Games GDD

I have just completed the reading task for this week on initial design.

The reading this week focused on initial design and creating mock-ups for games from board games to video games and everything in between.

The main article we read called Design Considerations by Greg Aleknevicus (the creator of Black Vienna Online) goes in depth about what to consider when creating a board game, which is easily transferable to other mediums for games also. From the beginning I agree with Greg straight away on something that I loved as a child - physical presentation. Getting a new video game as a child I always loved looking at the front and back covers for the art and information, opening the box to see what art is on the disc, flicking through the manual and getting that new book smell as well as looking at other things like physical copies of the in-game world map. Physical presentation was such a great selling point to me as a consumer as a child with video games that it is hugely understandable why it is so important when selling board games.

The components of physical games are an integral part to playing them - who you are, the map you're in and what obstacles do you face. It is no wonder that Greg points immediately to components not having enough thought put into them being the reason they fall short. Components that are similarly coloured cannot be distinguished between easily by people with colour blindness and other visual disabilities. Even things as simple as the components being placed on squares on the board, if the component takes up the whole square then any slight movements of the board will shift the component and all surrounding components from their place. A simple fix to this is making the component slightly smaller than the area it is to be placed.

Making cards, icons and figurines on a board stand out only makes sense too. Having cards that are it is hard to distinguish their value, to having figures that are similar in shape, size and colour can make or break a game. Having to constantly think about what you are playing with can often times take away from an immersive game play, thus leaving the player bored quickly.

The same can be said for components within video games. If you cannot discern between colours in a game it can be difficult to know what you're playing with. If you cannot discern between a main or important character to a Non-Player Character (NPC) then how are you to know who to look for, follow or target. When creating video games it can be expensive to research these things but sometimes all it takes is time and a little bit of consideration for the players perspective.

Even when it comes down to rules in board games there are obvious links to the importance of rules within video games. People who have played video games before can pick up how to play your game quicker than someone who's first time it is playing a video game. Having well defined rules and controls set out for how to play is integral to having a good game that people are happy playing.