Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
tWo criticisms oF Formal methods
The machinations diagrams and the pattern language formalize the practice of game de-
sign to a certain extent; they are tools that we hope will enhance and complement your
existing skills. however, not everyone in the game industry sees value in such methods.
Game designer raph Koster gave a lecture at the Game developers' conference called
“a Grammar of Gameplay: Game atoms—can Games Be diagrammed?” (2005), in which
he discussed game mechanics at some length and proposed a method for diagramming
them. Later he noted that the audience reaction was quite mixed (sheffield 2007). From
our own discussions on game design methodology with various people in the game
industry, we have noticed a similar split. some designers dislike the premise of design
methodology and argue that they are academic toys with little relevance for real, applied
game design. Others recognize the value of these tools and are happy to experiment with
them to improve their designs.
another common argument against game design tools and methodology is that they can
never capture the creative essence that is the heart of successful game design. according
to this view, no formal method can replace the creative genius of the individual de-
signer (Guttenberg 2006). supporters of this argument fear that the tools will ultimately
limit designers because they tend to view game design only through the lens of formal
methods.
design tools can be Worth the investment
We cannot deny that the current vocabularies and frameworks for formal methods have a
poor track record within the game industry. There are a number of them in existence, but
many were designed by academics with little hands-on game design experience. Often
it takes a considerable investment to learn their tools, while the return value of using
them is not particularly high. This is especially true of tools designed primarily to analyze
games. Formal game analysis is done more often in universities than in industry.
The criticism is valid, but it does not mean that there is no point in trying to create game
design methodologies. it simply suggests that we should adopt criteria for evaluating them:
They should help designers to devise, understand, and modify their designs, not just to
analyze other people's games. We hope that by now, you see that the design patterns and
the machinations language are not simply tools for analysis; they can actually help you
improve your mechanics and offer the opportunity of experimenting with your designs
at an early stage during development. chapter 9, “Building economies,” features an ex-
tensive case study. in that chapter, we'll show you how to use these tools to design game
mechanics in a way that goes beyond the typical brainstorming techniques. (We do en-
courage you to use the brainstorming opportunities that design patterns offer, however.)
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