

1. SensationGame as sense-pleasure

2. FantasyGame as make-believe

3. NarrativeGame as drama

4. ChallengeGame as obstacle course

Eight Kinds of "Fun"

1. SensationGame as sense-pleasure

2. FantasyGame as make-believe

3. NarrativeGame as drama

4. ChallengeGame as obstacle course

5. FellowshipGame as social framework

6. DiscoveryGame as uncharted territory

7. ExpressionGame as self-discovery

8. SubmissionGame as pastime

Clarifying Our Aesthetics

• Charades is “fun.”

• Quake is “fun.”

• Final Fantasy is “fun.”

Clarifying Our Aesthetics

• Charades: Fellowship, Expression, Challenge

• Quake: Challenge, Sensation, Competition, Fantasy

• Final Fantasy: Fantasy, Narrative, Expression, Discovery, Challenge, Masochism

Each game pursues multiple aesthetics.

No Grand Unified Theory.

Clarifying Our Goals

• As designers, we can choose certain aesthetics as goals for our game design.

• As with other software, our process is driven by requirements, not features.

Part IV: Let’s Play!

“Talking about music is like dancing about architecture.”

- unknown

Rules for Three Musketeers

• Players take turns moving one of their pieces. No diagonal moves.

• Musketeers move by capturing a nearby enemy.

• Cardinal’s men move to a nearby empty space.

• Cardinal wins if the Musketeers are in the same row or column.

• Musketeers win if they cannot move.

Starting Board

Discussion Questions

What’s a good strategy for the Musketeers?

For the Cardinal?

Discussion Questions

What are the aesthetics of Three Musketeers?

In other words, what’s “fun” about it?

Discussion Questions

When does the “dramatic climax” of the game occur?

Discussion Questions

Can we prove that the game halts?

Discussion Questions

1. What is the maximum number of choices the musketeer player can have on his turn?

2. How many first moves are there?

Discussion Questions

1. What is the maximum number of choices the musketeer player can have on his turn?

2. How many first moves are there?

Discussion Questions

1. What is the maximum number of choices the musketeer player can have on his turn?

2. How many first moves are there?

3. How many last moves are there?

Discussion Questions

What does this graph look like?

Time

Cho

ices

Discussion Questions

Time

Cho

ices

Part V: The Dramatic Arc

Time

RisingAction

FallingAction

Climax

The Dramatic Arc Pervades Game Aesthetics

• Narrative: Conflict/Resolution

• Challenge: Obstacle/Triumph

• Discovery: Novelty/Mastery

• Submission: Toil/Reward, Chaos/Order

• Competition: Equality/Supremacy

So Games are Stories, Right?

So Games are Stories, Right?

• Rather, Play and Narrative intersect.

So Games are Stories, Right?

• Rather, Play and Narrative intersect.

• The Dramatic Arc is the point of intersection.

So Games are Stories, Right?

• Rather, Play and Narrative intersect.

• The Dramatic Arc is the point of intersection.

• Drama is more “primal” than narrative.

So Games are Stories, Right?

• Rather, Play and Narrative intersect.

• The Dramatic Arc is the point of intersection.

• Drama is more “primal” than narrative.

• Games don’t tell stories, they are stories.

Drama in Detail

Drama Requires:

• Dramatic Tension

• Rising and Falling Action

Drama in Detail

Drama Requires:

• Dramatic Tension– Uncertainty– Inevitability

• Rising and Falling Action

Dramatic Tension

• Uncertainty: The outcome is ambiguous

• Inevitability: The outcome is imminent.

Drama in Three Musketeers

• Uncertainty: Search tree complexity

• Inevitability: Depletion of the Cardinal’s men

(consider “pushing” variant)

Other Sources of Uncertainty

• Negative Feedback (“Crash Team Racing”)

• Rising Stakes (“Jeopardy”)

• Limited Information (“Warcraft”)

Other Sources of Inevitability

• Non-reversible processes.

• Non-renewable resources.

• Perception is important.

Denouement in Games

• Games need to resolve their tension.

• Some resolution happens outside the game.

• Many digital games build in post-game resolution.

Drama as an Aesthetic Requirement

We can construct an aesthetic “checklist.”

• What is our source of uncertainty?

• What is our source of inevitability?

• Are they working?

Drama as an Aesthetic Requirement

We can identify possible modes of failure:

• Uncertainty source not strong enough.

• Inevitability hard to perceive.

• Climax comes too early, or too late.

Drama is Just One Example

• Not intended as a “Grand Unified Theory.”

• A single model among many.

That’s All!

• Game design == programming

• Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics

• Emotional requirements analysis

• Three Musketeers

• Drama as a play Aesthetic

Questions?

Slides:

www.algorithmancy.org

(www.monkeyjump.com)

Game:

www.oasisgame.com

Email:

mahk@world.std.com

© Steve Jackson Games www.sjgames.com