Gamegame workshop

transcript

gamegame(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame Sessions

• ‘Theory meets Design meets Play Workshop’

Aki Järvinen

aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net

Programme for the day

• Introduction: Theory of Game Elements (90 mins)

• GameGame: Theory meets Design meets Play (30 mins)

• break

• GameGame Play Session: Learning the Rules (90 mins)

• break

• GameGame Play Session 2: Play in Pairs (60 mins)

• Wrap-up & Feedback discussion (20 mins)

The Theory Part

• Introduction to a theory of game elements

• Which you will meet as playing cards later

• Which, when combined, make up designs for games

• Or, systems we know as games

All kinds of games allowed!

• All games, regardless of the media or technology they employ, contain certain elements

• They are not all the same

• Or implemented in the same manner or technique

• Yet there are underlying similarities: goals, objects to be manipulated, environments, players, etc.

Same but different

• How to conceptualise this ‘same but different’ qualities of games?

• One needs to conceptualise the qualities

• And build a framework that brings them together, as in individual games

• The notion of System

Games as systems

• System is ‘a dynamic whole with interacting parts’

• In game systems: 1) game elements equal the parts

• 2) elements have relationships, they interact

• 3) when players engage with the elements, it gives birth to another kind of interaction: game play

• game play gives birth to dynamics; ‘the run-time behavior of the system’ (LeBlanc)

• GameGame & You will make up a dynamic whole later

The Theory of Game Elements

• Conceptualises possible different configurations of game systems

• i.e. the difference between one game and another is due to the fact that their systems are configured differently

• configuration of football vs. the configuration of Prince of Persia

• The theory is a form of Applied Ludology

• Which provides solutions for practical game analysis & design

Element categories: overview

• A game system in operation, i.e. a game being played, puts these elements into interaction

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

SYSTEMIC

ELEMENTS

BEHAVIORAL

ELEMENTS

Game elements: overview

• players• contexts

• components• environment

• ruleset• game mechanics• theme• information• interface

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS

• The element categories group different element classes

• All game elements have an ownership attribute

• There are three kinds of ownership attributes:

[game element]-of-self

[game element]-of-other(s)

[game element]-of-system

• Ownership attributes often create inherent tension and competition to a game

• Thus, many games revolve around ownerships shifting back and forth

What ludologists do

• game theorists deconstruct existing games into elements

What Game Designers do

• game designers construct & games from elements, game developers implement them

Save the Princess

Platforms

Gamepad

RunningJumping

Components

Game mechanicsEnvironment

Interface

Italian Plumber ina Fantastic World

ThemeMushrooms

• ruleset• game mechanics• theme• information• interface

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

Another visualization

Another theory: Why?

• There are numerous theories of what games are made of - Parlett, Juul, Salen & Zimmerman, Aarseth, etc.

• My defenses to bring another theory into the world:

• To function as a hands-on analysis & design method, ‘design by elements’

• Certainly the first to be operationalized as a game!

• and a basis for a Design Document template

GameGame: Background

•GameGame: Theory meets Design meets Play

•‘Ludology meets Understanding Comics’

Component evolution

Play-testing evolution

Previous workshops

• Both in academic and industry contexts

• Sulake, Apr 2005 (left)

• University of Bergen, Norway, Feb 2007 (above)

Adaptation to GameGame

• ruleset as goals & end/victory conditions

• game mechanics• theme• information• interface

COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

Game elements of GameGame

• you• workshop

• cards

• design a game; sell it to others; 2nd milestone

• collecting, choosing, trading, performing, voting

• game design• hidden / open information COMPOUND

ELEMENTS

game play

What Game Designers do

Save the Princess

Platforms

Gamepad

RunningJumping

Components

Environment

Italian Plumber ina Fantastic World

ThemeMushrooms

TubesGoal

Game mechanics

GameGame: The rules

• The Manual:

• http://gamegame.blogs.com

GameGame cards

Game mechanics

Assets

The publisher

Concept Template

• ‘Design by Elements’ approach

• Meant to Function as a documentation template of the concepts that come up through playing GG

• With some tweaking, can be edited into a Game Concept brief

• ...and continue fleshing it out towards a game design document

Contact & more info

• aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net

• http://gamegame.blogs.com

• http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net

Gamegame workshop

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