Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
about games are fairly numerous. Take note of both positives and negatives. You
can learn a great deal from mistakes and avoid making similar ones yourself.
As you compile your information, save images from the games and reviews
you're studying to understand more clearly how not only the gameplay, but also
the graphics are talked about.
Look at—and play—similar projects that have been produced for your demo-
graphic. The Internet makes it easy to view games for the audience you're
designing for. You may want to look at sites like these:
Big Fish Games:
www.bigfishgames.com
Kongregate:
www.kongregate.com
Gamespot:
www.gamespot.com
Gamasutra:
www.gamasutra.com
Game Rankings:
www.gamerankings.com
The Game Reviews:
www.thegamereviews.com
You can also check findings released by the Entertainment Software Association
(ESA): www.theesa.com .
What Do They have in Common?
As you view projects that were designed for a demographic similar to the one
your game is targeting, notice things they have in common, such as the genre,
the color palette, the style of artwork, and how the interface looks.
For example, a review of games designed for young girls at sites like PopCap
Games and Big Fish Games found many games that had girls raise baby animals,
play dress-up, sing and dance, or do veterinarian role playing. Other games were
highly colorful shooters like Peggle or social games like Farmville and Animal
Crossing . All of these were designed as casual games, with big, easy-to-read text
and brightly colored graphics. Figure 5.4 shows images from Animal Crossing
and Peggle.
In addition to compiling research, make a point of playing the games yourself.
Look for free demos to download and play (try to review at least 20-30 simi-
lar games). You don't need to play too long to get a good sense of whether the
graphics that were designed work with the gameplay and seem suitable for the
demographic.
Big Fish Games
allows players
to download and
play for free for an
hour—plenty of time
to form an opinion
about the success or
failure of graphics
and gameplay.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search