What does a game designer really do. And, more importantly, how do they make the products better. How does a designer contribute and what how do you work with them to solve your problem.

1. What is a Game Designer (And
Why Do You Need One)?
What does a game designer really do. And,
more importantly, how do they make the
products better. How does a designer
contribute and how do you work with them
to solve your problem.

2. Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for
entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes.
Increasingly, elements and principles of game design are also applied to other
interactions, particularly virtual ones.
Game design creates goals, rules and challenges to define a board game, card
game, dice game, casino game, role-playing game, sport, video game, war
game or simulation that produces desirable interactions among its participants
and, possibly, spectators.
Academically, game design is part of game studies, while game theory studies
strategic decision making (primarily in non-game situations). Games have
historically inspired seminal research in the fields of probability, artificial
intelligence, economics, and optimization theory. Applying game design to itself
is a current research topic in metadesign.
Wikipedia
Perception of Game Design

3. Theme is not what you are teaching
The most important design consideration is
- What are the learning objectives?

4. Similar Mechanics
 World Conquest
 Territorial Control
 Army Tokens
 World Conquest
 Territorial Control
 Army Tokens

5. Different Mechanics
 Sequential Turns
 Probabilistic Combat
 Simultaneous Turns
 Deterministic Combat
…is about Risk! …is about Diplomacy!

6. The player is impacted by the Game Mechanics
Game mechanics are constructs of rules or methods designed for
interaction with the game state, thus providing gameplay.
All games use mechanics; however, theories and styles differ as to their
ultimate importance to the game. In general, the process and study of
game design, or ludology, are efforts to come up with game mechanics
that allow for people playing a game to have an engaging, but not
necessarily fun, experience.
The interaction of various game mechanics in a game determines the
complexity and level of player interaction in the game, and in conjunction
with the game's environment and resources determine game balance.
Some forms of game mechanics have been used in games for centuries,
while others are relatively new, having been invented within the past
decade
Wikipedia

7. MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research
Robin Hunicke, Mark LeBlanc, Robert Zubek
Rules System “Fun”
Mechanics Dynamics Aesthetics
Mechanics describes the particular components of the game, at the level of
data representation and algorithms.
Dynamics describes the run-time behavior of the mechanics action on player
inputs and each others’ outputs over time.
Aesthetics describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player,
when they interact with the game.

8. Twenty Questions
Variant #1
 One player is the questioner and
selects a Noun.
 The Noun can be a person, a place,
or a thing. It cannot be a proper
noun.
 Players attempt to deduce the
answer by asking yes/no questions
 All players win if they successfully
deduce the Noun.
 Players have 20 yes/no questions,
but unlimited time.
Variant #2
• One player is the questioner and
selects a Noun.
• The Noun can be a person, a place,
or a thing. It cannot be a proper
noun.
• Players attempt to deduce the
answer by asking yes/no questions
• All players win if they successfully
deduce the Noun.
• Players have unlimited yes/no
questions, but must answer in 90
seconds.
Limited Questions – Unlimited Time Unlimited Questions – Limited Time
Nick Fortuno – GDC Teaching Games with Games 3

9. How we learn while playing a game…
The Gamer’s Brain
Celia Hodent

10. Ok, Ok, I understand what a game
designer does…
How do I apply that to my ______?

11. The are two kinds of clients that
are bad to work with:
Those that play games,
And, those that don’t play games

12. The psychometricians can design an
‘interactive’ test object that is validated
for assessment…
But, they can’t then give it to the game
team and say “make this fun” (without
making any changes that would
invalidate the object)
Applying Design to Interaction??

13. - don’t let the computer have all the fun
- Make an interesting decision every 60 seconds. An
‘interesting’ decision I said, not just a decision.
- Don’t be afraid to let your players fail. They can feel
achievement without some failure.
- Make the mechanics drive learning. Not the theme.
- If you are preparing people for an experience, what about
the experience do you want them to learn? (environment,
stress, time pressure, locations of objects, etc.)
- Make it a game of skill
What can we do to harness the power of games?

14. Sensation
Game as sense-pleasure
Fantasy
Game as make-believe
Narrative
Game as unfolding story
Challenge
Game as obstacle course
Fellowship
Game as social framework
Discovery
Game as uncharted territory
Expression
Game as soap box
Submission
Game as mindless pastime
Types of Fun
Eight Kinds of Fun
Marc LeBlanc

15. Example of what designers do and why you need them.

16. Art matters if the experience
enlightens us

17. A game matters if the
mechanics enlighten us

18. Douglas Whatley
BreakAway Games