Level 3 of the Los Angeles Film School's Game Design 1 class.

1. Level 3
David Mullich
Game Design 1
The Los Angeles Film School

2. Play
Play can be thought of the freedom of movement
within a more rigid structure.
In the case of games:
 Freedom of movement = player actions
(mechanics)
 Rigid structure = structural elements of a game

3. Structural Elements of a Game
 Players
 Objectives (Goals)
 Procedures
 Rules
 Resources
 Conflict
 Boundaries
 Outcomes

5. Invitation to Play
One of the most important elements of a game is the
invitation to play. It can take a number of different
forms:
 Start Button
 Title Screen
 Theme Music
 Guitar Hero Controller

6. Immersion
 Immersion creates the illusion that
you are another person or in another
place.
 An immersive experience can be
achieved through theme, story,
character, graphics, and audio.

7. The Magic Circle
The Magic Circle - How Games Transport Us to New
Worlds - Extra Credits

8. Number of Players
A game designed for one player is different than one
designed for 2, 3 or 4 players.
A game designed for a specific number of players is
different from one for a variable number of players.

9. Player Format
 Single Player vs. Game (Player vs. Environment)
 Player vs. Player (Head-to-Head)
 Multiple Individual Players vs. Game
 Unilateral Multiplayer (One vs. Many)
 Multilateral Competition (One vs. One vs. One…
or Free-For-All)
 Cooperative Play
 Team Competition

10. Player Format
Single Player vs. Game
(Player vs. Environment)

11. Player Format
Player vs. Player
(Head to Head)

12. Player Format
Multiple Individual Players vs. Game

13. Player Format
One Player vs. Many Players
(Unilateral Multiplayer)

14. Player Format
One vs. One vs. One vs. One vs. One…
(Multilateral Competition or Free-For-All)

15. Player Format
One vs. One vs. One vs. One vs. One…
(Multilateral Competition or Free-For-All)

16. Player Format
Cooperative Play

17. Player Format
Team vs. Team

18. Player Format

19. Levels of Engagement
 Spectator Play: Risk is minimal
 Participant Play: Active and involved, and the most
directly rewarding
 Transformational Play: A deep level of play that
actually shapes and alters the player’s life.

20. Player Roles
 Sports: Team Leader vs. Team Mate
 Mastermind: Codemaker vs. Codebreaker
 D&D: Fighter, Magic User, Cleric or Thief
 MUD: Achievers, Socializers, Explorers or Killers

21. The Role of the Player
Extra Credits: The Role of the Player

23. Objectives (or Goals)
Objectives give players
something to strive for. They
define what players are
attempting to accomplish within
the rules of the game.

24. Hierarchy of Objectives
 Short-Term
 Long-Term
 Ultimate

25. Types of Objectives
 Capture
 Chase
 Race
 Alignment
 Rescue
 Escape
 Solve
 Outwit
 Beat the Clock
 Collect
 Build
 Destroy
 Explore
 Advance Story

26. Pro Tips
Goals should be:
 Clear
 Concrete
 Achievable
 Challenging
 Rewarding
 Immediately replaced with new goals

28. Procedures
Procedures are the methods of play and the actions
players can take to achieve them.
One way to think about procedures is:
Who does what, when, where and how.

29. Types of Procedures
 Set Up or Starting Action: How to put the game
into play.
 Progression: Ongoing procedures after the starting
action.
 Special Actions: Available conditional to other
elements or game state.
 Resolution, or Resolving Actions: Bring gameplay
to a close.

31. Rules
Rules define game
objects and allowable
actions by the players.
In video games, rules can
be explained in the
manual or they can be
explicit in the game itself.

32. Rules Defining Objects
Video games can have objects made of a fairly
complex set of variables that the player might not be
aware of.

33. Rules Restricting Actions
Rules restriction actions can fix loopholes in a game.
Chess players are not allowed to place their king in check.

34. Rules Restricting Actions
Restrictions might also keep a game from becoming
unbalanced in favor of one of the players.
Construction tree requirements in strategy games.

35. Rules Affecting Procedures
When a player can’t
answer question correctly,
other players have a
chance to answer.
Used for gameplay
variation.

36. Rules Affecting Procedures
When the players run out
of health, return them to
the nearest waypoint.
Used to get the game
back on track.

37. Complexity vs. Depth
Complexity is the amount of information
(including rules) the player needs to keep
track of to play the game.
Depth is the number of choices a player can
make in a game.

38. Complexity vs. Depth
Extra Credits: Depth vs Complexity

39. Pro Tips
 Games should be easy to learn but difficult to
master.
 Maximize depth (player choices) but minimize
complexity (info to be remembered).
 Leaving rules unstated or poorly
communicated might make players feel
confused or alienated.
 Rules should be consistent with the game’s
theme.

41. Resources
Resources are assets that are used to accomplish
the game’s goals.
Managing resources and determining how and when
to control player access to them is a key part of a
game designer’s job.

42. Examples of Resources
 Lives
 Health
 Currency
 Actions
 Energy
 Mana
 Time
 Moves
 Turns
 Power-Ups
 Building Materials
 Combat Units
 Inventory Items
 Spells
 Territory
 Special Terrain
 Information

43. Pro Tips
Resources should be:
 Useful
 Scarce

45. Conflict
Conflict keeps players from achieving their goals
directly through rules, procedures, situations, and
obstacles.
Conflict makes a game more enjoyable by creating a
sense of competition or achievement.

46. Sources of Conflict
 Obstacles
 Opponents
 Puzzles
 Traps
 Dilemmas
 Poor Odds
 Incomplete Information

47. Skills Required To Resolve Conflict

48. Pro Tips
 Skills required to resolve conflict should
create the target player experience
 Players should have opportunities to
improve their skills
 Conflict difficulty should correspond to
player skill level

50. Boundaries
Boundaries separate the game from everything that
is not that game.
These boundaries can:
 Physical or conceptual
 Discrete or continuous
 2D or 3D
 Have subspaces

52. Outcome
The outcome of a game is its end state – usually a
win, loss or sometimes, a draw.
Zero Sum Games always have one winner (+1) and
one loser (-1).

53. Outcome
There are a number of ways to determine
outcome, but the structure of the final
outcome will always be related to the player
interaction patterns and the objective.

54. Pro Tips
 The outcome of a game must be uncertain to hold
the attention of players.
 Endless games must reward players in other ways
to keep them playing.

55. 1. Draw three dots randomly on a piece of paper. (Choose a
player to go first)
2. The first player draws a line from one dot to another dot.
3. Then that player draws a new dot anywhere on that line.
4. The second player also draws a line and a dot.
• The new line must go from one dot to another, but no dot can have
more than three lines coming out of it.
• The new line cannot cross any other line.
• A line can go from the dot back to the same dot so long as it
doesn’t break the “no more than three lines rule.”
5. The player takes turns until one player cannot make a
move. The last player to move is the winner.

56. 1. Players: How many? Any requirements? Special
knowledge, roles, etc.?
2. Objective: What is the objective of the game?
3. Procedures: What are the required actions for play?
4. Rules: Are there any limits on player actions? Rules
regarding behavior?
5. Conflict: What causes conflict in this game?
6. Boundaries: What are the boundaries of the game?
Are they physical? Conceptual?
7. Outcome: What are the potential outcomes of the
game?

57. Designer Perspective: Yu Suzuki
G4 Icons Episode #22: Yu Suzuki

59. Pro Tips
 Creative inventive and balanced maps
 Give your player a variety of weapons
 Give enemies interesting behaviors

60. 1. Download GD1 3 Resources from the
LAFS GD1 website Session 3 page
2. Create a 1945 scrolling shooter game