The document outlines an agenda for a workshop called "Theory meets Design meets Play Workshop" that uses a card game called GameGame. The workshop will include an introduction to game theory elements, playing GameGame to learn the rules, and playing in pairs. GameGame is designed to help participants understand game design by adapting concepts from applied ludology to a card game format where participants collect cards representing design elements.

1. GameGame Sessions
• ‘Theory meets Design meets
Play Workshop’
Aki Järvinen
aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

2. Programme for the day
• Introduction: Theory of Game Elements (90 mins)
• GameGame: Theory meets Design meets Play (30 mins)
• break
• GameGame Play Session: Learning the Rules (90 mins)
• break
• GameGame Play Session 2: Play in Pairs (60 mins)
• Wrap-up & Feedback discussion (20 mins)
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

3. The Theory Part
• Introduction to a theory of game elements
• Which you will meet as playing cards later
• Which, when combined, make up designs for
games
• Or, systems we know as games
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

4. All kinds of games allowed!
• All games, regardless of the
media or technology they
employ, contain certain
elements
• They are not all the same
• Or implemented in the same
manner or technique
• Yet there are underlying
similarities: goals, objects to be
manipulated, environments,
players, etc.
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

5. Same but different
• How to conceptualise this ‘same but different’
qualities of games?
• One needs to conceptualise the qualities
• And build a framework that brings them together,
as in individual games
• The notion of System
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

6. Games as systems
• System is
‘a dynamic whole with interacting parts’
• In game systems: 1) game elements equal the parts
• 2) elements have relationships, they interact
• 3) when players engage with the elements, it gives birth
to another kind of interaction: game play
• game play gives birth to dynamics; ‘the run-time
behavior of the system’ (LeBlanc)
• GameGame & You will make up a dynamic whole later
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

7. The Theory of Game Elements
• Conceptualises possible different configurations
of game systems
• i.e. the difference between one game and
another is due to the fact that their systems are
configured differently
• configuration of football vs. the configuration of
Prince of Persia
• The theory is a form of Applied Ludology
• Which provides solutions for practical game
analysis & design
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

8. Element categories: overview
BEHAVIORAL
SYSTEMIC
ELEMENTS
ELEMENTS game play
COMPOUND
ELEMENTS
• A game system in operation, i.e. a game being
played, puts these elements into interaction
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

9. Game elements: overview
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• components players
•
game play
• environment contexts
•
ruleset
•
game mechanics
•
theme
•
information COMPOUND
•
ELEMENTS
interface
•
• The element categories group gamegame
different element classes (c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

10. Game elements: overview
• All game elements have an ownership attribute
• There are three kinds of ownership attributes:
[game element]-of-self
[game element]-of-other(s)
[game element]-of-system
• Ownership attributes often create inherent tension
and competition to a game
• Thus, many games revolve around ownerships
gamegame
shifting back and forth
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

11. What ludologists do
• game theorists deconstruct
existing games into elements
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

12. gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

13. What Game Designers do
Mushrooms
Components
Theme
Mario Koopa Coins
Italian Plumber in
a Fantastic World
Game mechanics
Environment
Running
Platforms
Jumping
Goal
Tubes
Save the Princess
Interface
• game designers construct & Gamepad
games from elements, game
developers implement them
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

14. Game elements: overview
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• components players
•
game play
• environment contexts
•
ruleset
•
game mechanics
•
theme
•
information COMPOUND
•
ELEMENTS
interface
•
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

15. Another visualization
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

16. Another theory: Why?
• There are numerous theories of what games are
made of - Parlett, Juul, Salen & Zimmerman,
Aarseth, etc.
• My defenses to bring another theory into the
world:
• To function as a hands-on analysis & design
method, ‘design by elements’
• Certainly the first to be operationalized as a
game!
• and a basis for a Design Document template
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

17. GameGame: Background
•GameGame: Theory meets
Design meets Play
•‘Ludology meets
Understanding Comics’
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

18. Component evolution
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

19. gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

20. Play-testing evolution
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

21. Previous workshops
• Both in academic and
industry contexts
• Sulake, Apr 2005 (left)
• University of Bergen, Norway,
Feb 2007 (above)
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

22. Adaptation to GameGame
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• components players
•
game play
• environment contexts
•
• ruleset as goals &
end/victory conditions
• game mechanics
• theme COMPOUND
• information ELEMENTS
• interface
22
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

23. Game elements of GameGame
BEHAVIORAL ELEMENTS
SYSTEMIC ELEMENTS
• cards you
•
game play
workshop
•
• design a game; sell it to
others; 2nd milestone
• collecting, choosing,
trading, performing, voting
• game design
• hidden / open information COMPOUND
23
ELEMENTS
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

24. What Game Designers do
Mushrooms
Components
Theme
Mario Koopa Coins
Italian Plumber in
a Fantastic World Game mechanics
Environment
Running
Platforms
Jumping
Goal
Tubes
Save the Princess
Gamepad
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

25. GameGame: The rules
• The Manual:
• http://gamegame.blogs.com
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

26. GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

27. GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

28. GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

29. GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

30. GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

31. GameGame cards
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

32. Game mechanics
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

33. Assets
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

34. The publisher
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

35. Concept Template
• ‘Design by Elements’ approach
• Meant to Function as a documentation
template of the concepts that come up
through playing GG
• With some tweaking, can be edited into a
Game Concept brief
• ...and continue fleshing it out towards a
game design document
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6

36. Contact & more info
• aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net
• http://gamegame.blogs.com
• http://www.gameswithoutfrontiers.net
gamegame
(c) Aki Järvinen 2005-6