Week 12 Readings Writing Game Rule

Why this is important: When it comes round to someone trying your game they must ready the rules of the game, if they have been written poorly even if the game is great it puts a downer on the game because it can get frustrating for the player. Everything needs to been clearly, your game depends on it because either it will be a complete success or a flop. Game reviewers don’t take a second look at games with poorly written rules. Even from the beginning well written rules is recommended seeing as play testers also don’t like a game with poorly written rules. Advise is given to take your time when writing your rules, in the long run it can illuminate the option of having to redesign the game.

Fundamental Qualities:  There are three fundamental qualities of good explanatory writing they are clarity, brevity and completeness. It can be very difficult to get all three of these qualities, only words and pictures can help to teach the game. If it’s not a necessity for the game rule do not use the history of the game, humour and extra information about the scenario that isn’t needed.

Order of explanation: Rules should start with a summary of the game or something that represents it. If this is done well some players may be able to predict what rules will be based on the summary. When writing your game rules you must at all times avoid leaving the player in suspense do not talk about mechanics that you have not yet explained. Related rules should be closer together. The uses of bullet points clarify where one idea starts and another ends. 

Reading Aloud: When rules are written correctly, one person will be able to read your rules aloud to the other players, and will be able to play the game. If that person who is reading the rules out has to explain the rules that to other members of the group your rules have failed.

Clarifications: Have your diagram examples in italics, so that players who understand the rule just skip it but for those who don’t can use it.

Review: The best way to find out if your rules are a success is to get someone else to review them. Get a strict review and honest feedback without this you won’t be able to improve your writing. Get people that don’t know your game to read them aloud to people to see if they understand.

Finishing: Do not print your rules in an interesting font, because your rules need to be as legible as possible. With frequent revision, consideration and rewriting your game will shine through and be as accessible as possible to new players. 

Week 12 Readings How to Write Rules (Without Confusing People)

It’s important to have solid rules, a player shouldn’t be questioning what something means or shouldn’t make them unsure how to interpret something unless that is intentional. Timing is key to rules as well seeing as no one wants to spend a great deal of time reading and understanding the rules of a game.

               

There were 5 key rules to follow when writing rules, they are:

1.       Flavor first: If the game has a narrative tying the mechanics together, make that narrative clear immediately. The metaphors will be helpful in explaining and justifying the game’s logic and mechanics.

2.       Get the boring stuff out of the way: List the materials needed for the game next, followed by any pre-game instructions for setting up. If it gets wordy or over-complicated, slim it down and add an illustration or two to help explain.

3.       Begin with the end: The first rule you should give the players is the winning condition of the game. Tell them what their objective is. From a logical standpoint, all the other rules serve the winning condition, and will make more sense when described with regards to it. It also makes it easier for players to find when they forget how to win.

4.       Go from general to specific: Think of it like newspaper journalism, or an inverted pyramid. After the objective, describe the broad, overarching rules before describing the instances and exceptions. If it’s Mille Bornes, explain placing mile cards before you explain the hazards and remedies, explain the hazards and remedies before you explain the safety cards. Another way of saying this would be to explain the things that happen most often in a game first, and the things least likely to happen in a game last.

5.       Tell players what they can do, before telling them what they can’t: Somewhat related to the previous point, you should always explain the least constricting rules before explaining the most constricting. Rules explained earlier therefore become the primary rules, and the rules following are the instances and exceptions where the primary rules change or don’t apply.

6.       Finally remember to use short sentences with a low-level of vocabulary, and when necessary use illustrations.

Week 8 Post of my Royal Game of Ur Iterations

In this week’s lesson we pared up to play The Royal Game of Ur. Or task was to play through it first and then to come up with our iterations to the post them up on our blogs.

With my first iterations the first one that I had come up with that I thought would work well was name the “death square”. This “death square” was situated on the square directly after the second rosette the 9^th square on the board. What this meant was I was changing the mechanics of the game because if a players piece had landed on the “death square” which is situated the square after the second rosette the player in whom the piece belongs to would have to take that piece off the board and start over again with that piece.

The second iteration made in the game was one of at a single point on either side of the players board was a “dual square”. The dual points on the board are situated in the safe zones 3 squares into the board just before the rosette. The dual would only be activated if both players had a piece on the dual square at the same time that is when a dual would commence. The way in which it worked was each player would have a dice that they would roll at the same time and the player with the high number from rolling the d4 would win which allowed the player to jump into the middle row in between the dual zone, it also meant for the loosing player that piece that lost the dual they would then have to miss the next two goes and the winner of the dual would then have the opportunity to make progress without being caught up.

My final iteration was the easiest to come up, the reason for this was the fact that from just playing the game, it felt that the game dragged on too long and after a while got slightly boring until the time that the victor came about. The iteration was instead of the players starting off with 7 pieces each to start off with 5 each instead. This meant that the game consisted of the same amount of dice but had 10 playable pieces instead of the 14.

Week 8 Readings Players Who Suit MUDs

There are 4 approaches to playing MUDs. The 4 approaches arise from the inter relationship of 2 dimensions of a certain playing style: World Oriented versus Player Oriented.

Achievers:

Achievers are players that focus on completing a game as quickly and efficiently as possible. Achievers think of getting points and going up in levels as their main goal. The look to improve their character and look to complete personal task/goals they set themselves. Achievers are very competitive so the way in which they play their games is what they think that is the correct way in playing the game. Achievers are compared to Diamonds.

Explorers:

Explores tend to want to find out as much of the game they are playing as possible. Explores like to push games to their limits by finding things that are wrong with it like bugs and glitches and making use of the space that is available. Explorers are Spades.

Socialising:

Socialisers care more about communicating with other players then playing the game itself. They use the games communicative facilities as there way of talking with other playing playing the game. For socialisers killing is something that is only ever to be excused if it’s futile, it’s normally done as an act of revenge, or even for pain caused to a friend. Socialisers are Hearts.

Imposition:

There are players that use the games assets to cause a nuisance to other players. There player do their best to cause distress to all the other players playing the game by either killing them or just annoying them in general. The more of an annoyance that they are the more joy they get. These players are Clubs

Achievers: Acting on the world, point of playing is to master the game. Make it do what you want it to do.

Explorers: Interacting with the world, sense of wonder of the virtual world.

Socialisers: Interacting with other players involves talking but could also lead to exotic behaviour. Understanding other players

Killers: What else but kill other players?

From covering this reading, it shows that there are 4 strong types of player characters in the gaming world, yet game are NOT limited to only these 4 types of players. 

Week 7 British Museum Trip

In this week we were to go to the British Museum as a class to help out with our work looking at Ancient Games that are on view at the Museum, but at the time I was very low on funding and couldn't afford to attend the trip. But hopefully there will be the same trip going along and I will definitely attend.

Week 5 Bibliography Task (Zotero)

For this week’s blog task we downloaded a bit of software called Zotero for Mozilla Firefox and we had to compile a short bibliography to be presented according to the Harvard System:

·         Contain 2 book items

·         Contain 2  contributions to books

·         Contain 2 journal articles (not book reviews)

Braithwaite, B. & Schreiber, I. (2008) Challenges For Games Designers Charles River Media pp. 69-99 (chapters 5 & 6).

Koster, R. (2005) Theory of Fun for Game Design., Paraglyph Press.

LeBlanc, M (2006) “Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics” In Salen, K.,The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology. MIT Press, pp. 439-459.

Perron, B, and Mark J. P. Wolf. (2008) Video Game Theory Reader Two. Taylor & Francis.

Leblanc M.The game Designer Reader, in Zimmerman and Salan MIT Press 2006

Murray, H. J. R. (1952) A History of Board Games Other Than Chess. pp. 19-23. 

Week 4 Readings MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research

The reading was a paper that talks MDA framework which is Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics. MDA is a formal approach to understanding games which attempts to close the gap between game design and development, game criticism and technical game research.

MDA: Games are created by designers/teams of developers, and consume by players. They are then purchased and eventually cast away.  The MDA framework formalizes the consumption of games by breaking them into their distinct components. Rules – System - Fun and establishing their design counterparts Mechanics – Aesthetics – Dynamics.

Mechanics describes the particular components of the game at the level of data representation and algorithms.

Dynamics describes the run time behaviour of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each other’ outputs over time.

Aesthetics describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player, when she interacts with the game system.

For the player the order that MDA is Aesthetics, Dynamics and Mechanics where as for the designers it’s the other way around Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics.

Aesthetics: Is what makes a game fun! Talking about games and play is hard because the vocabulary used is relatively limited. In describing aesthetics of a game you want to stay away from works like Fun and gameplay and use a more directed use of vocabulary. This can include yet not limited to:

1.       Sensation:

2.       Fantasy

3.       Narrative

4.       Challenge

5.       Fellowship

6.       Discovery

7.       Expression

8.       Submission

Dynamics:  It’s the behaviour of the game as a system -- what happens when you play? How can we predict what happens when you play and how can we explain what happened when you played? Game dynamics is about predicting and explaining. A lot of racing games have a system like this, like a speed boost for the guy who's losing. The player is part of the system too, so some of our understanding of game dynamics has to be an understanding of human dynamics.

Mechanics:  Mechanics are the various actions, behaviours and control mechanisms afforded to the player within a game context. Together with the games content (levels, assets and so on) the mechanics support overall gameplay dynamics.

MDA in Action:

•          Spawn points in a mod are a Mechanic. You, the designer, creates them.

•          Players behave tactically – dynamically, they camp by them in some cases to kill characters as soon as they spawn

•          Aesthetic – most likely would be frustration with the game.

•          You, the designer, can only change this indirectly by perhaps having random spawn points.

Jesse Schell: In the beginning, There is the Designer

In the Beginning, There is the Designer

The question we were asked to answer was, “ What advice does Schell to the would be games designers?”

                Our task was set to read chapter one of Jesse Schell’s book The Art of Games Design: A Book of Lenses. This chapter tells me is a motivational chapter to spur you on, for example from the notes that I took when reading it a question was, how do you become a game designer? “Design games, Start now! Don’t wait! Don’t even finish this conversation! Just start designing! Go! NOW! Here she encourages the reader by making them want to start designing and she later one added “The only way to become a games designer is by designing games”. Schell also said that novice’s designers will think they have little experience so there skills will be narrow and when a seasoned designer they will think that gave lost the touch, but she goes on to say “Never think possibility or impossibility”.  Another thing that Schell says is that “ You will fail many many times, but they will help you succeed, because each failure brings you a step closer to a phenomenal game”, here Schell is saying that everyone fails and makes their mistakes but from learning from your mistakes they won’t happen again and in the end your game will be “phenomenal”.

Schell lists many different skills a game designer has, they are:

1.       Animation

2.       Anthropology

3.       Architecture

4.       Brainstorming

5.       Business

6.       Cinematography

7.       Communication

8.       Creative Writing

9.       Economics

10.   Engineering

11.   History

12.   Management

13.   Mathematics

14.   Music

15.   Psychology

16.   Public Speaking

17.   Sound design

18.   Technical Writing

19.   Visual Arts

From when I went down the list reading the skills of a game designer I paused and thought WOW that’s a lot to master, but Schell goes on to say “No one can possibly master all these skills but the more of the skills you are good with the better”, which made me feel a bit better but also at the same time determined to try and get as many of the skills under my belt. Schell then goes on to talk about what she believes is the most important skill a game designer must have, she says some say its “Creativity, Critical Thinking, Logic and also Communication”,  she disagrees with these being the most important but does also add that they are indeed important but by no means the most important skill’s. The most important skill for a game designer is “Listening”. “Games designers must listen to many things. These can be grouped into five major categories: Team. Audience, Game, Client and Self.”

The Five Kinds of Listening

        On the topic of the skills of listening Schell talks about the 5 kinds of listening and a reason for them. “You will need to listen to your team since you are making the game together, it is crucial to listen when making decisions. You need to listen to your audience because they are the ones playing the game. Listen to your game you know whats wrong with it by listening to it run. Listen to your client they are the ones paying for the game you need to give them what they want. And your need to listen to YOURSELF!

At the end of that chapter Jesse Schell says that after reading this that your confidence might be fading now because perhaps it might seem a bit daunting to some so she says “Recite your magic words, for down the path we go!”

“I am a game designer,

I am a game designer

I am a game designer

I am a game designer."                                                                                           

Games Britannia Part One: Dicing with Destiny

In Eddies lesson we watch the first part of 3 on Games Britannia, here are the notes I took from watching Dicing with Destiny.

·        Games aren’t just fun they are fundamental

·        Roman Board game found in Colchester Quarry. ”Stanway Game”. The grace contained a board game with the glass counters laid out as if in play, it is believed to be 55 cm bt 40 cm and rectangle with play over a board of 8x12 squares.

·        “Alea Evangelli” – Game could be symbolic about the bible good/evil.

·        “9 Mans Morris” – a version of O’s and X’s can be found anywhere and played everywhere.

·        “Hazard” – Players gamble on the outcome of the throw of the dices and the stakes get higher every time, gambling more on every throw of the dice.

·        “Faro” – Pure game of chance, players put money on cards they want to win then dealer turns cards to see if there are matches and if there is any winning cards.

·        “Guan Chopper” – This if the first version of snakes and ladders which this game influenced the basis of snakes and ladders. The first British version of snakes and ladders the board was circular

·        “Chess” – Originated in the 8^th Century, Chess is a game of war, The chess pieces could possibly represent the army with all different positions in the army represented by different pieces and chess is associated with intelligence 

Week 3 Readings Gamasutra Doug Church - Formal Abstract Design Tools

Doug Church makes the same claim Costikyan did five years before him, but he goes further, both oare concerned about the need of a polished vocabulary. Whereas Costikyan is all about the definition of games. Doug Church thinks about his vocabulary as tools for game designers as he thinks it leads to a better understanding of games.

Doug Church remarks that the plurality of game genres and audience should be a problem for achieving goals. For this reason these tools have to be abstract (FADT) Formal Abstract Design Tools. The tools mentioned in the article were analysed using Mario 64. The remarkable aspect allowing players what to do next.  This aspect called fto go beyond interaction. There is interaction, player input, the game state changes but the game becomes richer. Dough Church named the tool intention to refer to the action plan that players make and if they mess up it will be clear why.

The story tool is a powerful tool. We know that a highly crafted world with detailed scripting will get a detriment to the player choices. Although the balance is point out, Doug Church’s examples of better use of the story tool rely on simplicity saying how RPG’s don’t allow player intentions.  

Week 2 Paidea and Ludus

Paidea:

Paidea is a term for games that have no outcome but are played for pleasure and not meant to be played competitively "Physical or mental activity which has no immediate useful objective, nor defined objective" (modified meaning by Frasca, Newman, p.19-20). The only reason of play is to entertain or to give the player a pleasurable experience.

Ludus:

"Activity organized under a system of rules that defines a victory or a defeat, a gain or a loss" (Frasca 1999, Newman, 2004). A game constrained by rules and a clear win goal.

Different concepts and game styles:

Agon: Competition

Alea: Chance/Randomness

Illinx: Movement

Mimicry: Simulation, make believe, role-play.

Week 2 Readings I Have No Words I Must Design

1. ·         Gameplay is magical
2. ·         Game designers strive to understand gameplay
3. ·         Many different games have been developed over years
4. ·         Game vocabulary is needed to create a game
5. ·         Games are a plastic medium between the process of doing something and having fun
6. ·         All games have puzzle elements
7. ·         Costikyan says that games are not just limited to the platform they are on, every game is different and that they are everywhere
8. ·         The game isn’t good if it’s too easy or too fun
9. ·         The difficulty of a game needs to be balanced
10. ·         Good visuals make a good game
11. ·         To make sense of games you need to understand what a game is

Interaction

·         Every game needs to define its interaction

·         The player has to have some sort of control over a game

·         when the game reacts to the users inactivity it’s a game if it doesn’t that means it’s a puzzle

·         Interactive media is a game

Goals

·         You can create your own goals

·         Goals in a game link to interactivity

·         A game without goals is not a game

·         There must be ovjectives

Struggle

·         In a game there needs to be struggle otherwise it’s not fun

·         It adds completion to the game

·         Struggle creates satisfaction for when it’s completed

·         If the game is too hard they player will not enjoy it and get frustrated

Structure

·         The structure shapes the game

·         Adding rules structures the game

Endogenous

·         Things that are meaningful with in a game

·         Costikyan explains that the games being made create their own meaning. The players figure out what they want to do and how they want to do it, giving it a new meaning every time it is played.

A bit about me! (Interview Task)

1)      What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading?

I tend not to read books unless it is an absolute necessity which for many years I haven’t had to do which in my favour has been quite good seeing as I don’t tend to enjoy myself when I read.

2)      What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading (or the last non-fiction book you read?

As I said before I don’t tend to read books if I don’t have to so I am not currently reading anything nor can I even possibly remember what the last non-fiction book I read.

3)      What was the last live performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?

The last performance I attended was back in 2009 at the o2 academy in London to watch Neyo which was a birthday gift; it was a reasonable performance but got a tad bit boring towards the end.

4)      What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema/online or watched on DVD?

This would be The Blind Side which is on a true story on the life of an American football player called Michael Oher, which shows the struggles that he went through in his life to the point where he is at now in a professional career playing for the Baltimore Ravens as an OT (Offensive Tackle).

5)      How often do you read the newspaper?

I would say I read a newspaper about once a week perhaps twice on a Saturday and a Sunday but its only for the purpose of reading the sports sections.

6)      Which art gallery/ museum/ exhibition did you last visit?

The last exhibition I attended was Euro Gamer Expo in London’s Earls Court. It was a great day out to London with the opportunity to experience the gameplay of games that are yet to be released on general sale and to speak and to meet new people.

7)      How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?

Now I don’t spend much time playing games because I don’t have the time to play games so I would say about 10 – 15 hours a week, but before I spent way too much time playing video games I would say in the reign of about 25-30 hours a week!

8)      How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?

To be honest 0 hours a week, I don’t tend to play traditional types of games such as board games when I have my Xbox 360 readily available to play whenever I want or if I get bored playing that then some sort of a game on my iPhone.