Game GDD
Hey Roosters
So today I was reading an article by Greg Aleknevicus on Game Considerations and I wanted to share my thoughts on it. First off, It was a very good read and many of the points made by Aleknevicus are things that I, and I presume many others, have noticed when playing all types of games. It made me realise that not all games come out of production perfect and there are is always something that can be made to improve a game even if it is only in a small way. Like always, I will leave a leave to the article down below if you want to take a look for yourself.
Aleknevicus first talked about the Components of a game. I liked the way he talked about using contrasting/distinguishable colours for player pieces. There are many people who suffer from different forms of colour blindness and it would only be right as a game designer to cater for people with certain hindrances. It is also helpful for people with no issues as it can still be frustrating to know what player piece you are when all of the colours are similar.
Snakes and ladder player pieces: notice there each distinct colour
Secondly, Aleknevicus how important the box is. While the box doesn't effect how the game plays, it is the players first interaction with the game and if the box doesn't give off the right information, then the players experience with the game may not even take off. He said to make sure there is a legal game position at the back of the box. I never realised how important this was until now. Most games boxes that I have seen always have a legal position at the back of the box. This can be vital as it gives the player a slight guess as to how the game will play. I checked to see if this was true as I have loads of board games at home and not one didn't apply this rule.
Aleknevicus made a number of good points in is summary. He discussed about having a online page for your game were customers can ask questions and request other things. This may be vital for a companies game as it shows the customer you care and will keep them happy.
Having replacement parts is also extremely important as there will be plenty of times a piece will go missing. This can be done by having an online page to buy replacements or having them already in the box. For me personally, this is something all games should have as especially in a family environment, pieces will go missing. Even my own board games at home like Snake and ladder and even chess have come with replacement player pieces.
Thats all from today. As always, I hoped you enjoyed the read and encourage to go a check out Greg Aleknevicus's article as it is worth the read for any inspiring game designer.
link to Gregs Article and other interesting reads: http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/DesignConsiderations.shtml
https://brandonthegamedev.com/how-to-make-a-beautiful-board-game-box/
Thanks,
Sean
So today I was reading an article by Greg Aleknevicus on Game Considerations and I wanted to share my thoughts on it. First off, It was a very good read and many of the points made by Aleknevicus are things that I, and I presume many others, have noticed when playing all types of games. It made me realise that not all games come out of production perfect and there are is always something that can be made to improve a game even if it is only in a small way. Like always, I will leave a leave to the article down below if you want to take a look for yourself.
Aleknevicus first talked about the Components of a game. I liked the way he talked about using contrasting/distinguishable colours for player pieces. There are many people who suffer from different forms of colour blindness and it would only be right as a game designer to cater for people with certain hindrances. It is also helpful for people with no issues as it can still be frustrating to know what player piece you are when all of the colours are similar.
Secondly, Aleknevicus how important the box is. While the box doesn't effect how the game plays, it is the players first interaction with the game and if the box doesn't give off the right information, then the players experience with the game may not even take off. He said to make sure there is a legal game position at the back of the box. I never realised how important this was until now. Most games boxes that I have seen always have a legal position at the back of the box. This can be vital as it gives the player a slight guess as to how the game will play. I checked to see if this was true as I have loads of board games at home and not one didn't apply this rule.
Aleknevicus made a number of good points in is summary. He discussed about having a online page for your game were customers can ask questions and request other things. This may be vital for a companies game as it shows the customer you care and will keep them happy.
Having replacement parts is also extremely important as there will be plenty of times a piece will go missing. This can be done by having an online page to buy replacements or having them already in the box. For me personally, this is something all games should have as especially in a family environment, pieces will go missing. Even my own board games at home like Snake and ladder and even chess have come with replacement player pieces.
Thats all from today. As always, I hoped you enjoyed the read and encourage to go a check out Greg Aleknevicus's article as it is worth the read for any inspiring game designer.
link to Gregs Article and other interesting reads: http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/DesignConsiderations.shtml
https://brandonthegamedev.com/how-to-make-a-beautiful-board-game-box/
Thanks,
Sean
Hi sean!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I loved reading about your approach to GDD. The point about the box is really interesting i would of never of thought about that before. A few things from the reading were quite eye opening for me like the simple stuff like colours etc. Was there anything that shocked you?
I am enjoying reading your blog looking forward to more!
Jen :)