What is the difference between a game designer and a game developer?
- A game designer creates the initial game, while developers are responsible for testing and changing the game to help it evolve into something better.
What commonly occurs during the game development process?
- Playtesting, rule revision, theming, naming the game
What are the challenges of balancing a game?
- number of components, components complexity, and cost
What should every player of your game believe? why?
In their ability to win/complete the game – so that they want to keep playing
How can you avoid stealing players fun?
- Don’t kick a player out before the end of a game
- Don’t put players in the position to choose who wins
- Don’t reward a leader
- include inherent declaration – slow a player who’s close to victory
- Have a good medium of player interaction/influence (not too little, not to much)
- Do not force anyone to go backwards in the game
What 10 maxims should you follow when writing rules?
- no intermediary terminology
- use real words
- no more work than necessary
- add some flavor/theme (do not go overboard)
- keep the text readable
- If you can’t write a rule, then discard it
- keep the rules sweet and simple
- keep text easy to read
- PLAY TEST
- check/fix any misprints
How has play testing changed your game?
- It has helped me to figure out the right math for my game in terms of what is “too hard” and “too easy” for players to accomplish based off their dice rolls/cards played.
Who from class would you like to play test your next game or version 2 of your first game?
- I got some really good feedback about my first game from the initial players, so I’d like to have some people who haven’t played yet play the next version. As for my second game, it hasn’t been ready to test yet, but I’d say the same. I feel like I’ve tested a lot of the same peoples games and had the same testers so I’d like to see other peoples opinions.
Who is the audience for your game?
- Anyone who enjoys playing games, and wants to have fun
Who should play test your game outside of class?
- I’ve had both my roommate and brother playtest my games previously. I think I would like to find a group of students either in the art center or on the quad who are willing to play and get opinions from people I’m not close with.