Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
that it is expected to meet. A professional designer must be able to work within
these constraints and to make the compromises necessary to do so.
This chapter puts forward the view that game design is not an arcane art but rather
a craft, just like any other, that can be learned with application.
Video games are not created by a mysterious, hit-or-miss process. Instead, they are
recreational experiences that the designer provides to the players through rules and
a presentation layer. A game is designed by creating a concept and identifying an
audience in the concept stage, fleshing out the details and turning abstract ideas
into concrete plans in the elaboration stage, and adjusting the fine points in the
tuning stage. All video games have a structure, made up of gameplay modes and
shell menus, that you must document so your teams know what they are building
and how it fits together. In the course of this process, you use a wide variety of
skills to create a wide variety of documents for your team. And at all times, you
should seek to create an integrated, coherent experience for your player that meets
your most important obligation: to entertain her.