jumpstart your creativity shaping your ideas into games
TRANSCRIPT
Jumpstart Your Creativity
Shaping Your Ideas Into Games
2
Ideas
• Ideas come from everywhere• How to transform ideas games?
Game Development Process
Brainstorm
Prototype
Production
Testing
Quality Assurance
Brainstorming
• Plenty of ideas are generated• Speculative; little value as a game• Need to be explored and validated
Ideas in Gameplay Terms
• What type of game?• What does player do?• What is the objective of the game?• What are the controls and rules?• How does he progress through the game?
5
Describing Gameplay
Describing Gameplay
Ideas & Mechanics
• Note the difference between ideas and mechanics
Brainstorm Prototype
generates ideas
validates mechanics
From Ideas to Mechanics
Brainstorm
Prototype
Production
Testing
Quality Assurance
paper/software prototype
early test builds
user feedback
playable build
ideas? unrefined gameplay
Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Game Lab
• Casual games based on research• Shaped from simple initial ideas
10
Dark Dot
Snap Escape
Workshop
• Work either individually or in teams• Share ideas with one another• Conceptualize game from guidelines and ideas
– Materials provided if required
13
Conceptualizing Ideas
• Deconstruction– Break idea down into verbs
• “Remote Control”– Program 4-5 buttons for your character
• Less emphasis on story– Think in gameplay terms
14
Things to Consider
• Objectives• Procedures• Rules• Conflict• Resources• Outcome
15
Things to Consider
• Casual Game Genres– Platform– Adventure– Simulation– Puzzle– Arcade/Action– Strategy
16
Example
• + puzzle game = ?
+
• Inception
Example
• Deconstruction– Design landscapes– Dream (within a dream within a dream…)– Explore/manipulate environment– Awaken
Example
Keep in Mind
• Keep game idea simple• Ensure gameplay mechanic exists• Do not censor your own – or others’ –
ideas• Deconstruct and think in terms of
game systems
20
Conclusion
• Conceptualization is the first step• Prototyping is still necessary to verify mechanics
• Thanks for attending!
Credits
• Presented by Justin Kang ([email protected])
• Sketches by Simon Strauss ([email protected])
• Braid © 2008 Jonathan Blow• Inception © 2010 Warner Bros. Pictures