Lecture "Game Design" in Game Design and Development course at University of Management and Technology Lahore by Hafiz Ammar Siddiqui

1. Game Design
Game Design and Development
By Hafiz Ammar Siddiqui
2

2. Game Design
• The process of planning and creating the content of a game
• Art of applying design principles to create a game
• Defines that how the game will work from start to end
• Explains how overall game is structured and composed
• All basic game design components are related to each other which are
• Gameplay and experience
• Game mechanics
• Narrative
• Aesthetics
• Level design

3. Gameplay and
Experience
Game Types
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives
Genres and Styles
Temporal Aspects
Ending Types
Playability
Learning
Immersion
Efficiency
Satisfaction
Emotion
Motivation
Socialization

4. Gameplay and Experience
• A specific way in which a player interacts with a game
• Defines the way a game is played
• Explains how a player is involved with a game
• A connection between player and game
• Gameplay of modern games are usually defined with the help of two major characteristics
• Game Types: Define the viewpoints, styles, temporal aspect and ending type of a game
• Playability: Set of factors that measure the ease and fun in playing a game

5. • A viewport is a viewing region in computer graphics (the part which appears on the display)
and a viewpoint is a way of representing (or rendering) a viewport with respect to a camera
perspective
• Game can have viewpoints and camera perspectives in 2D or 3D
• A game can have multiple types of viewpoints which can be blended together or selected
one at a time
• Many games do not use existing popular viewpoints and camera perspectives instead they
create their own depending upon the gameplay
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives
Game Types

6. Static Background
• Games with a fixed background in the display that does not move
• Camera focuses on static background and stays there
Candy Crush Peggle
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

7. • Games with a display that scrolls horizontally or vertically or both
• Camera slides on vertical and / or horizontal axis
• Often camera is fixed and scene with content slides on vertical and / or horizontal axis
Cuphead Ori and the Blind Forest
Screen Scrolling
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

8. • Games show the scene from the top
• Camera usually shows the player and its surrounding area from above
Mini Motor Racing Civilization VI
Top Down
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

9. • Games with isometric projection from 3D to 2D also known as 2.5D
• An angle for rotation is applied to a 2D drawing object to make it look like 3D
Clash of Clans
X X
X can be 30, 45 or 60 degrees
Isometric
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

10. • Games with a viewpoint which is rendered from the perspective of player’s character
• Camera becomes the eyes of the main player often known as eye camera
Battlefield V Call of Duty Modern Warfare
First Person
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

11. Red Dead Redemption 2 Death Stranding
• Games with a viewpoint which is rendered with a perspective that is some distance away
from the player’s character
• Camera stays at a distance and follow the main player often known as follow camera
Third Person
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

12. God of War
• Games with a viewpoint in which camera changes its position and angle with respect to the
current context in the game
• Mostly designed and built on third person
Context Sensitive
Viewpoints and Camera Perspectives

13. • Genre is a specific category of a game which is related by similar type of characteristics,
objectives and features
• Genre defines the classification of a game based on its attributes
• Genre can also have multiple subgenres
• Style is grouping of games that have similar challenges with similar methods for winning or
besting the challenge
• A game can have multiple types of genres and styles which can be blended together or
selected one at a time
Genres and Styles
Game Types

14. • Action games emphasize on series of actions performed by the player
• They provide physical challenges that are mostly based on player’s eye-hand coordination
and reaction time
• Mostly challenge the reflexes of a player
• Usually consists of continuous and fast-paced games that require quick reflexes
• Sub categories in action games are Arcade, Platform, Fighting, Shooter, Beat 'em Up,
Endless Runner, Stealth, Survival, etc.
Action Games
Genres and Styles

15. Mortal Kombat 11

16. • Adventure games allow player to move at his / her own pace through the various parts of
the game while solving challenges and puzzles along the way
• They are set in a world that is explored by the player to complete objectives with his / her
own choice
• Mostly consists of episode based stories
• Sub categories in adventure games are Text Based Adventure, Graphical Adventure,
Interactive Movie, Visual Novel, etc.
Adventure Games
Genres and Styles

17. Machinarium

18. • Action adventure games are a combination of action games and adventure games where a
player explores the world and complete objectives through series of actions
• They usually challenge the reflexes of a player, and engage him / her in problem solving
missions and quests
• They contain both physical and conceptual tasks
• They have faster-paced gameplay as compared to adventure games while also solving
challenges and often experiencing a detailed storyline
Action Adventure Games
Genres and Styles

19. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

20. • Strategy games require planning, tactics and calculations from the player to solve
challenges and objectives
• They are totally based on players’ strategic decisions and interventions to bring the
desired outcome
• Mostly player’s decision making determine the outcome
• Sub categories in strategy games are Puzzle, Board, 4X, Real Time Strategy (RTS), Real Time
Tactics (RTT), Tower Defense, Turn Based, etc
Strategy Games
Genres and Styles

21. Civilization VI

22. • Role playing games allow player to play the role of a character in the game, which is
usually set within a virtual world that is influenced by the storyline
• They focus on player’s character development and narrative components
• They are heavily based on storyline
• Sub categories in role playing games are MMORPG, Action RPG, Tactical RPG, Sandbox
RPG, etc.
Role Playing Games
Genres and Styles

23. Skyrim

24. • Simulation games recreate the experience of real world or simulate the aspects of fictional
world for a player in the game
• They present and imitate real life situations
• They are often accompanied with simulators (hardware to help in creating and
experiencing a simulation environment)
• Simulation games are mostly used to help or train people
• They are often used to perform analysis or make some predictions
Simulation Games
Genres and Styles

25. Flight Simulator X

26. • Sports games allow the player to experience the simulation of any particular sports of real
world in the game world
• Mostly these games characters, teams and objects are updated annually to reflect the
changes happened in real world
• They challenge the player on planning, precision and accuracy
• Popular sub category in sports games is racing game which allows player to drive a car or
any other type of vehicle on some kind of track
Sports Games
Genres and Styles

27. Fifa 20

28. • Temporal aspects refers to methods that define how time passes or how events are taking
place inside the game
• They define that how control is given to or taken away from a player inside the game with
respect to time
• Time management in the game
• Relationship between game time and real world time
• Changes in game and its challenges with the passage of time
• A game can have multiple type of temporal aspects which can be blended together or
selected one at a time
Temporal Aspects
Game Types

29. • Following are the most common types of temporal features in modern games
• Real-Time: Game time progresses continuously, and actions are performed by the
players in real world time
• Turn-Based: Game time is divided into turns, and actions are performed by the players
on their respective turns
• Time Manipulation: Player can manipulate time by taking certain actions, they can
pause, rewind, forward, fast forward, etc.
• Time Travel: Player can move between different points of time in the same timeline
• Timed Action: Player must complete certain action in a given amount of time
Temporal Aspects
Game Types

30. • Ending types refers to methods that define how a player finishes the game
• It marks the completion of a game from the player’s perspective
• Following are the most common types of endings in modern games
• Finite: A game with a single terminal ending
• Infinite: A game with no definite ending
• Branching: A game with multiple endings
• Post-Game: A game with bonus content unlocked after completing the game
Ending Types
Game Types

31. • Learning: How quickly a player can learn and dominate a game. The learning curve and
distribution of tutorials in a game for a player
• Immersion: How seamlessly a player is integrated in the virtual world of a game. The
perception which is created around a player
• Efficiency: How time and resources are managed in a game. The structuring of challenges
for a player
• Satisfaction: How much a player is satisfied after playing or completing a game
• Emotion: How much a game induces feelings in a player. The provocation of different
feelings in a short space of time in a player
Playability
Gameplay and Experience

32. • Motivation: How much a player is keen to play and complete a game. The degree of
motivation which pushes a player continuously to advance in a game
• Socialization: How much a game allows a player to socialize with other players
Playability
Gameplay and Experience

33. Game Mechanics
Space
Objects
Actions
Goals
Rules
Skills
Chance

34. Game Mechanics
• Defines how a game works
• Describes the overall behavior of a game
• Acts as the building blocks for a game
• A system that defines the complete state of a game
• Combination of methods that provide interaction with the game state
• Relation between objects inside a game space with the help of rules which are triggered by
actions using skills and chance in order to achieve goals
• It consists of space, objects, actions, goals, rules, skills, and chance

35. • The universe of a game is called its space
• A super set containing all the objects of a game
• Defines a place or a combination of places inside a game
• It can be a scene, level or a map
• Properties of space:
• Type: Discrete or continuous on a scale
• Dimension: 1D, 2D or 3D
• Boundedness: Unbounded or bounded with connected areas
Space
Game Mechanics

36. • Type: Discrete
• Dimension: 2D
• Boundedness: Bounded
Chess by Apple
Space
Game Mechanics
• Type: Continuous
• Dimension: 3D
• Boundedness: Unbounded
Temple Run 2
Space
Game Mechanics

37. • Anything that can be seen or manipulated in a game is an object
• Something that can be drawn or updated
• Space acts as a super container of objects in a game
• Properties of object:
• Attributes: Contain information about the object
• State: Set of current values of object’s attributes
• Behaviors: Functionality that an object can perform depending on its state
• Game state is a set of current states of all the objects in its space
Objects
Game Mechanics

38. • Chess board
• White pawns and pieces
• Black pawns and pieces
Chess by Apple
Objects
Game Mechanics
• Player’s characters
• Coins, power ups, etc.
• Environment, path, tress, etc.
Temple Run 2
Objects
Game Mechanics

39. • Interaction of a player with a game by doing some activity on objects is an action
• Define what a player does in a game
• What operations a player can do in a game
• Verbs of a player in a game
• Choices a player can make in a game
• Possible activities of a player
• Actions can change the state of a game and the state of objects
• Usually actions define the basic controls of objects in a game
Actions
Game Mechanics

40. • Player’s turn
• Move pawn or piece left, right,
forward, backward, diagonal, etc.
Chess by Apple
Actions
Game Mechanics
• Player’s movement
• Move left or right
• Jump or slide
Temple Run 2
Actions
Game Mechanics

41. • Objective in a game that a player will try to achieve by performing actions is a goal
• Winning conditions in a game
• Guidelines of goal:
• Should be well defined, measurable and incremental
• Can be broken down into different steps if its too large
• Provide some feedback and closure
• Give reward in any form after completion such as coins, badges, level ups, etc.
• Must be attainable and not boring
Goals
Game Mechanics

42. • Checkmate opponent’s king first
Chess by Apple
Goals
Game Mechanics
• Obtain high score
Temple Run 2
Goals
Game Mechanics

43. • Regulation that a player follows in a game while performing actions in order to achieve
goals is a rule
• How a player can perform operations in a game
• Laws and rulings in a game
• Fundamental principles of a game
• Consequences of the actions
• Constraints on the actions and the goals
• Restrictions in a game, what player can and can’t do
Rules
Game Mechanics

44. • Rook only moves in straight direction
• Bishop only moves in diagonal direction
• Etc.
Chess by Apple
Rules
Game Mechanics
• Player runs on the path
• Player falls down if there is no path
• Etc.
Temple Run 2
Rules
Game Mechanics

45. • Player’s ability acquired through some effort to do something well in a game is a skill
• Player’s capacity to perform well in a game after experience
• Skills are improved gradually as the player spends time in a game
• Expertise or talent used in playing the game
• Types of skill:
• Physical: Strength, dexterity, coordination, and physical endurance
• Mental: Memory, observation, problem solving and decision making
• Social: Communication, coordination and guessing opponent moves
Skills
Game Mechanics

46. • Mental skills
• Social skills
Chess by Apple
Skills
Game Mechanics
• Physical skills only
Temple Run 2
Skills
Game Mechanics

47. • Element of surprise for a player in a game is a chance
• Randomness factor inside a game
• Uncertainty of events happening in a game
• Unpredictable changes in state of a game
• Output of game is influenced by some randomization
• Properties of chance:
• Outcome: It is either discrete or continuous
• Type: It can be either completely random or controlled by some probability or biasness
Chance
Game Mechanics

48. • No chance
Chess by Apple
Chance
Game Mechanics
• Chance
• Random procedurally generated path
• Obstacles and coins appear randomly
Temple Run 2
Chance
Game Mechanics

49. Narrative
Storytelling
Textual
Pictorial
Textual and Pictorial
Cutscenes
In-game Conversations
Storyline
Linear
Endless
Non Linear
Open End

50. Narrative
• Story of a game that tells how the game progresses
• Game has an interactive story where a player is continuously active and often involved in
the decision making throughout the storyline
• Explains what is happening and why things happen the way they do in a game
• Series of connected or related events inside a game
• Script of a game which can contain the dialogues and actions
• Narrative is mostly categorized into two types
• Embedded: Narration that does not depend on player’s interaction with the game
• Emergent: Narration that depends on player’s interaction with the game

51. • Storytelling by using paragraphs or sentences on game screen
• Can be with or without sound
Textual
Storytelling
Mass Effect Andromeda

52. • Storytelling by using images and illustration on game screen
• Can be with or without sound
Pictorial
Storytelling
Angry Birds

53. • Storytelling by using combined textual and pictorial method
• Can be with or without sound
Textual and Pictorial
Storytelling
XCOM Enemy Within / Enemy Unknown

54. • Storytelling by using in-game movies or animations with sound on game screen
• Non-interactive sequences in a game, also known as cinematics
Cutscenes
Storytelling
Uncharted 4

55. • Storytelling by using in-game conversations during the actual gameplay
• Usually consist of dialogs from game characters
In-game Conversations
Storytelling
Days Gone Mass Effect Andromeda

56. Linear
Types of Story
Endless
Types of Story
• Story where a player start at one point
and go straight to the end in a sequence
with single (finite) ending
• Story where a player start at one point
and keep on going infinitely in a
sequence with no (infinite) ending
Non Linear
Types of Story
Open Ended
Types of Story
• Story where a player start at one or
multiple points and it changes due to the
decisions made by a player in a sequence
with either a single (finite) ending or
multiple (branching) endings
• Story where a player start at one or
multiple points and it allows a player to
progress in different directions without a
sequence with either a single (finite)
ending or multiple (branching) endings

57. Aesthetics
Artistic Style
Typography
Interface
Sound Tracks and Effects
Tactile

58. Aesthetics
• Visual, aural and haptic experience that a player encounters in a game
• Way a game presents itself to a player
• Overall look and feel of a game
• Make a game look more appealing
• How the content of a game is presented
• Define an overall theme for a game
• Contributes in stimulation of feelings inside a player
• Modern games contain many different and multiple type of aesthetics

59. • Every game follows a particular artistic style which uses specific drawing techniques for
creating visuals inside a game
• The manner in which graphics of a game are portrayed
• A style is defined by characteristics that describe the artwork
• Defines that how the artwork looks inside a game
• The visual appearance method of art
• Presents the recognizable mood in graphics
• Modern games create their own art style documentations and follows them
Artistic Style
Aesthetics

60. Cell Shaded Art Style (Borderlands 3, Telltale Batman) Pixel Art Style (Stardew Valley, FEZ)

61. Low Poly / Flat Shaded Art Style (Morphite, Astroneer) Photorealistic Art Style (Metro Exodus, Battlefield V)

62. • It is the visual appearance of text that defines letter, typeface and font design in a game
• Used to present textual information, titles, scores, statistics, interface labels, etc. in a game
• Usually compatible with the overall art style and genre of a game
Typography
Aesthetics
Anthem Splinter Cell Convictions

63. • It provides the interaction between the player and the game
• Consists of windows, menus, controls, tabs, icons, buttons, text fields, etc. in a game
• Usually compatible with the overall art style and genre of a game
Interface
Aesthetics
Anthem Red Dead Redemption 2

64. • Aurals (natural or artificially reproduced) to support visuals or create effects in a game
• Consists of music, speech, sound effects, etc. in a game
• Usually compatible with the overall art style and genre of a game
Sound Tracks and Effects
Aesthetics
• It provides the interactivity through tangible means using bodily sensations in a game
• Consists of touch, force touch, joysticks, controllers, vibrations, etc. in a game
• Usually aligned with the overall gameplay
Tactile
Aesthetics

65. Level Design Level Types
Level Components

66. Level Design
• Process of planning and creating space (level) inside a game that is available to a player
during a specific object or through out the complete game
• Activity of creating playable content for a player in a game
• Guidelines of level design:
• Each level must have at least one entry point
• Each level must have at least one exit point (if story type is not endless)
• Design of all levels should be consistent and compatible with the genre of a game
• Level should be pleasing, engaging and guide the player throughout the storyline
• Level should cover its boundaries in a natural way
• Level should not repeat the content over and over again

67. • Linear: Player only follows a scripted path or area inside a level (for linear story type)
• Endless: Player moves continuously inside a infinite level (for endless story type)
• Open World: Player can roam freely inside a level (for non linear / open ended story type)
Level Types
Level Design
Linear (Need For Speed: The Run) Open World (GTA V)

68. • Landscape: Terrains (soils, deserts, snow, etc.), skies (clear, cloudy, foggy, smoky, etc.),
landforms (plains, mountains, hills, plateaus, valleys, islands, etc.), water bodies (sea,
rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.), and vegetation (grass, trees, plants, flowers, forests, etc.)
• Environment: Weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, snowy, etc.), lightning (day, night,
afternoon, evening, etc.), natural elements (fog, smoke, fire, etc.) and ambience (war,
fantasy, retro, science fiction, medieval, dark, horror, post apocalyptic, etc.)
• Objects: Structures (cities, towns, buildings, etc.), items (furniture, vehicles, etc.), paths
(roads, streets, passages, etc.), and pickups (weapons, coins, power ups, health packs,
etc.), units (players, enemies, etc.)
• Regions: Zones (safe zones, battle zones, etc.), Points (checkpoints, spawn points, etc.)
Level Design
Level Components

69. God of War

70. God of War

71. References
• The Art of Game Design - Jesse Schell
• Game Design Essentials - Briar Lee Mitchell
• Challenges for Game Designers - Brenda Brathwaite, Ian Schreiber
• What We Talk About When We Talk About Game Aesthetics - Simon Niedenthal