Game Design
2
Critical Thinking and Analysis of Games
Critical Thinking
• Conceptualizing,
applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating
information to reach an answer or
conclusion
Critical Analysis of Games
• Not just a game review, but a critique
– A thorough and unbiased look at the game – Based on arguments and evidence
– Not a good/bad decision but find aspects worth studying
• Look at game parts and how they interact
– how does each part relate to the play experience
• Useful for complete games or works in progress
Critical Analysis of Games
Critical Analysis of Games
• Describe the formal elements
• Describe the manner in which the formal elements interact.
• Understand why those particular elements were chosen. What would happen if the
designer had chosen differently?
Critical Analysis of Games
Critical Analysis of Games
• How is the player challenged?
– What tools are available to overcome challenges?
• What is the inter-player interaction?
• Is the game balanced and fair?
• Is the game replayable?
• What is the intended audience?
• Above all, What is the core gameplay?
Critical Analysis of Games
• Deconstruct the game
– Find breakpoints
– Limit the tools you use
– Compare and contrast different choices/ difficulty levels/ skill paths, etc.
– Attempt to get outside the game boundaries
Literacy
• Two levels of literacy (not just in games)
– Basic – you are able to read a text
– Advanced – you are able go beyond the surface level and analyze a work
• Literacy is not binary, but exists on a scale
Game Literacy
• What is game literacy?
• What does it mean to be able to read in our medium?
– Able to play a game?
– Play a game from start to finish?
– Maybe it’s one or the other, depending on the game?
Game Literacy
• At the lowest point, game literacy is the ability to play a game, even if it is at a novice level
• By that metric, have we achieved universal game literacy?
• Well, no!
Basic Game Literacy
• Understand your input devices
• Navigate simulated 3D space
• Understand iconography
• Understand jargon
• Etc.
Basic Game Literacy
Advanced Game Literacy
• Analyze, interpret and go beyond the surface level
Advanced Game Literacy
• Form a designer standpoint
– Games with more depth
– A well developed substance beneath the surface level increases the quality of the surface elements (e.g. Bioshock, Dark Souls, Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect)
– Does not require more work, but better discipline
Classification of Games
• Multiple classification criteria
– Number of players and player interaction – Medium of play and distribution platform – Game genres
– Etc.
Games by Player Number and Interaction
• Single player (Witcher, Desperados, Solitaire)
• Multiplayer
– MMORPG (WoW) – MOBA (Dota, LoL) – Shooter (CS:GO)
– Simulated tabletop (Chess) – Etc.
Games by Medium and Distribution Platform
• PC games
• Console games
• Mobile games
• VR games
• These categories will often overlap
Game Genres
• Give designers and publishers a common language for describing styles of play
• Tend to restrict the creative process and lead designers toward tried and true gameplay
solutions
• Most of the time, games are part of multiple genres simultaneously
• There is no single taxonomy!
Game Genres
• Action
• Strategy
• Role-Playing
• Sports
• Racing/Driving
• Adventure
• Simulation/Building
• Flight and Other Simulations
• Educational
• Children
• Casual
• Experimental
Action games
• Emphasize reaction time and hand–eye coordination
– Real time
– time constraints for performing physical tasks
Strategy Games
• Focus on tactics and planning as well as the management of units and resources
– Conquest – Exploration – Trade
• Action strategy games (Total War Series)
Role Playing Games (RPGs)
• Focus on creating and growing characters
– Rich story lines
– Quests, character progression, gear and inventory management, skill and resource acquisition
– Rely on character ability in order to overcome challanges
Sports Games
• Simulations of sports
– Mimic rules and competition settings of their real world counterparts
– Can be marketing tools
Racing/Driving Games
• Arcade (Mario Kart)
• Racing simulators
Simulation/Building Games
• Focus on resource management and building
– Usually mimic real world systems
– Focus on the economy and trade systems – Players need to balance development and
resource generation
Simulation Games
• Action games based on real-life activities
– Pilot airplanes, drive tanks, etc.
– Action games that require the player to master realistic control schemas
Adventure Games
• Emphasize exploration, puzzle solving
– Rely on player knowledge and ability as opposed to character ability
“the state of mind of a kid when he enters a cave alone must be realized in the game. Going in, he must feel the cold air around him. He must
discover a branch off to one side and decide
whether to explore it or not. Sometimes he loses his way” – Shigeru Miyamoto
Educational Games
• Combine learning with fun activities
– Entertain and educate
– Usually targeted at children, but some focus on adults
Children’s Games
• Designed for children below 12
– Usually designed to entertain
Casual Games
• Meant to be enjoyed by everyone
– Will avoid twitch or complex gameplay, violence, controversial topics
– Aim to draw the largest possible audience
– Started with web games (usually Flash based);
now usually on mobile platforms
Bibliography
1. Elias, G. F., Garfield, R. and Gutschera, K. R.
Characteristics of Games, MIT Press, 2012 2. Fullerton, T., Game Design Workshop: A
Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, CRC Press, 2014
