Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
invaders but to survive and score as many points as you can before the game is over.
The high-score table that Space Invaders displays after each session supports this goal
and serves as a reward if you do well enough to enter your own initials.
learninG From real play spaces
The word playground is not just a convenient metaphor. as a game designer, you can
learn a lot by paying attention to various real-world spaces intended for play. For
example, theme parks are laid out cleverly to immerse their visitors in a fantasy world
yet still prevent them from getting lost. (This is the function of the castle in the middle of
disneyland; its height makes it visible from almost anywhere in the park and helps visi-
tors orient themselves.) miniature golf courses have imaginative designs, too, increasing
in difficulty over their 18 holes. The courses start out easy enough but soon introduce
challenges such as bouncing off corners, navigating slopes, or going through tunnels.
some miniature golf courses add unique and wildly imaginative features. designing
miniature golf holes is a good exercise for anyone who wants to be a game designer.
Games of emergence typically establish simple goals such as collecting the most
points or defeating enemy units. In these kinds of games it takes skill, strategy, and
experience to play the game's mechanisms and get the game into the state that the
victory condition is met. This works well for short games in which the mechanics
produce emergent gameplay but are not too complex. This way, players can develop
their game-playing skills and strategies over multiple short sessions. For games of
emergence, the exact definition of the goal can make a big difference (see the “Goals
in Machinations Diagrams” sidebar).
playinG Vs. GaminG: paidia Vs. ludus
The French scholar roger caillois, writing in his book Man, Play, and Games (1958), was
among the first to make a distinction between goal-oriented gameplay and free-form
play (as well as other forms). he used Latin terms for the names of his different catego-
ries of play. caillois states that games can be classified on a continuum from paidia ,
where the focus is on unstructured playful activities, to ludus , where the focus is on
structured goal-oriented behavior. You can think of these two poles as playing and
gaming, respectively. Paidia is often associated with the way children play, while ludus
is often associated with more adultlike games or sports. Traditionally, games are found
on the ludus end of the scale, but certain games, for example role-playing games, offer
many opportunities for more free, paidia -like play at the same time. Ludus , or goal-
oriented gaming, is not necessarily better than paidia . it is a major design challenge to
offer both forms of play in one game and produce a harmonious result.
 
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