BEGINNING
VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT
An Introduction to the road of a rock star
WHAT WE DO
Aside from Playing and making Games
WHAT WE LIVE FOR
To have fun of course
WHAT IS A GAME?
In case you don’t know
WHAT IS A GAME?
Games need to be FUN!
Games must be entertaining
Interactive
A good game is one that you can win by doing the unexpected and making it work.
A.k.a. Surprise and Delight Factor
A game is a form of art
WHAT A GAME IS NOT
It’s not in the features
If it looks good, it must be good
Players love challenges
It must have an intriguing plot
WHEN CREATING A GAME
Adding features is ok but know when to stop
Fancy Graphics are always entertained BUT the game should work without them. It
Does not compensate for lack of creativity and quality
People like puzzles
A good story keeps the player immersed in the game, but Avoid using the game to
tell a story
WHAT OTHERS DON’T KNOW
Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often Both
Many games help develop practical skills
serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulation,
or psychological role
Attested as early as 2600 BC, games are a universal part of human experience and
present in all cultures.
GAME DESIGN
Requires creativity and imagination
GAME DESIGN
Features or Unique Selling point
Gameplay
Interface and visuals
Rules, mechanics, and objectives
Level Design
Art
Narrative and story writing
Character and environment design
GAME DESIGNER’S ROLE
Create something new
No such thing as something new
Old ideas presented in a new way
Synthesize previous ideas
Whacky ideas may work
4 PHASES OF THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Inspiration – where to get ideas
Synthesis – combining ideas
Resonance – creating synergy from ideas
Convergence – finishing the concept
3STAGES IN CREATING A GAME
Concept
Setting
Characters
Structure
Progression
Design
Game Mechanics
User Interface
Objectives
IDENTIFY
IDENTIFY
IDENTIFY
IDENTIFY
IDENTIFY
IDENTIFY
CHARACTER DESIGN
Character design can be a tricky beast to tackle, because although many of the classic characters familiar to us all through
cartoons, movies and advertising look simple, that simplicity usually belies the many hours of work that have gone into
their development.
CHARACTER DESIGN
DECIDE WHO IT'S AIMED AT
DECIDE WHERE IT WILL APPEAR
RESEARCH OTHER DESIGNS
MAKE YOUR CHARACTER DISTINCTIVE
USE LINE QUALITIES AND STYLES TO DESCRIBE YOUR CHARACTER
USE EXAGGERATED CHARACTERISTICS
CHOOSE COLORS CAREFULLY
ADD ACCESSORIES
CHARACTER DESIGN
GIVE YOUR CHARACTER PERSONALITY
FACIAL EXPRESSION
GIVE YOUR CHARACTER GOALS AND DREAMS
BUILD UP A BACK STORY
EXPERIMENT !
GET FEEDBACK FROM OTHERS
CREATE THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR YOUR CHARACTER
GAME DEVELOPMENT
101
Now let’s make some games…
AFTER I DEVELOP A
GAME…
publish your games and share your creation to the world.
YOUR IDEAS ARE
LIMITLESS
You can work as a game developer on big time companies, start fresh on small studios,
Try Indie, or even start your own firm.
REMEMBER
Try and catch the attention, sympathy, and interest of the people. You never know, that
game idea might be the next big thing…
BUT BEFORE WE GET
THERE
Embrace math and physics
REQUIREMENTS
Imagination
Creativity
Logic
Artistic
There is always math
Actually lots of math
But we don’t have quizzes, we call it quests
ASK “WHAT IF?”
Or what, why, how, and a lot more questions
BECOME A RISK TAKER
Don’t be afraid to fail.
Negative comments wont hurt you, they will make you a better you…
Stephen King said that the spark of originality comes when you put familiar things
together in an unexpected way
THANK YOU FOR PLAYING !
