Game Design
CHALLENGE: Simple, Retro, Fun
In accordance with the theme of “less is more” this game design challenge will require you to design an original video game in a freely available game engine: GameMaker Lite 8.1. http://store.yoyogames.com/games/277-gamemaker-for-windows-lite
Students can familiarize themselves with the software through GameMaker’s own freely available online tutorials(http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/make/tutorials). Make fun and engaging games with the fewest possible elements and simple, elegant visual schemes. Each group will present their design process along with their final game through a design narrative from paper prototype, concept art, play-test iterations and a finished video game
CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION:
In today’s world the thought of creating a AAA video game is intimidating. It’s easy to think that all good games require a team of programmers, 3d and 2d artists, and millions of dollars. Contrary to this, there exist many great games that do not use 3d, are made with a small team, and cost far less than a million dollars. These games prove that it is still possible to create fun and revolutionary games by focusing on game play, and experience. Examples of games created under these conditions include Portal, Limbo, Braid, World of Goo and Super Meat Boy.
Some of the most popular and widely played video games are incredibly simple in concept, content and
play. This challenge is designed to use the less is more theme to create new video games which usesimplicity of design to create engaging and fun experiences for players. To fit the theme of “Less is More” we challenge you to create a game that does not use 3d, does not require a huge team, and will be created with free materials. It is our hope that by doing so you will focus less on how your game looks and more on how your game plays.
We understand that game design can be a HUGE task, especially if you’ve never done it before. Because of this we recommend this video to give you a crash course: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW6vgW8wc6c
(caution: contains some strong language)Game design is a collaborative process so this challenge is recommended for groups of 2-4 students. Brainstorm and develop game concepts and ideas with art and visual concepts. All games MUST have a constraint that is an example of “less is more.” Examples of some possible constraints to put into your project:
During this brainstorm, throw out as many ideas as you can. Be creative! Don’t worry if they aren’t great ideas, just focus on getting your ideas down on paper.Working from your initial brainstorming sessions build paper prototypes of your favorite game ideas. Use the prototypes to test play mechanics and visual schemes. Your game concepts can be anything from abstract (think Pong, Tetris, or Angry Birds) to narrative (Super Mario Bros., The (Original) Legend of Zelda, or Megaman) as long as you can make them meet the less is more theme (Single Sprite, One Button, No Sound, Single Sound, 60 Second play, etc).
After prototyping a few ideas and developing them further select one for full implementation in GameMaker. Utilizing the strengths of each team member, begin developing art, sound, and environments that can be used as game content in the GameMaker software. It may even be useful to have one team member most familiar with GameMaker to act as a lead programmer.
A good place to start with GameMaker is with what is known as a simple tech demo as proof of concept. This is essentially a single scene or series of scenes which demonstrate your basic game mechanics, art, visuals and sound effects. Once you have a working tech demo you can begin developing the overall game experience from start to finish, be it a series of levels, changing environments, progressive difficulty or perhaps something new and never before seen.
Game design is an iterative process so test ideas and mechanics through frequent focused play-testing. Get as many people as you can to try out your game and listen to what they think is fun. Sometimes this feedback will make you think about your game in ways that you've never thought of before. Use this feedback to help you make your game better. This process will be most effective if you select small changes and tweaks to make to your game between play-tests. Keep what works and dump the rest, just play-test often and with as many players as you can find.Document your process from your paper prototypes and concept art to your play-test iterations for your final presentation.
JUDGING CRITERIA
The final judging of the game design challenge will be conducted by a panel of game designers and artists. This panel will consider your entire design process, not just the finished game. The panel will consider creativity and originality of the visual scheme, play mechanics, and overall game experience. Therefore it is very important that you document your design process well to convey your ideas and creativity to the panel of judges
PROFESSIONAL
Arnold Martin, Ryan Martinez, and Dennis Ramirez: [email protected]
In accordance with the theme of “less is more” this game design challenge will require you to design an original video game in a freely available game engine: GameMaker Lite 8.1. http://store.yoyogames.com/games/277-gamemaker-for-windows-lite
Students can familiarize themselves with the software through GameMaker’s own freely available online tutorials(http://sandbox.yoyogames.com/make/tutorials). Make fun and engaging games with the fewest possible elements and simple, elegant visual schemes. Each group will present their design process along with their final game through a design narrative from paper prototype, concept art, play-test iterations and a finished video game
CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION:
In today’s world the thought of creating a AAA video game is intimidating. It’s easy to think that all good games require a team of programmers, 3d and 2d artists, and millions of dollars. Contrary to this, there exist many great games that do not use 3d, are made with a small team, and cost far less than a million dollars. These games prove that it is still possible to create fun and revolutionary games by focusing on game play, and experience. Examples of games created under these conditions include Portal, Limbo, Braid, World of Goo and Super Meat Boy.
Some of the most popular and widely played video games are incredibly simple in concept, content and
play. This challenge is designed to use the less is more theme to create new video games which usesimplicity of design to create engaging and fun experiences for players. To fit the theme of “Less is More” we challenge you to create a game that does not use 3d, does not require a huge team, and will be created with free materials. It is our hope that by doing so you will focus less on how your game looks and more on how your game plays.
We understand that game design can be a HUGE task, especially if you’ve never done it before. Because of this we recommend this video to give you a crash course: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW6vgW8wc6c
(caution: contains some strong language)Game design is a collaborative process so this challenge is recommended for groups of 2-4 students. Brainstorm and develop game concepts and ideas with art and visual concepts. All games MUST have a constraint that is an example of “less is more.” Examples of some possible constraints to put into your project:
- Single Sprite
- One Button
- No Sound
- Single Sound
- 60 Second play (or other time limited play)
During this brainstorm, throw out as many ideas as you can. Be creative! Don’t worry if they aren’t great ideas, just focus on getting your ideas down on paper.Working from your initial brainstorming sessions build paper prototypes of your favorite game ideas. Use the prototypes to test play mechanics and visual schemes. Your game concepts can be anything from abstract (think Pong, Tetris, or Angry Birds) to narrative (Super Mario Bros., The (Original) Legend of Zelda, or Megaman) as long as you can make them meet the less is more theme (Single Sprite, One Button, No Sound, Single Sound, 60 Second play, etc).
After prototyping a few ideas and developing them further select one for full implementation in GameMaker. Utilizing the strengths of each team member, begin developing art, sound, and environments that can be used as game content in the GameMaker software. It may even be useful to have one team member most familiar with GameMaker to act as a lead programmer.
A good place to start with GameMaker is with what is known as a simple tech demo as proof of concept. This is essentially a single scene or series of scenes which demonstrate your basic game mechanics, art, visuals and sound effects. Once you have a working tech demo you can begin developing the overall game experience from start to finish, be it a series of levels, changing environments, progressive difficulty or perhaps something new and never before seen.
Game design is an iterative process so test ideas and mechanics through frequent focused play-testing. Get as many people as you can to try out your game and listen to what they think is fun. Sometimes this feedback will make you think about your game in ways that you've never thought of before. Use this feedback to help you make your game better. This process will be most effective if you select small changes and tweaks to make to your game between play-tests. Keep what works and dump the rest, just play-test often and with as many players as you can find.Document your process from your paper prototypes and concept art to your play-test iterations for your final presentation.
JUDGING CRITERIA
The final judging of the game design challenge will be conducted by a panel of game designers and artists. This panel will consider your entire design process, not just the finished game. The panel will consider creativity and originality of the visual scheme, play mechanics, and overall game experience. Therefore it is very important that you document your design process well to convey your ideas and creativity to the panel of judges
PROFESSIONAL
Arnold Martin, Ryan Martinez, and Dennis Ramirez: [email protected]