Game Design and Production Blog 2 - Common Vocabulary(INFR 2330)

In this blog, I will be responding to :“Challenges for Game Designers” and “I have no words and I must design”.

For this blog, the following questions were given:

What are Costikyan's arguments?

What did you get from reading his text?

Why is it important for Game designers to have a common vocabulary?

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What are Costikyan's arguments?

It's Not a Puzzle.

Although some various games like to use puzzles in games, the puzzles are not the games. Puzzles are static, and games are not. Games change as the player progresses. Puzzles may be unique and have certain ways to solve them. But those ways remain static and never change, while a game's puzzles may change.

It's Not a Toy.

Here, Greg used Sim City as an example. Sim City is a 'toy'. It is stated as this because it has no objectives, no goals, no objectives, nothing. For example, we have a toy truck. With this truck, we can roll it around passing all other toys. If you give it an objective and goal, such as, crushing all toys with the truck and a time limit, you then have a game.

It's Not a Story.

Here is where a book and a game can be compared. In each, there is great imagery, visuals, and even interaction. However with all of this there is also a difference. With books, the decisions are pre-made and cannot be altered, but with a game, you are able to decide what you are going to do, think about your choices and make wise decisions.

It Demands Participation.

If a game was just there to watch, with no interaction or input that one could give, then it would be boring and it would lose its point. Games need interaction and participation in order to grab the playing audience, and allow them to have fun with the game, thus showing the game's worth and value.

Decision Making

Games need decision making. This is because if a game had only one choice, it would not only resemble a books 'choices'/plot, but it would also be uninteresting. The more decisions it gives for a player, the more involved they get, and the more they want to continue playing the game. If a player is able to buy food, but lose money, they have to think, "should I feed myself in this game? Or save for a two-handed sword later?". That was an example of one of the choices a player could come across within a game. Decision making is a crucial part in video games.

Goals

With games, goals are an important feature to have. Goals give something for the player to do, something to accomplish and give them a sense of satisfaction with every goal they accomplish. All games have a purpose. Soccer's purpose is to score as many goals in the opposite team's net to win. For solitaire, it is to match all cards up appropriately to win. For Tetris, an incredibly old game, the goal is to continue making full rows of blocks, so that they deplete, and you gain a higher score! Each of these games have goals in which you want to accomplish. A game would not exactly be a game, without goals.

Opposition

For games, having opponents are amazing. Not only do you gain experience with playing, but you learn how the human mind works, and the types of choices that flash by the humans mind per second. For example, in games like 'League Of Legends' an experienced player has edge over a beginner. Why? Because he had his time playing against other opponents, gaining experience, learning how to think, how to operate, and how to see how opponents usually operate.

Managing Resources

Coupled on with decision making, managing resources is a strong and required thing within video games. Resources could come as money, ores to build weapons, ingredients for food, lumber, anything. They are there in order to give more choice. For example, if the character wants to build a sword, it takes his ores, lumber and some money, but what if he wanted to keep the money for food, and the lumber for a house or a fire? With resources, it gives a more in-depth and interesting look into games and what consequences they have for certain actions.

Game Tokens

Game tokens are a part of the game that you represent. Examples used in the text were things like game pieces like a shoe for monopoly, for roleplaying games, it is you as a character and for sports games it is you yourself. Games usually have this to give you an ability to manage everything through a medium depending on what game you are playing.

Information

Information within games must be constantly shown, and given to the player. A good example is when in fighting games, how do you know when you have low health or stamina, or cannot fight anymore? These factors are usually taken care of by the Heads-Up Display(HUD).

Diplomacy

In an earlier blog post for the game "Munchkin" you are able to make an 'alliance' with certain players to attack together to defeat a creature or harm someone. This alliancing is a form of diplomacy within games.

Color

The colour that Greg is talking about related to certain aspects of a game. For example. In pokemon, they have certain styled gym's. Misty is a water pokemon user. If she was in an electric gym, it would not suit her. That is why they gave her a water-styled gym, for her water pokemon. Colour looks not only after the art but the themes. Another example for themes is Lego. Lego games like Lego star wars, all characters have lego-like qualities, and  even the ships and environment has these qualities to keep a constantly flow of the game.

Simulation

Simulating the game brings the player more and more into it. What could be done here is for example in soccer, if a player forcibly hurts another, a fight would break out. You, the player, are now involved in this fight because of the dirty actions. Having all this happen would get a player mesmerized by the game.

Variety of Encounter

If a player encounters the same object or situation countless times, he would know how to handle it and it would then become boring because it is second nature. If variety is added, then the player would be thinking the unknown while playing the game because he or she would not know what would be to happen if a certain action was made.

Position Identification

Position identification is giving the player an awareness, attachment, and knowledge to where and what the character is that they are playing.

Roleplaying

Roleplaying is almost a definition by itself. It is when you are playing as a character. Ex. When playing games like Super Smash Bros', you can choose different characters to play throughout a story.

Socializing

Socializing is when you interact with the game and give your input. This can also be the friend lists in games such as Maplestory.

Narrative Tension

Narrative tension is having suspense and then drop. In the text, Greg said how if you are a yankees fan, and they came and pulled through and won from being in the losing half until near the end, you would be more satisfied and happy, than if they just had a winning drive from the very start. Narrative tension is where the story within the game shows downfall, but at the end, gives you success.

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What did you get from reading his text?

From reading the text, what I now understand is a more in-depth look and realization as to what video games need, how they work, and prime mechanics that get and draw people into video games.

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Why is it important for Game designers to have a common vocabulary?

From what I can intake from the reading, I would generally say that it is important for game designers to have a common vocabulary because, in order to make a fully functioning game, that corresponds and works together properly with all of the other game mechanics added in, everything would have to be in the same language, same format, and same feeling. This is because if anything were to be different, it would throw off the feel of the game. These are reasons as to why the vocabulary would need to be the same. To give a smooth flowing and flawless game.

Kazekumaru -- Peacing Out!