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CS 323B - Lecture 7

The document discusses 5 basic elements of game design: space, goals, components, mechanics, and rules. It states that the space establishes the foundation for the game by describing the visuals, barriers, colors, sounds, and lighting. The goals determine how a player wins the game. Components are the characters, objects, weapons, etc. that exist in the game world. Mechanics outline the actions characters can perform and constraints placed on gameplay. Rules guide players and shape the gameplay experience. Taking time to fully develop all elements before coding can help make a good game great.

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45 views3 pages

CS 323B - Lecture 7

The document discusses 5 basic elements of game design: space, goals, components, mechanics, and rules. It states that the space establishes the foundation for the game by describing the visuals, barriers, colors, sounds, and lighting. The goals determine how a player wins the game. Components are the characters, objects, weapons, etc. that exist in the game world. Mechanics outline the actions characters can perform and constraints placed on gameplay. Rules guide players and shape the gameplay experience. Taking time to fully develop all elements before coding can help make a good game great.

Uploaded by

ajel ira
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CS 323B-Advanced Multimedia

5 Basic Elements of Game Design


Some people have a great concept for a game and all the necessary coding skills
to bring that game to reality. However when they are done with the development process
and all the bugs have been worked out, people don’t like it because quite frankly the game
sucks.
Most of the time it is not the idea behind the game that is no good, after all there
is an audience for just about any game niche you can think of. What makes some games
so bad is that not enough time was given to the development of the core elements of the
game’s design.
Like a recipe, a blueprint or even a song; games have many different parts that are
all equally important. Neglecting one, or more, of these elements could mean disaster for
your game; but spending time to develop and structure each of them could take a good
game and make it great.

Space

All games have a world in which they exist known as the space. It describes the
look and feel of the game itself including:

 Visual space
 Barriers
 Colors
 Sounds
 Lighting

The space you create determines what can take place in the game itself and can
influence the type of characters you create. Think of this as the foundation for your game
because everything else relies on the rules/restrictions of your game space.
Goals
This is simple, how does someone win at this game? Something as simple as
“score the most points” doesn’t cut it. Think about how players can achieve the end goal
and map that out. Is there only one way to win or can a player take multiple paths to
achieve the end goal? Can more than one player win? Are you trying to get the player to
learn something? Can players continue on after someone wins? Ask yourself these
questions to really determine the goal of the game.

Components

Now that you know the space and


the goal(s) of the game you have to add
the characters and objects that exist in this
world and how they are used to play the
game. Examples of components could be
weapons, the heroes, the bad guys,
vehicles, a maze, dice, etc. Make sure that
all components have serve some purpose
in the game, even Easter eggs serve a
purpose; they encourage players to
explore different areas of the space.

Mechanics

These are the actions that characters and other


components can do, or have done to them, in the
course of the gameplay. This element outlines all of the
constraints put on your characters and helps create a
level of difficulty for your game.
It is very important that the mechanics follow the
rules set up in the game space; for example if a
character can break through a brick wall then a wooden
barrier cannot prevent them from entering an area. It is
also important that you think carefully about the
challenges and weaknesses that each character will
have so you can give them something to compensate
for them.
Rules
The rules are what guide a player through the game. It tells them
what they can and cannot do in order to win. They not only describe how to play the game,
but the rules also help shape the game play
experience.
Good designers start by defining all of these
elements of their game before they even consider
writing code or developing the user interface. Take the
time to document all of these elements for your games
and refer back to them whenever you have a question
about how to work something new into your game. In
the end, going through this process will help you
develop a game that flows well and is more exciting to
play.

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