Immediately a er brainstorming ideas, we encourage
designers to construct a playable version of
their idea. By this we mean a physical prototype of
the core game mechanics. A physical prototype can
use paper and pen, index cards, or even be acted
out. It is meant to be played by the designer and
her friends. The goal is to play and perfect this simplistic
model before a single programmer, producer,
or graphic artist is ever brought onto the project.
This way, the game designer receives instant feedback
on what players think of the game and can see
immediately if they are achieving their player experience
goals.
This might sound like common sense, but in the
industry today, much of the testing of the core game
mechanics comes later in the production cycle,
which can result in disappointment. Because many
games are not thoroughly prototyped or tested
early, flaws in the design aren??™t found until late in
the process??”in some cases, too late to fix. People
in the industry are realizing that this lack of player
feedback means that many games don??™t reach their
full potential, and the process of developing games
needs to change if that problem is to be solved.
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