Game elements! What makes up a game??
Whats up wanna be gamers?
In a recent blog post I was discussing my thoughts on an article about what actually is a game and it definitely got me thinking what defines a game. Again, we all just assume we know what a game is regardless if its Connect 4 or Halo.
So today I am going to be giving my thoughts on an article about what are the qualities of a game. We've looked at what game is but now we really need to analyse all the component parts and how they all fit together to make a game.
The article discussed how every game has common individual components that all make up a game. Some are the phrases that were said in my blog talking about what a game is like, 'they are voluntary', 'they are safe' etc. Other components are players, goals, rules, theme, game state, player interaction along with many others. All of these elements were described as atoms. Like atoms, all of these elements can be individually studied.
https://www.educationquizzes.com/education-matters/2017/03/atoms-made-of-smaller-particles-protons-neutrons-and-electrons/
There is always a player in a game. A game isn't a game without a player. Then its just a disk or a board with dice and other pieces on it. This one is probably the most important one for me but every game has rules. Every game needs a set of criteria to stop players from doing things that would upset the flow of the game. Rules keep players moving forward toward a goal, stops players from cheating. Without rules in a game you would have players doing whatever they wanted and then the game probably would not even be aloud to be called a game. Even the Hunger Games has rules.
The article always discussed critical analysis and this is something I will be using heavily when making my game. I will need others opinions on the game. If they say it is fun or boring, I will need to examine why it is fun or boring. The article explained a 3-step process to critically analyse a game and questions to constantly ask myself at various stages of development.
1. Describe the game’s formal elements. Do not interpret at this point, simply state what is there.
2. Describe the results of the formal elements when put in motion. How do the different elements interact? What is the play of the game like? Is it effective?
3. Try to understand why the designer chose those elements and not others. Why this particular player structure, and why that set of resources? What would have happened if the designer had chosen differently?
● What challenges do the players face? What actions can players take to overcome those challenges?
● How do players affect each other?
● Is the game perceived by the players as fair? (Note that it may or may not actually be fair. Perception and reality often differ.)
● Is the game replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory, varied start positions, or optional rules that cause the experience to be different each time?
● What is the game’s intended audience? Is the game appropriate for that audience?
That's it from me today everybody. I really enjoyed reading these articles and they did a really great job summarising everything simply and effectively. Describing games scientifically and comparing games components to atoms that can be studied individually really fascinates me as looking at say monopoly in a scientific manor it something I never thought I would be doing. Below are links to the Articles I was discussing today and I hope you can take the time to read them.
1) http://md2019.cdmonline.ie/reading-week-04/
2) https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-3-dot-1-1-players
3) https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-3-dot-1-3-rules
Thanks,
Sean
In a recent blog post I was discussing my thoughts on an article about what actually is a game and it definitely got me thinking what defines a game. Again, we all just assume we know what a game is regardless if its Connect 4 or Halo.
So today I am going to be giving my thoughts on an article about what are the qualities of a game. We've looked at what game is but now we really need to analyse all the component parts and how they all fit together to make a game.
The article discussed how every game has common individual components that all make up a game. Some are the phrases that were said in my blog talking about what a game is like, 'they are voluntary', 'they are safe' etc. Other components are players, goals, rules, theme, game state, player interaction along with many others. All of these elements were described as atoms. Like atoms, all of these elements can be individually studied.
There is always a player in a game. A game isn't a game without a player. Then its just a disk or a board with dice and other pieces on it. This one is probably the most important one for me but every game has rules. Every game needs a set of criteria to stop players from doing things that would upset the flow of the game. Rules keep players moving forward toward a goal, stops players from cheating. Without rules in a game you would have players doing whatever they wanted and then the game probably would not even be aloud to be called a game. Even the Hunger Games has rules.
The article always discussed critical analysis and this is something I will be using heavily when making my game. I will need others opinions on the game. If they say it is fun or boring, I will need to examine why it is fun or boring. The article explained a 3-step process to critically analyse a game and questions to constantly ask myself at various stages of development.
1. Describe the game’s formal elements. Do not interpret at this point, simply state what is there.
2. Describe the results of the formal elements when put in motion. How do the different elements interact? What is the play of the game like? Is it effective?
3. Try to understand why the designer chose those elements and not others. Why this particular player structure, and why that set of resources? What would have happened if the designer had chosen differently?
● What challenges do the players face? What actions can players take to overcome those challenges?
● How do players affect each other?
● Is the game perceived by the players as fair? (Note that it may or may not actually be fair. Perception and reality often differ.)
● Is the game replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory, varied start positions, or optional rules that cause the experience to be different each time?
● What is the game’s intended audience? Is the game appropriate for that audience?
That's it from me today everybody. I really enjoyed reading these articles and they did a really great job summarising everything simply and effectively. Describing games scientifically and comparing games components to atoms that can be studied individually really fascinates me as looking at say monopoly in a scientific manor it something I never thought I would be doing. Below are links to the Articles I was discussing today and I hope you can take the time to read them.
1) http://md2019.cdmonline.ie/reading-week-04/
2) https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-3-dot-1-1-players
3) https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-3-dot-1-3-rules
Thanks,
Sean
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