From the Game Design dorkShop held at The LAB Miami on April 13th

1. with Clay Ewing and Lien Tran

2.  We teach at the University of Miami
 Our MFA in Interactive Media starts this
Fall
 Clay
• @claytical / c.ewing@miami.edu / claytical.com
 Lien
• @lient / l.tran@miami.edu / lienbtran.com

4.  Designing non-digital games is a great way
to learn about systems
 The ideas we’re going to talk about apply
to interactive media and user experience
 Designing digital games isn’t much
different, there is just a lot more pieces to
worry about

5. Objects
Attributes
Relationships
Environment

6. Objects
Attributes
Relationships
Environment

7. Objects
Attributes
Relationships
Environment

8. Objects
Attributes
Relationships
Environment

9. Objects
Attributes
Relationships
Environment

11.  What’s up with golf?

12.  We abide by artificial rules
 Subject ourselves to constraints
 Suspend our disbelief
 Usually, because it’s fun

13.  Let’s
play a game, it’s called “HIGHEST
NUMBER”

14.  Choices are ambiguous
 Immediate rewards vs. delayed
gratification
 Actions have consequences

15.  Mechanics
• What you do in the game:
shooting, building, running, jumping, bidding, etc.
 Dynamics
• Sets of mechanics that build the core gameplay:
territorial
acquisition, survival, collection, trading, etc.
 Agency
• The ability for a player to make a choice

16.  Intrinsic Reward
• Intangible. A sense of achievement. For the love
of the game.
 Extrinsic Reward
• Tangible. If you play my game I’ll give you candy

17.  Positive Feedback
• Hooray! Have some more points!
 Negative Feedback
• Die! Give me back those points!

18.  Split into groups
 Draw a card, this is your theme.
 Make a game with at least two objects
from the table that fits into your given
theme.

20.  Imagineyou are a detective trying to figure
out what works and what doesn’t
 Have questions to ask before you even
start the test to ask afterwards
 Sometimes it can be super specific, but it
doesn’t have to be

21.  People learn by playing, not reading the
rules
 Let
them make mistakes, but take notes
when they do
 Youwant to see how they solve the
problem

22.  Think outloud
• “I’m not sure if…”
• “I don’t understand…”
• “I’m confused because…”
• “I like… because …”

23.  Group 1 plays Group 2’s game
 Group 2 plays Group 3’s game
 Group 3 plays Group 4’s game
 Group 4 plays Group 5’s game
 Group 5 plays Group 1’s game

24.  Itcan hurt, but it will lead to a better final
product
 Of course, be constructive, not nasty

25.  Hold up one of the objects you used

26. I always wanted one of those, hand it over!