Game Design 2Lecture 1: Game Interface Design

2013

Important Stuff• 20 credits

• 50% Coursework

• 50% Exam (2 hr)

• Coursework given out around week 5*

• Will be using Adobe Flash CS5.5 for labs.

• http://www.gcugd2.com

• @gcugd2

*probably

Who am I?

• CS @ Strathclyde / Games @ Caledonian

• Dare to be Digital

• e-Bug

• Brand Bang! and others...

• david.farrell@gcu.ac.uk

• @unthank

• M615 (Jon’s old desk)

Dare to be Digital

e-Bug: Platform Game

e-Bug Detective Game

Game Interface Design?

Game Interface?

• Menus

• Hud

• Data (abstracted?)

• Interaction

‘main’ menus

in-game menus

HUDHeads Up Display

“any transparent display that presents data without requiring the user to look away from his or her usual viewpoint.”

Wikipedia article on Heads Up Display, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head-up_display, 2009

data communicationand abstraction

interaction

Design?

“Design is the process by which a designer creates a context to be encountered by a participant, from which meaning emerges.”

Salen and Zimmerman, Rules of Play, page 41, SAGE Publications, 2004

These make sense. The design says “push me”.

This make sense. The handle (and all that text) says “pull me”.

But what the heck do you do here?

For a bonus point:Have you seen this design mistake on campus?

Is this good design?

Is this good design?

Design is used to communicate with the player.

This game has many many many combos...

...but did anyone learn them?

So what next?

Lectures

• data visulisation

• communication with the player

• menu design and flow

• semiotics

Tutorials

• play games

• find examples of learning outcomes

• discuss how to improve

• practice designing interfaces

• ‘paper’ prototyping

Labs

• Learn how to use Adobe Flash CS5.5 to create interfaces

• Learn ActionScript 3 basics

• Learn how to combine the two to create script driven interfaces.

Contact

• david.farrell@gcu.ac.uk

• http://www.gcugd2.com

• What do you want?

• @gcugd2

• If you want to meet in person:

• M615