In an interactive round, the participants report back what motivates them in games: entertainment, competition, fun, and learning are important factors. Robert Maciejewski explains that chess is also so popular because it allows players to try out their strategies. Learn how to get better tactically without battle and soldiers. Digital media allow us to gain new stories, ideas, and perspectives.
What does a game need? What makes game design special? It needs a goal, rules, and limits.
- Designs the game mechanics
- Sets the rules of the game
- Specifies the goals
- Test
- Possibly write the story
- Develops the technology
What makes good game design?
SuperMario was the first 3D game. When this game came out, Robert had hours of fun discovering the world. His insight is: “Simple is better than complex”. Good examples of this:
- World of Warcraft has a steep learning curve and is highly complex
- LineLight: Creates a quick start and the flow is top
- Minecraft where you can play on different servers
Finding the best ideas: Beginners often ask “Where can I find ideas”?
Robert laughs and replies: “Everywhere – in the news, in everyday life, in movies.” From Corona, or from a movie. “I just saw the FIlm Tenet – just brilliant. Better to take a good element as an approach and then continue building. And here, too, the following applies to me: Better copied well than badly created.”
Crazy ideas 4 the win: Games are developed with the question “What if”. The answers are numerous
- we would be a goat
- there would be no gravity
- the world would have new dimensions
- we could change time
- (Fill in your ideas here)
The Goat simulator is a good example of a crazy idea. But also current games like Fallguys – a mixture of Fortnite, Mario Party, and Takeshi’s Castle are typical examples of simple, smart, and at the same time impressive game concepts. All games have one element in common: the game loop is the core of a game. Doom: The door opens, you have a chainsaw, the guys look dangerous, bang them away. Or rather: You are many, which of you makes it to the finish? Lot!
Keep It super simple – How to build challenging games
Bennett Foddy builds super difficult games. But the charm of these games is that they are very well balanced.” Everything you don’t need, you can throw away right away.” When it comes to game design, it’s important to try out what really makes sense. “We made our games extra simple and super sober.” The question engineers should ask themselves is: “What does my game need to be really cool”? For example, a super-smooth input control. Being able to jump really well. The measure is then always whether the players manage not to make any mistakes. When walking around within a level, they must be able to easily change direction. This is how the sentence becomes law: Keep it super simple – sophisticated games are built from simple ideas.
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Good game design – 5 rules
- clear game goal
- Clear game guidance
- easy to learn and hard to master
- always work with user stories
- test, play, optimize