I’m sitting here in my office and drinking coffee. Earlier this year, I decided to embark on a new gaming project. I decided to start documenting the process so I can keep a record of it. Before I get into the actual project, game design documents and such, I thought I’d write about my thinking behind game development. I am hardly a professional, so these ideas are just my musings after many years as a gamer and creator of Pen and Paper game scenarios.
Game play first
The reason so many older games hold up well despite lack of good story or great graphics is the game play. The game play has to be first, even in a game that wants to send some sort of a message. It has to hit that spot so that people think it is fun. Why are games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong still played? It’s not because of the stellar story but the focused game play.
Story comes second
If the game play comes first, the story comes second. Even in a game that doesn’t actually have much of a story, having a reason to do what the character is doing is a good thing. Even in a story heavy game like an RPG, the story much come second. I’m sure there are always exceptions, like the visual novel genre, but even that has to have something of a game play loop to keep people interested.
Graphics are last
I think many game players would be shocked to see a prealpha version of many of the popular games. They often are just blocks or using assets from previous games and often don’t resemble the product that ends up coming out. Getting the game play down supersedes the pretty graphics. Once again, older games are often still popular despite the relative lack of pizzazz in their presentation while some very pretty newer games fail to sell.
Don’t preach to the audience
This is something I’ve seen creeping into many modern games of late. I think seeing so many games failing lately is because of this. Gamers do not like to be preached at while they are just trying to kick back and have fun. Having the “Political Message of the Day” hurled at the player like a monkey flinging poo isn’t the way to make anyone think. Some newer games make older titles like Metal Gear Solid seem subtle in its approach.
Worldview informs everything
A creator still needs to understand that his worldview is going to inform the game he creates. This doesn’t necessarily mean politics, religion or personal beliefs either. Take titles like Zelda and Pokemon. One was created because of the youthful adventures of Miyamoto exploring his surroundings as a child. The other was created because of Satoshi Tajiri’s childhood bug collection hobby. The worldview of a game designer will help build the project he is working on.
Use the tools available
When starting out, a game designer isn’t going to have the most expensive tools available. It doesn’t matter, use what is there. Are the only tools available RPG Maker XP, a copy of Windows Paint and Microsoft note? Use them to work magic. Better tools with become available later on but use what is available *right now* instead of waiting for the latest and greatest. It’s not the tool used, it’s the person behind the tool. Many of the great classic games were designed on graph paper before being meticulously programmed into a computer.
Focus on the project
Don’t worry about other games and focus on the project at hand. With all the games that hit the market and have been made over the past 50 years, there is a good chance there is a game that is reminiscent of the project being created. Remember that genres are genres for a reason. Do the best work possible on that JRPG, or that Boomer Shooter, or the popular ‘cubes jumping over other cubes.’ game. And if the grand design is an even more realistic ASCII dwarf world simulator? Make it the best one that can be made. Focus on the project and worry not about the rest of the industry.
These ideas are basically the basis of my current game design philosophy. I have been a gamer since I can remember, and I love he medium. I have finished setting up tabletop rpgs, so I’d love to finish this project. I’m using these points as a guideline for myself as I go on in this project.
Next Week I’ll talk about my game design document and the tools I will be using. Until that time, stay creative!