Posted on by bmmst136

Game Design: Question Set 1 – Bryce Mathews

  1. Using Kobold’s guide as inspiration, every game should have an identity. James Ernest’s segment on the distinction between rules, mechanics, and the key to “good” games explains that games are not the sum of their parts. Each game has an identity that justifies its mechanics. If a game’s mechanics are not in tune with the game’s identity, then players may not find it interesting. To support this, James claims that mechanics are identifiable, yet are not entirely transferable. All games have mechanics, but great mechanics work in tandem with the game’s identity. You cannot create a great game from analyzing the exact mechanics of another. I like my favorite games because every aspect of the game is made with identity in mind, mechanics are thoughtfully implemented to create a specific experience.
  2. Here is a small list of games from my steam library
    Furi – Onnamusha
    Ready Or Not
    Rooftops & Alleys: The Parkour Game
    Dungeons of Hinterberg
    PC Building Simulator
    Balatro
    Resident Evil 4
    Valheim
    Noita
    ULTRAKILL
    GRIS
    RESIDENT EVIL 3
    RESIDENT EVIL 2 / BIOHAZARD RE:2 Standard Edition
    Resident Evil 0 / biohazard 0 HD Remaster (ROW Launch)
    OneShot
    Furi
    Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition
    Resident Evil / biohazard HD REMASTER
    Resident Evil 6 Complete
    Kerbal Space Program
    Star Birds Demo
    3DMark Demo
    9 Kings Demo
    The Last Stand: Aftermath
    Nitro Express
    Risk of Rain 2
    R.E.P.O.
    Haste
    Demon Tides Demo
    Solarpunk Demo
    Am I Nima Demo
    Warfare Legacy Collection Demo
    Machine Mind Demo Demo
    Icaria Demo
    Mech Havoc Demo
    Heroes of Hammerwatch II Demo
    Sky: Children of the Light
    Awaria
    Stacklands
    Inscryption
    Slay the Spire
    Hades
    Rebel Inc: Escalation
    Darkest Dungeon
    Risk of Rain
    Factorio: Space Age
    Mullet Mad Jack Demo
    Retrowave
    Realm of the Mad God
    Frostrain
    Lethal Company
    Hearts of Iron IV
    Bitburner
    SIGNALIS
    Farlanders
    Against the Storm
    Unsighted
    Into the Breach
    Frostpunk
    OpenTTD
    Quasimorph: End of Dream
    Steam Engine Simulator
    Sonic Generations Collection
    Factorio
    Stoneshard: Prologue
    Hyper Light Drifter
    Enter the Gungeon
    The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
    The Complex: Found Footage
    Tomb Raider
    Space Engineers
    Destiny 2
    Destiny 2: Legendary Edition
    STAR WARS™: The Old Republic™
    Apex Legends
    Splitgate
    Arid
    Muck
    Dead by Daylight
    Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege – Deluxe Edition
    Oxygen Not Included – Spaced Out!
    tModLoader
    Craftopia
    Among Us
    Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Free Edition
    Uno
    The Forest
    The Colonists
    Absolver
    Scrap Mechanic
    Fallout Shelter
    Rust
    The Long Dark
    Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (NA)
    Sheltered
    Warframe
    ASTRONEER
    Oxygen Not Included
    Don’t Starve Together
    Plague Inc: Evolved
    Garry’s Mod
    Geometry Dash
    Terraria
    Unturned
  3. While my favorite games often blur the distinction between “acts” or definite moments in the player’s story or progression, my favorite games do one of two things. They either leave the story solely in the players’ hands, or they craft enough of a structure to entice the player to play the game and experience the story. A game like Minecraft has no definite strory, it encourages players to make their own. Progression in the form of better tools, weapons and armor encourages the player to seek better materials all while they shape the world as they see fit, creating a story of surviving and thriving. A more story-driven game like Pokemon entices the players with interesting premises and innovative gamplay to encourage the player to stick around.
  4. Both approaches are effective ways to create a game, as long as they service each other. I personally like to create ideas starting from it’s purpose. The metaphor can help guide the subsequent mechanics, story, and theme. With this approach you can ask whether an implementation sucessfully highlights the metahpor you are trying to show. But, the opposite approach is valid. Large games evolve from simple mechanics all of the time.
  5. I think it’d be interesting to collaborate with other classes or campus organization to create official art or garner support for the games we make.