2. What
is
Game Design?

3. A Two Fold Problem:
Interface Fun

4. The Masochist Teapot

5. The Interface Issue

6. Feedback!!!
Look at Nintendo and
Valve products.
Use graphical effects
and sound to form better
player understanding.

7. TF2 Examples
Blood
It doesn’t scale over distance.
Deliberately moves outside
thee silhouette
The Spy Mask
Various solutions
Icon over the head
The face mask

8. The Visual Language
Affordance
How games
actually speak
to us.
What is
‘possible’.

9. The Visual Language

10. The Visual Language

11. The Problem of ‘Fun’
Obvious In Hindsight
But that’s too late!
Subjective
Everybody’s got an
opinion.
Raph Koster’s
Theory of Fun
About Learning

12. What Is A Game?
It has ‘rules’
A game is played, but you can
play without playing a game.
It has a ‘Quantifiable Outcome’
The Magic Circle

13. Goals & Rewards
Goals
The motivate for the player.
Doesn’t have to be the end result of the game.
Isn’t always explicit
Rewards
Ceremonies
Meaningful Items to Show-off
Achievements

14. Different Player Types
Understand there isn’t one
‘perfect user’
Richard Bartle’s MUD Player Model
Achiever
Explorer
Socialiser
Killer
Girl Gamers?

15. Play Testing!
The Boring Truth
Techniques that Miyamoto used
Value Too!
The Only Real Way to Tell

16. The Future of Game Design
Casual ‘Learning’ Games
‘Wii Fit’ and ‘Cooking Guide’.
More Analogue Expressions
Little Big Planet
Game Rules As Art
The Marriage
Braid

17. Casual Learning Games

18. More Expressive Input

19. Game Rules As Expression
Expresses
Married Life
Through
Games Rules
and
structure.

20. Reverse time mechanic
supports narrative.

21. Some Further Reading
A Theory of Fun
For Game Design
Rules of Play
Game Design Fundamentals
The Design of
Everyday Things