We play games to learn new skills, to
feel a sense of achievement, to interact with friends
and family, and sometimes just to pass the time. Ask
yourself, why do you play games? Understanding your
Part 1
Game Design Basics
2
Chapter 1
The Role of the Game Designer
The game designer envisions how a game will work
during play. She create the objectives, rules, and procedures,
thinks up the dramatic premise and gives
it life, and is responsible for planning everything
necessary to create a compelling player experience.
In the same way that an architect dra s a blueprint
for a building or a screenwriter produces the script
for a movie, the game designer plans the structural
elements of a system that, when set in motion by the
players, creates the interactive experience.
As the impact of digital games has increased, there
has been an explosion of interest in game design as
a career. Now, instead of looking to Hollywood and
dreaming of writing the next blockbuster, many
creative people are turning to games as a new form
of expression.
But what does it take to be a game designer?
What kinds of talents and skills do you need?
What will be expected of you during the process?
And what is the best method of designing for a game?
In this chapter, we??™ll look at the answers to these
questions and outline a method of iterative design
that designers can use to judge the success of gameplay
against their goals for the player experience
throughout the design and development process.
Pages:
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62