Designing a Game Conceptualization. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Great ideas come from everywhere. Great ideas come from everywhere. They

Designing a GameDesigning a Game

ConceptualizationConceptualization

ConceptualizationConceptualizationWhere do ideas come from?Where do ideas come from?

Great ideas come from Great ideas come from everywhere.everywhere.

They spring up day or They spring up day or night, while sleeping, night, while sleeping, driving, or watching driving, or watching TV.TV.

Ideas are impossible to Ideas are impossible to predict.predict.

If you are not paying If you are not paying attention, they will slip attention, they will slip right past you.right past you.


Carry a notepad and pen with you at Carry a notepad and pen with you at all times.all times.

Jot down your ideas from a burst of Jot down your ideas from a burst of inspiration to slow trickles that seep inspiration to slow trickles that seep into your mind.into your mind.

Creative people often have ideas Creative people often have ideas while driving.while driving.

Ideas are ephemeral and will vanish Ideas are ephemeral and will vanish before they are fully formed.before they are fully formed.


If you want to be a If you want to be a game designer, game designer, you must think of you must think of yourself as an yourself as an Olympic contender Olympic contender in the sport of idea in the sport of idea brainstorming.brainstorming.


Generating good ideas Generating good ideas is hard work and is hard work and requires dedication.requires dedication.

If you get into the If you get into the habit of jotting down habit of jotting down all of your ideas, your all of your ideas, your problem will be that problem will be that you don’t have time to you don’t have time to develop all of them.develop all of them.


Try not to drown in Try not to drown in a sea of your own a sea of your own creativity.creativity.

The problem isn’t The problem isn’t the number of the number of ideas; it’s that your ideas; it’s that your ideas aren’t being ideas aren’t being organized in a way organized in a way that gives them that gives them value.value.


Learn to use a Learn to use a database program database program to create an to create an IDEABASEIDEABASE..

Create categories Create categories for premise, plot, for premise, plot, character, etc.character, etc.

When you need to When you need to use an idea, you use an idea, you can sort quickly by can sort quickly by heading.heading.


Forcing yourself to record Forcing yourself to record and organize your ideas and organize your ideas will accomplish two will accomplish two things:things:

1.1. It cements the ideas in It cements the ideas in your memory for later your memory for later retrieval.retrieval.

2.2. It gives you a chance to It gives you a chance to discard the lousy ideas.discard the lousy ideas.

This is the first step in This is the first step in editingediting

ConceptualizationConceptualizationBrainstorming TechniquesBrainstorming Techniques

Structured brainstorming is a Structured brainstorming is a powerful skill.powerful skill.

It takes practice to become good.It takes practice to become good. You might be a brainstorming You might be a brainstorming

beginner of a brainstorming expert.beginner of a brainstorming expert. Brainstormers train themselves how Brainstormers train themselves how

to generate to generate workable ideasworkable ideas and and solutions to problemssolutions to problems..


Another brainstorming Another brainstorming process is to create an process is to create an Idea TreeIdea Tree..

Start with 5 trees trunks – Start with 5 trees trunks – well spaced apart.well spaced apart.

Name each tree something Name each tree something you love.you love.

Write down 2 ideas Write down 2 ideas (branches) for each tree(branches) for each tree

Continue the process to Continue the process to develop each tree.develop each tree.


List CreationList Creation: List everything you can : List everything you can dream up on a certain topic.dream up on a certain topic.

Idea CardsIdea Cards: Take a deck of index : Take a deck of index cards and write a single idea on each cards and write a single idea on each one. Now, pair the cards. For one. Now, pair the cards. For example, pair Dinosaur with Drag example, pair Dinosaur with Drag Racing. Your next game could be Racing. Your next game could be about dinosaurs racing prehistoric about dinosaurs racing prehistoric cars.cars.


Stream of ConsciousnessStream of Consciousness: Sit down at : Sit down at the computer and start writing like the computer and start writing like crazy. Don’t worry about being crazy. Don’t worry about being coherent. Don’t think about coherent. Don’t think about punctuation or spelling. After 10 punctuation or spelling. After 10 minutes spewing words on a minutes spewing words on a particular topic, read over what you particular topic, read over what you have done.have done.


Randomize ItRandomize It: Take out a : Take out a dictionary and open it up to dictionary and open it up to any page, then start with the any page, then start with the word you see first. A word you see first. A newspaper or magazine also newspaper or magazine also works. Now start writing works. Now start writing down ideas related to that down ideas related to that word. The word you find word. The word you find might be might be microwavemicrowave and you and you have an idea about a future have an idea about a future on Earth where microwaves on Earth where microwaves are used to levitate people.are used to levitate people.


ResearchResearch: If you have a : If you have a basic idea, try researching basic idea, try researching the topic. Find out all you the topic. Find out all you can about the topic. Maybe can about the topic. Maybe the idea of ants fascinates the idea of ants fascinates you. Learn about ant hills, you. Learn about ant hills, how ants live and work, how ants live and work, what ants eat, what are what ants eat, what are army ants. You could army ants. You could design a board or digital design a board or digital game around the name game around the name Ant Colony Ant Colony oror Ants In Your Ants In Your PantsPants..


Extreme MeasuresExtreme Measures: Put yourself into new : Put yourself into new situations. Force yourself to try something situations. Force yourself to try something entirely different, whitewater rafting, entirely different, whitewater rafting, snorkeling, a new sport or even a new snorkeling, a new sport or even a new hobby. The next thing you know, you are hobby. The next thing you know, you are designing an underwater game where designing an underwater game where players are snorkeling and coming into players are snorkeling and coming into contact with fish, stupid sponges, evil contact with fish, stupid sponges, evil jellyfish, and a wise old turtle. The game jellyfish, and a wise old turtle. The game could be called could be called SNORKSNORK..


Team BrainstormingTeam Brainstorming: Working with : Working with others is both stimulating and highly others is both stimulating and highly productive. Two or more people can productive. Two or more people can bounce ideas back and forth. Two bounce ideas back and forth. Two minds can build upon the core idea in minds can build upon the core idea in ways that a single mind cannot. ways that a single mind cannot. Hearing your ideas being discussed Hearing your ideas being discussed by someone else helps you take a by someone else helps you take a perspective look at your concepts.perspective look at your concepts.


Rules of Team Brainstorming:Rules of Team Brainstorming:1.1. State a purpose.State a purpose.

2.2. No idea is bad! Never criticize ideas.No idea is bad! Never criticize ideas.

3.3. Encourage differing views.Encourage differing views.

4.4. Vary the structure – don’t rely on just Vary the structure – don’t rely on just one method of brainstorming.one method of brainstorming.

5.5. Go for lots of ideas – try for 100 ideas Go for lots of ideas – try for 100 ideas per hour.per hour.

ConceptualizationConceptualizationEditing & RefiningEditing & Refining

Now change gears and put on your Now change gears and put on your critical hat.critical hat.

Schedule your editing sessions on Schedule your editing sessions on different days from your different days from your brainstorming sessions.brainstorming sessions.

Make it clear to everyone that Make it clear to everyone that brainstorming is over.brainstorming is over.

Pull out the ideas that work.Pull out the ideas that work. Narrow down to the top 10 ideas.Narrow down to the top 10 ideas.


Nominal Group Technique: Now that Nominal Group Technique: Now that you have your top 10 ideas, have you have your top 10 ideas, have each person put the list into rank each person put the list into rank order – assign a number value from order – assign a number value from one to 10.one to 10.

Find the average rank score of each Find the average rank score of each idea.idea.

Rearrange your list using the new Rearrange your list using the new combined rank order. combined rank order.


Take your newly ranked list and Take your newly ranked list and narrow down to the top 3 ideas.narrow down to the top 3 ideas.

Discuss these ideas. You might even Discuss these ideas. You might even brainstorm each idea for game brainstorm each idea for game development feasibility. development feasibility.

Take a new group ranking. Repeat Take a new group ranking. Repeat the processes until you have 1 idea the processes until you have 1 idea that everyone agrees on and that that everyone agrees on and that can feasibility be used in a game.can feasibility be used in a game.

Turning Your Idea Into A GameTurning Your Idea Into A Game

If you are going to produce a truly If you are going to produce a truly original game, try to forget all of the original game, try to forget all of the other games – other games – for a secondfor a second..

Don’t combine existing games to Don’t combine existing games to create a better one.create a better one.

Work from your vision of the type of Work from your vision of the type of game you’d like to play.game you’d like to play.


Is your game about Africa?Is your game about Africa? Does it have wild animals?Does it have wild animals? How will the animals interact?How will the animals interact? Does the player have clearly defined Does the player have clearly defined

goals?goals? What obstacles get in the way in What obstacles get in the way in

getting to the goals?getting to the goals? The game mechanics stem from your The game mechanics stem from your

main idea.main idea.


What will be your game’s mechanics?What will be your game’s mechanics? What do you want your game to look What do you want your game to look

like?like? How will your game function?How will your game function? Don’t lock in your ideas early in the Don’t lock in your ideas early in the

development process. Give yourself development process. Give yourself time to play around and experiment.time to play around and experiment.

Elements of Game DesignElements of Game Design

PlayersPlayers• Number of playersNumber of players• Role of playersRole of players• Player interaction patternsPlayer interaction patterns

ObjectivesObjectives ProceduresProcedures RulesRules ResourcesResources ConflictConflict

• ObstaclesObstacles• OpponentsOpponents• DilemmasDilemmas

BoundariesBoundaries OutcomeOutcome

ChallengeChallengePlayPlayPremisePremiseCharacterCharacterStoryStory

Formal Elements: Dramatic Elements:

Questions to Ask YourselfQuestions to Ask Yourself

What is the conflict in my game?What is the conflict in my game? What are the rules and procedures?What are the rules and procedures? What actions do players take and when?What actions do players take and when? Are there turns? How do they work?Are there turns? How do they work? How many players can play?How many players can play? How long does a game take to resolve?How long does a game take to resolve? What is the working title?What is the working title? Who is the target audience?Who is the target audience?

Fleshing Out Game StructureFleshing Out Game Structure

Define each player’s goal.Define each player’s goal. What does each player need to do to What does each player need to do to

win?win? What is the single most important What is the single most important

player action in the game? Describe player action in the game? Describe how it functions.how it functions.

Map out how a typical turn works.Map out how a typical turn works. How do the players interact with How do the players interact with

each other?each other?

Documents

Designing a Game Conceptualization. Conceptualization Where do ideas come from? Great ideas come from everywhere. Great ideas come from everywhere. They