5. Who am I?
Carnegie
Mellon Disney
Northeastern Winds of
Entertainment Imagineering Conduit Labs Zynga Boston
University Orbis and IGF
Technology (Creative (Gameplay (Lead
(Mechanical (Programming
Center Technology Programmer) Designer)
Engineering) and Design)
(Computer Group)
Science)
6. Rules
Be an adult
Don’t be late (without prior notice)
Hit your deadlines
Do your best work
Be a team player
Pay attention in class
No busywork
If any assignment feels like busywork just come talk to me
Communicate
I am your producer, talk to me
7. Realities
Game design is hard
Game development is competitive
This class is an opportunity, treat it like one
8. Topics
Introduction to Level Design
Moment Based Design
Architecting an Experience
Puzzle Design
Playtesting
Indirect Control
Flow and Teaching
Wayfinding and Indirect Control
Worldbuilding and Storytelling
10. Syllabus
Google Calendar Link
https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=q136fnig629qg
ajuopjjqvd41o%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/
New_York
Thanksgiving!
Story in Games
The Player’s Journey
Visual Storytelling
Analysis: Gears of War
Analysis: Diablo 2
16. Game Design Definitions
Play
Voluntary, intrinsically motivated activity
Game
Play with a goal
A series of interesting choices
Toy
An interactive object used during play
Puzzle
A game with a dominant strategy
Narrative
Events connected to a theme
Story
A flow of events ordered to create an emotional outcome
17. What is Game Design?
Game design is the craft of
designing experiences that
will evoke a specific emotional
response.
18. Seriously, what is Game
Design?
Designing systems,
mechanics and stories that
allow for interesting, fun,
moving, emotional and
challenging moments.
19. Skills of a Game Designer
Be a good listener
Be a good teacher
Be a good playtester
Critical analysis of experiences
Become a player
Be driven, inspired, creative and relentless
Never stop experiencing
20. What is Level Design?
Level design is the
application of game design.
28. Mechanics of Pac-man
Pellets – eat them all to complete the level
Power Pellets – use them to eat ghosts
Ghosts – get hit by one and lose a life
Bonus Fruit – eat them to get more points
Lives – lose all lives and the game ends
29. Systems of Pac-man
Movement – always moves forward, move joystick to
change direction
Scoring – extra lives at 10,000 points, high score
Enemies – each one has a specific movement AI
Spawning – Enemies and Bonus Fruit spawn at set
locations
Tunnels – exit a tunnel one way, return on the other side
34. Interesting Moments
Beating a level
Eating a ghost
Eating a bonus fruit
Having a close call
Losing a life
Outsmarting a ghost
35. Good Game/Level Design is…
Creating opportunities for
the player to make an
interesting choice that
results in an engaging
moment.
36. Assignment 1
Create a Steam Account
Get Portal 1 and Portal 2
Play through Portal 1
List any interesting moment (gameplay, story, visual)
Level it took place on
Description of moment
Why it was interesting
Interest Value (how interesting was it?)
Due Midnight 9/13 in Dropbox