[...]... swim” result Lesson: Design multiple scenarios for playing and winning the game Don’t let gimmicks sell the game, let good gameplay sell it Lesson Five Patton from Broderbund was designed by legendary game designer Chris Crawford He reasoned that war games are fun, yet only a small percentage of game players are buying them Perhaps that would change if there were a new type of war game designed for the... Warlords, Silent Hill 2, Soul Reaver 2 Casual games include games like board games, card games (gambling games included), and game shows Board games can include classic games like chess, checkers, Othello, and Go, as well as versions of retail board games Board games are popular and addictive, as well as commonly known by a wide (mass market) audience For instance, gamers may buy a chess program even if they... work and great gameplay, not hype” should be written on the designer’s wall Lesson Three First Row Software’s The Honeymooners game took a great license and produced a game with poor gameplay The game was designed with several mini-games featuring Ralph and Ed One game had Ralph driving the streets of New York in his bus picking up various passengers throughout the city For some reason, the designers had... task, the game design should include a superkey or a one-key macro to simplify the operation Keep design interfaces simple I once designed games for an arcade manufacturer, and the president of this company taught me a valuable lesson about design He said if a player doesn’t grasp the interface of a computer game or video game, that player will read the manual since $50 (or so) was invested in the game. .. designed Card games include trading card games, solitaire, cribbage, hearts, rummy, Old Maid, bridge, and all gambling games (poker, blackjack, keno, slot machines, roulette, craps, and baccarat) Card games are similar to classic board games in that gamers want to own good versions (good skill level or interesting features) of these games Gambling games have a unique attribute in that gambling gamers are... describe the POV for combat/shooter games like Doom or Quake Action Games Action games are nonstop, finger flying (“twitch”) games In the early games, arcade-style action games involved shooting vector spaceships to dot-munching balls Later came “platform,” “rail,” or “side scrollers,” which dominated the action game genre Now, FPSs are the current trend in action gaming Action games have always been move,... need to begin designing this great game that exists in our minds Game Designers Are NOT Programmers You are a designer, a creator of a game concept You need to be able to convey your ideas for others to carry out You do not need to be an expert in programming, programming languages, operating systems, or what 3D card is best for your game Your job is to tell the programmers in a document to design for... winner(s) Many games (for example, “adventure” games), give the player(s) a score at the end of the game The game s main goal is to finish the assigned quest The game s secondary goal is to better your previous score(s) and eventually earn the perfect score Puzzle games could reward the player with a password that would allow them access to higher levels In games, the goal is to win, but in many games tying... a game show The description read well, but the demo he sent me was terrible Over several months on the phone, we fixed many of the game s rules and aspects of the gameplay, which greatly improved the game show I programmed the game and hired an artist to provide the graphics When I went to Villa Crespo Software outside of Chicago, we published this game show, which we called Combination Lock The game. .. blank Chapter 5 Game Genres When describing a game to others, you must express its genre or type Genres can fall into categories like action, adventure, casual, educational, RPGs, simulations, sports (including fighting games), strategy, and other (puzzle games and toys) Many games cross genre boundaries (“hybrids”) or are truly several genres in one Some games, like RPGs or adventure games, have been . blank Contents Chapter 1 The Game Designer 1 Game Designers Are NOT Programmers 1 Game Designers Are NOT Artists 2 Game Designers Are NOT Audio Engineers or Musicians 2 Game Designers Are Visionaries. Action Games: 20 Adventure Games 20 Top-Selling Adventure Games: 21 v Casual Games 21 Top-Selling Casual Games: 23 Educational Games 23 Educational Game as an Adventure Game 23 Educational Game. 14 Chapter 4 Game Concepts 15 Games Are NOT Linear 15 Games Have a Goal 15 Games Must Be Winnable 15 Start of the Game 16 Middle/Ending of the Game 16 Chapter 5 Game Genres 19 Action Games 19 Top-Selling