a PPT based on the excellent GameMaker tutorial resource "Designing Good Games" by Mark Overmars

1. What makes a good game?
What makes a game a winner and
what makes a failure?

2. A computer game is a software
program in which one or more
players make decisions through the
control of game objects and
resources, in pursuit of a goal.

3. Beginning game designers often
forget that you make the game not
for yourself but for the people that
are going to play it.

4. Playing games is about making
decisions.
In many games the effects of
decisions are only marginal, which
often leads to frustration.

5. Playing a game is about control.
The more freedom there is the better
for the player, but the harder it is to
design the game.

6. A game needs a goal.
For long games there should also be
sub-goals.

7. What is a Good Game?

8. Goals
•Should not be too easy to reach
•As game progresses goals should
become harder to reach.
•Start the game by letting player get
used to the controls.

9. Failure
•Failure can easily put a player off.
•Player should feel they made a
mistake that they could have
avoided.
•Superbomb??
•Make player do something dangerous
to get it.

10. Decisions
•The more interesting the decisions
the more interesting the game is.
•If player makes bad decision they
should not be punished too much.
•Losing game should be result of
grave mistake.

11. Balance
•The player should learn to play the
game.
•Add new features that match the
players ability
•Good games come up with surprises
all the way to the end.

12. Rewards
•People are picky about their rewards
•Too Small = won’t work hard to get
them
•Too Big = get greedy, and want even
bigger rewards
•Predictable or random?