Learn how to design a game with Seth Sivak, CEO of Proletariat. This deck covers Basic game design skills, how to analyze an entertainment experience, and tips on how to leverage common user behaviors.

1. Game Design
Fundamentals
SETH SIVAK
CEO – Proletariat Inc.
@sjsivak

2. ‣ Game Design Definitions
‣ Moment Based Design
‣ Experience Architecture
‣ Workshop
2

3. 3

5. Game design is the craft of
designing experiences that will
evoke a specific emotional
response.
5

6. Designing systems, mechanics and
stories that allow for interesting, fun,
moving, emotional and challenging
moments.
6

7. Design and build stories, mechanics
and systems that create opportunities
for the player to make an interesting
choice that results in an engaging
moment.
7

8. Released May 20, 1980
Grossed $1 Billion in 1980 (surpassing Star Wars)
Spawned Animated TV Series
30+ Sequels and Remakes
Consistently republished for over 30 years
A great game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uswzriFIf_k
8

9. Pellets – eat them all to complete the level
Power Pellets – use them to eat ghosts
Ghosts – get hit by one and lose a life
Bonus Fruit – eat them to get more points
Lives – lose all lives and the game ends
9

10. Movement – always moves forward, move
joystick to change direction
Scoring – extra lives at 10,000 points, high score
Enemies – each one has a specific movement AI
Spawning – Enemies and Bonus Fruit spawn at
set locations
Tunnels – exit a tunnel one way, return on the
other side
10

11. …
11

13. What will the player feel?
§ List of player experience goals
Prototype the mechanics
Playtest the game
Iterate
13

14. What will the player feel?
“Players will need to cooperate to win, but the
game will be structured so they can never trust
each other”
“Players will feel a sense of happiness or
playfulness rather than competitiveness”
“Players will have the freedom to pursue the goals
of the game in any order that they choose”
14

15. What will the player experience?
§ Specific list of moments
Prototype the moments
Playtest the game
Iterate
15

16. Outsmarting
the
AI/Game
Powerful
Feedback
Being
Surprised/Lucky
Learning/Mastering
a
Skill
Winning
16

17. Predicting what the enemy will do
§ Tells
Using a clever strategy to defeat the enemy
§ Unexpected or unconventional
Winning without the game even knowing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S88t1Zswons
17

18. Every action and reaction is larger than life
Make the player feel cool, heroic or outstanding
Small effort makes a big impact
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX1IhK9bDXs
18

19. 19

20. Getting an unexpectedly good outcome
§ This is even better if player knows it is rare
http://youtu.be/yHHASEvy7os?t=1m18s
20

21. Learn a relationship, strategy, tell, story or skill and be forced to recall it
Players love having the right answer
http://youtu.be/yVL6VVw4b_w?t=39s
http://youtu.be/5XPk7DFs8v0?t=1m21s
21

22. Feedback when the player has made the right choice
http://youtu.be/rAeKrXMeips?t=57s
22

23. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uswzriFIf_k
23

24. Beating a level
Eating a Power Pellet
Eating a ghost
Eating a bonus fruit
Having a close call
Losing a life
Outsmarting a ghost
Going through a tunnel
24

26. Jesse Schell
Art of Game Design
ACM Paper
26

27. The quality of an entertainment
experience is determined by how
well the sequence of events is able
to hold the interest of the audience.
27

28. 28

29. 29

30. 30

31. 31

32. 32

33. 33
Portal
§ Avatar/World/Setting
§ Story
§ Gameplay
Diablo
2
§ Avatar/World/Setting
§ Story
§ Gameplay
§ Investment
§ Social

34. 34
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
Interest
Name
Time
Interest
Ghost
1
Out
26
1
Ghost
2
Out
28
2
Ghost
3
Out
31
2
Power
Pellet
1
35
4
Cherry
Appears
38
2
Near
Miss
1
46
5
Outsmart
1
49
7
Power
Pellet
2
52
6
Near
Miss
2
66
5
Outsmart
2
71
6
Power
Pellet
3
72
5
Power
Pellet
4
78
4
Level
Complete
83
8

35. Use reality to reinforce gameplay
Be consistent
Rule of 3
Deliver on promises
Give feedback
Set goals
Simplify
35

36. 36

37. Started as “21”, a game with unknown origins
First written about in 1601 by Miguel de Cervantes
Most widely played casino game in the world
Known as Blackjack due a specific payout
37

38. 38
Deal
two
cards
to
each
player
face
up
and
two
to
the
dealer
with
one
down
and
one
up
(the
down
card
is
in
the
hole)
Players
bet
on
their
chance
to
beat
the
dealer
Players
can
choose
five
different
potential
decisions:
Hit,
Stand,
Double
Down,
Split,
Surrender

39. Surprise
of
the
initial
deal
Getting
Blackjack!
Decisions
Point
–
Hit
or
Stand
Playing
with
other
players
The
dealer
reveal
39

40. Raise
the
stakes
Progression
/
Investment
Social
40

41. 41

42. @sjsivak
seth@proletariat.com
42
http://lmc.gatech.edu/~bschrank/2720/lectures/
IndirectControl.pdf

43. Course Title
Course Title
INSTRUCTOR NAME