GameGame Sessions
• ‘Theory meets Design meets
Play Workshop’
Aki Järvinen
aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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)
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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.
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Element categories: overview
BEHAVIORAL
SYSTEMIC
ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS game play
COMPOUND
ELEMENTS
• A game system in operation, i.e. a game being
played, puts these elements into interaction
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Game elements: overview
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• components players
•
game play
• environment contexts
•
ruleset
•
game mechanics
•
theme
•
information COMPOUND
•
ELEMENTS
interface
•
• The element categories group gamegame
different element classes (c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Game elements: overview
• 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
gamegame
shifting back and forth
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

What ludologists do
• game theorists deconstruct
existing games into elements
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

What Game Designers do
Mushrooms
Components
Theme
Mario Koopa Coins
Italian Plumber in
a Fantastic World
Game mechanics
Environment
Running
Platforms
Jumping
Goal
Tubes
Save the Princess
Interface
• game designers construct & Gamepad
games from elements, game
developers implement them
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Game elements: overview
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• components players
•
game play
• environment contexts
•
ruleset
•
game mechanics
•
theme
•
information COMPOUND
•
ELEMENTS
interface
•
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Another visualization
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame: Background
•GameGame: Theory meets
Design meets Play
•‘Ludology meets
Understanding Comics’
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Component evolution
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Play-testing evolution
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Previous workshops
• Both in academic and
industry contexts
• Sulake, Apr 2005 (left)
• University of Bergen, Norway,
Feb 2007 (above)
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Adaptation to GameGame
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• components players
•
game play
• environment contexts
•
• ruleset as goals &
end/victory conditions
• game mechanics
• theme COMPOUND
• information ELEMENTS
• interface
22
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Game elements of GameGame
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• cards you
•
game play
workshop
•
• design a game; sell it to
others; 2nd milestone
• collecting, choosing,
trading, performing, voting
• game design
• hidden / open information COMPOUND
23
ELEMENTS
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

What Game Designers do
Mushrooms
Components
Theme
Mario Koopa Coins
Italian Plumber in
a Fantastic World Game mechanics
Environment
Running
Platforms
Jumping
Goal
Tubes
Save the Princess
Gamepad
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame: The rules
• The Manual:
• http://gamegame.blogs.com
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Game mechanics
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Assets
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

The publisher
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

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
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

Contact & more info
• aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net
• http://gamegame.blogs.com
• http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6