1. Fundamentals of Game Development An Introduction to the Game Development Program at Chaffey

2. HISTORY OF GAMES History of games Significant milestones in the history of electronic game development - The names and players that shaped the industry Pong Atari, Sega, Nintendo, Activision Bushnell, Miyamoto The History of Gaming (pbs.org)

4. KEY ISSUES Video Game slump in the 1980’s Temporary decline, Oversupply, Lack of innovation, Competitive pricing The new golden age of home consoles Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Sony Playstation Senate Hearings and Game Violence In class debate Personal Computer Revolution MMOG’s

5. PLAYERS What motivates people to play games, and how does this affect the types of games that are developed Geographics Demographics Psychographics

6. Why do you play? Social interaction - Play to interact with opponents or teams Physical seclusion - Play within the privacy of own environments Competition - Play to win Knowledge - Play to learn Mastery - Play to get better Escapism - Play to relieve stress, not think about real life Addiction - Play because you cant stop So… Why do you play?

7. A world of gamers.. 52% of players report watching less television as a result of playing games 47% of players are going to the movies less 41% of players watch movies at home less often 54% of U.S. households have purchased or plan to purchase one or more games adult women make up a larger percentage of players than boys ages 6–17 females of all ages now make up almost 40% of the game-playing population men and women over 18 make up 64 percent of the player population 17% of players are over age 50

8. GAME ELEMENTS Genres Platforms Development tools and languages Player modes Interfaces Controls Engines

9. Genre The term genre refers to the traditional divisions of art forms from a single field of activity into various kinds according to criteria particular to that form. Source: wikipedia.com Genres in computer games help the designers form a unified vision, help the businessman sell the game, and help the audience know what they are getting

10. GenresAction Platformer (Donkey Kong) Racing (GravRally) Fighting (Tekken)

11. GenresAction (cont’d) First-Person Shooter [FPS] (Deus Ex) Third-Person Shooter (Tomb Raider)

12. GenresSimulation Vehicle (Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004) Participatory – Sports (All-Star Baseball 2005) Process (Sim City 4)

13. GenresStrategy Turn-based strategy (Civilization III) Real-time strategy (RTS) (Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour)

14. GenresMassively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) MMOFPS (Planetside) MMORPG (EverQuest) MMORTS (Shattered Galaxy) MMOPG (Puzzle Pirates)

15. Genres Casino (Prestige Casino) Adventure (Myst) Action-Adventure (Beyond Good & Evil) Puzzle (Tetris)

16. Genres (cont’d) Role-playing (RPG) (Wizardry 8) Bemani (DDR) Trivia (Quia) Survival-horror (Silent Hill)

17. Game Project: Game Concept The purpose of a concept document is to sell the idea for a game to your team, company or funding source. Submit a 3-5 page concept document containing headers and 1 paragraph (on average) discussions of each of the following: Title Genre Platform Premise, high concept, Backstory Target rating Target maket Player motivation USP – Unique selling proposition Competitive analysis Group project, presentation, top pitch is determined by the students, top project will be continued upon by the entire class

18. ROLES Roles in the Game Industry Places to find jobs Qualifications Internships Skill sets Companies

19. Getting In Common entry is through QA or test department Build examples of your work Code samples Art Design For all jobs – PLAY PLENTY OF GAMES Play games that you don’t like Generalized salary range $25K - $90K/yr

20. Game Development Teams Production Art and Design Programming Audio Quality Assurance Students apply for a position on the final project for the class and are split into teams according to their job title.

21. Resources “Working So Others Can Play” http://www.gignews.com/crosby1.htm www.gamejobs.com www.dice.com www.monster.com International Game Developers association www.igda.org Game Demo night Networking opportunities

22. Development of the Design Document and Prototype Storytelling Character Development Graphics Sound Game Development Tools Game Maker The Games Factory FPS ??

23. Traditional Storytelling

24. Story Elements Premise - One or two sentences that summarize the game Backstory - Info that leads up to where the game begins Synopsis – the setting and actions that take place in the game, the artificial game world Theme – what the story is really about, the primary goal or obstacle Setting – the backdrop, the world being explored

26. Non-linearity (story layers/pathing)

27. Player control

28. Collaboration

29. Immersion

30. Cinematics & cut-scenes

32. Type

33. Gender/age

34. Physical appearance

35. Background & history

36. Personality characteristics

37. Vocal characteristics

39. Game Dynamics A game dynamic is a pattern of play that comes from the mechanics once they are set in motion by the players Examples: Territorial Acquisition Civilization, Starcraft, Risk, Go Race to the End Mario Kart, CandyLand, Life

40. Challenge Part I Create a race to the end gameplay dynamic for two to four players. The game should be be about progressing on a path from start to finish. The first player to the finish wins Determine a theme and a goal Identify the mechanics of the game Playtest – Everytime you add a mechanic to the game, test it. Does it improve the game? Create Deliverable: Board game, tile game, card game with a set of mechanics

41. Challenge Part II Create a territorial acquisition gameplay dynamic for two to four players. The game should be about collecting territory. The first player to collect all or collect the most after X wins. Determine a theme and a goal Identify the mechanics of the game Playtest – Everytime you add a mechanic to the game, test it. Does it improve the game? Create Deliverable: Board game, tile game, card game with a set of mechanics

42. Challenge Part III Two different mechanics, how did that affect the process? Compare and discuss the creation of the two games in challenges I and II