Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
changes from mode to mode over time, and the story also progresses over time,
the two are not necessarily related.
THE GAME SCRIPT
Back when games were smaller, it was common to incorporate all the preceding
documents except for the high concept and treatment into a single massive tome,
the game script (or “bible”). As games have gotten larger, the industry has tended
to break out the character, world, and story documentation into individual docu-
ments to make them more manageable. The game script documents a key area not
covered by the other documents: the rules and core mechanics of the game.
As a good rule of thumb, the game script should enable you to play the game. That
is, it should specify the rules of play in enough detail that you could, in theory,
play the game without the use of a computer—maybe as a (complicated) board
game or tabletop role-playing game. This doesn't mean you should actually sit
down and play it as such, but it should theoretically be possible to do so, based
solely on the game script document. Sitting down and playing paper versions of
game ideas is a very inexpensive way of getting valuable feedback on your game
design. For designers without huge teams and equally huge budgets, paper-play test-
ing is an invaluable tool.
The game script does not include the technical design, though it may include the
target machine and minimum technical specifications. It should not address how
to build or implement the game software. The technical design document, if there
is one, is usually based on the game script and is written by the lead programmer or
technical director for the game. Technical design is beyond the scope of this topic.
If you want to know more about technical design, read
Game Architecture and Design
by Rollings and Morris (Rollings and Morris, 2003).
NOTE
Imagination
does not consist only
of the ability to invent
new things. It's also
valuable to be able to
look at an old idea and
breathe new life into it
with a fresh approach.
J.K. Rowling does this
brilliantly in her Harry
Potter novels. She still
has witches flying on
broomsticks, but she
invented the sport of
Quidditch, which is
played while flying
on them.
Like all crafts, game design requires both talent and skill. Talent is innate, but skill
is learned. Effective game designers require a wide base of skills. The following sec-
tions discuss some of the most useful skills for the professional game designer.
Don't be discouraged if you don't possess all of them. It's a wish list—the character-
istics of a hypothetical “ideal designer.”
Imagination
A game exists in an artificial universe, a make-believe place governed by make-
believe rules. Imagination is essential to creating this place. It comes in various forms:
■
Visual and auditory imagination enables you to think of new buildings, trees,
animals, creatures, clothing, and people—how they look and sound.
