The document discusses core principles of game design, including that games should be simple, unique, represent real-life environments, involve social factors, and be fun. It outlines the game design process of building a concept, including getting an idea, creating goals and emotional experiences for players. It also discusses differences between games and movies, and creating game specifications by identifying players, genres, environments, and success criteria.

1. Gamming Architecture &Programming
Unit-1
Vth Sem IT
By
Prof.Nilesh Korde

2. Core Game Design
• A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for
entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool.
• Game design principles
The basic principles of a game design include the following:
1. The game design should be kept simple.
2. Every game should be unique.
3. There should be effective representation to bring out the real-life
environment.
4. It should include social factors, like it takes two to play a game.
5. Playing the game should be fun.

3. Core Game Design
• Game design process
Step 1: Build the concept
1. Get an idea.
2. Build the game concept.
3. Create a goal.
4. Create an emotional experience for the player.
Step 2: Creating the game specification
1. Write the design document.
2. Build the prototype.
3. Iterate, that is, choose an appropriate lifecycle model.

4. Core Game Design
Build the concept
• Getting an idea
• Dreams and inspirations can create ideas.
• The programmer should come up with a unique and unusual idea for a
game.
• A group of people can have brainstorm sessions for creating an idea.
• For each idea, a small description of what the game is about should be
written.
• This should be then evaluated based on parameters such as originality,
potential audience (for all age group or specific age group, only for
boys/girls), etc.
• The selected ideas are then subjected to synergy check and the concept is
created.

5. Core Game Design
Game concept
• A game is said to be good if the player can win by doing unexpected things.
• This surprise and delight factor almost make the gameplay, which
encourages the player to employ strategies.
• The broad genres of games are: action (use many buttons/keys), adventure
(story is important), puzzle (analytical think-ing), educational (learning by
doing) and strategies (non-trivial choice making).
• Games like movies can combine genres; for example, an adventure game
can combine action and puzzle.

6. Core Game Design
Differences between a movie (animation) and a game (programming).
1. A game program requires any input from a user, whereas a movie
(animation) does not.
2. Players have to make decisions in a game, whereas in a movie they
do not need to make any decision.
3. A game sometimes have no ending, sometimes have one ending,
sometimes you can have mul-tiple ways to end; whereas a movie has a
predetermined ending.
4.Moreover, a game has rules and goals, and may have constraints. It
has players, objects, terrains and behaviors, for example, physics,
sound, speech, and emotions.

7. Core Game Design
Create a goal
Every game has a goal. All aspects of the game must focus the player
towards achieving the goal.
All games have one or more of the following goals:
1. To collect points.
2. To gain power.
3. To reach the destination/target first.
4. To overcome obstacles.
5. To discover something.
6. To eliminate opponents.

8. Core Game Design
The point-scoring games do not have a visible objective, which is the
reason the rewards are given in the form of points, whereas in racing
and conquest-type games, both involve visible objectives. For
instance,
1. In racing, the player knows what is his/her position compared to
other participants at any point
of time.
2. In role-playing games (RPGS), the points earned can be spent on
improving the attributes.
3. In strategy games, the gathered resources are used on units.
4. In adventure games, the collected items are used to solve something
later.

9. Core Game Design
Create emotional experience for player
• If the emotional experience does not match the game goal, the player
would not enjoy the game.
• The programmer needs to design the game in such a way that players
get addicted to the game.
• For this pur-pose, cool graphics, fast actions, stimulating steps or
complex strategies could be added to the game.

10. Core Game Design
Create emotional experience for player
The features of the game such as score, moves, levels could be designed as
follows:
1. Score: Players expect more from a game experience than a mere score. To
name a few, games of this sort include fighting, racing, sports or any
competition games.
2. Moves: Controlling virtual athletes' in sports and vehicles in racing
requires a steady practiced hand. Players must master all those tricky moves
to almost devastate their opponents.
3. Explore levels: The best way to encourage exploration is to hide some of
the game levels.
4. As the player moves through the levels he/she finds ways to unlock or
realize the hidden areas.
5. A racing game can have additional cars as the players acquire trophies a
particular number of times. Similarly, a FreeCell game gets tougher as the
player wins the first few games.

11. Core Game Design
Creating the game specification
• Plan first
First, a plan should be made and the following questions should be
answered:
1. What type of game it is?
2. What is the objective?
3. How will player achieve the objective?
4. What are the features that will constitute the gameplay?
• Identify the players.
• Identify the genre and corresponding constraints.
• Identify the universe and landscape.
• Identify the constraints and goals of the game.

12. Core Game Design
Creating the game specification
5. Determine the criteria for success. How does the player win? How
does he/she lose?
6. Determine the rules of interaction. Is it through controls or
interaction with character or by
putting the player in some environment.
7. How are the constraints explained to the player? Is a story told to
the player?
8. What are the operational issues (in production/maintenance)?

13. Core Game Design
Test the concept
• The concept is put down on paper, writing the concept down exposes
the issues and the complex interfaces.
• This treatment forms the outline of the concept and the sketch of game
design.
• This ensures the game and helps in deciding whether to go ahead or
give up.
• At this stage, the technical not seen.
• Only the game's unique features are considered and other details are
ignored.
• The description of the working of the game is given and the end result is
communicate such as gameplay interface, rules and level design are
included. It is very important to a reasoning.