Game Design

Games - Techgenyz

What is a game Anyway?

There is no fixed definition of what a game is. A common definition of a game is “A play activity with rules that involves conflict”. But it’s not that simple. The definition of a game is actually much more complex than you think. 

Here are some definitions from various sources:

• A game has an objective, an outcome and a set of rules to get there. (David Parlett)
• A game is an activity involving player decisions, seeking objectives within a “limiting context” [i.e rules]. (Clark C. Abt)
• A game is a “voluntary effort to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” (Bernard Suits)
• Games are a “form of art in which the participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal.” (Greg Costikyan)

As you can see there are many definitions of a game. These definitions only give us a sense of what a game is, but by reading all of these different definitions, common characteristics came into play when describing what a game is.

These characteristics are:

• Games are an activity
• Games have rules
• Games have conflict
• Games have goals
• Games involve decision making
• Games have an uncertain outcome
• Games are a form of art

There is no perfect definition of what a game is. There are some common problems that arises when trying to describe a game.

For example: 

Puzzles such as crosswords, Sudoku and Rubik’s Cubes are not considered as “games”. Crazy right? However it does depend on the definition you use. Salen & Zimmerman consider them as a subset of games where there is a set of correct answers.

Also Role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, are not often considered games. This is confusing as the title in itself has the word “games”, but this is due to the fact that they often have no final outcome.

The topic of “Game design” can be overwhelming to some people because they immediately think of the technical aspects, like coding, but you can simply create a game using only a pencil and paper, all it takes is some imagination and creativity. People tend to forget the “design” part of “game design” and only focus on the technical aspects. Game designers tend to focus more on the story of the game and adding conflicts and solutions.

Here is the link to the Reading

According to some of the interviewees from this Reading, coming up with an idea is easy, but coming up with a “good” idea isn’t. Professional game designers find idea inspiration from various sources such as reading, watching television shows and movies or even playing other games. According to some interviewees, the creative act of producing new ideas was about a certain attitude toward life, keeping your eyes open, since almost anything could inspire a new idea.

Here is another link to a Reading if you are interested!