Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER 2
Design Components
and Processes
Game design is the process of
Imagining a game
Defining the way it works
■
Describing the elements that make up the game (conceptual, functional, artistic,
and others)
■
Transmitting information about the game to the team who will build it
A game designer's job includes all of these tasks. This chapter begins by discussing
an approach called player-centric game design. Then you learn about the central
components of any video game—the core mechanics and the user interface (UI)—
and you see how these components are defined in the design process. Finally, we
explore the various job roles on a design team and some of the qualities that it
takes to be a game designer.
In the video game industry, all but the smallest games are designed by teams of
anywhere from 3 to 20 people. (The entire development team is often much larger,
but we're only concerned with the design team.) This topic is written as if you are
the lead designer, responsible for overseeing everything. If your team is small, or if
you are designing alone, you may perform many of the different design roles your-
self. This text is written as if you are designing for a home console machine or a
personal computer, although much of the material here is applicable to any game
device.
An Approach to the Task
Over the years, people have tried many approaches to game design, and some of
them are better than others. A few tend to result in catastrophic failures. This topic
teaches you a way to think about what you are actually trying to accomplish so
that you'll be more likely to succeed than fail.
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