Game Concepts - Fundamentals of Game Design - page 83

phones usually requires making a deal with a cellular service provider. Also, unlike
dedicated game machines, for the most part, phones do not require a license from
the hardware manufacturer. Anyone can write a program for a mobile phone, with
one exception: Apple's iPhone.
Other Devices
Games show up on all sorts of other devices these days. The more specialized the
device, the more important it is to understand clearly its technical limitations and
its audience.
Airlines are starting to build video games into their seats; these games tend to be
aimed at children. Personal digital assistants (PDAs) provide a great new platform
for small, simple games for adults. Video gambling machines, too, enjoy growing
popularity. Because they are so heavily regulated and not sold to consumers, they
really constitute an industry unto themselves, but video gambling games require
programmers and artists just like any other computer game. And, of course, arcade
machines, although not as popular as they once were, still provide employment to
game developers.
Because these devices occupy niche markets and often have peculiar design restric-
tions, this topic doesn't address them in detail. This is a book about game design in
general, so it concentrates on games for all-purpose game machines: home consoles
and personal computers.
Summary
In this chapter, you learned what a game concept is and what decisions you have to
make to create a high concept document. You should now understand the impor-
tance of defining the player's role. You also learned the distinctions among game
genres and how to think about choosing a target audience—particularly with
respect to its degree of dedication to gaming. And you have an idea of how your
choice of machine affects the way people play your game.
Creating a game concept is like designing the framework of a building: It gives you
the general outlines but not the details. The remainder of this part of the topic is
dedicated to creating those details.
Design Practice EXERCISES
1. Create a high concept document for one of your favorite games or one that your
instructor assigns.
2. Write a short paper contrasting the player's roles in a Tomb Raide r game and a
Civilization game.