1. © 2010 Related Designs

2. Your Referees
Dirk Riegert Matthias Nock
Creative Director Senior Game Designer
Head of Game Design
Years in industry: 8 Years in industry: 6
Years in company: 8 Years in company: 4
© 2010 Related Designs

3. Overview
• Founded in 1995
• More than 25 projects released
• Leading German developement studio
for PC Strategy Games
• Located in Mainz - Germany
• 50+ Employees In-house
© 2010 Related Designs

4. Philosophy
• Game developement in time, budget
and quality
• Innovative high-class technology
• Professional Project Management
• An experienced and highly motivated
team
© 2010 Related Designs

5. Projects – 2000 - 2003
2000 – 2003: Becoming strategy experts
• Developing 3+ A-titles for national publishers
• Classic RTS (Real-Time-Strategy) Games
2000 2003 2003
© 2010 Related Designs

6. Projects – ANNO 1701 / 1701 A.D.
2004 – 2009: The ANNO years
● Developing first AAA title for Sunflowers
● Team Size was ramped up from 10 to 40+
● Best selling PC game in 2006 in Germany
(Media Control)
● Avg. Press Ratio: 89% in Germany
● Avg. int. Press Ratio: 78%
(gamerankings.com)
● Collected more than 50 Awards
© 2010 Related Designs

7. Projects – ANNO 1404 / Dawn of Discovery
2004 – 2009: The ANNO years
● Developing second AAA title for Ubisoft
● Released in June 2009
● Avg. Ratio: 90% in Germany
● Avg. int. Press Ratio: 83%
(gamerankings.com)
● Collected more than 50 Awards again
including the Red Dot Design Award and
other high profile awards
© 2010 Related Designs

8. Popular Misconceptions
About Game Design
© 2010 Related Designs

9. Introduction
Three questions
I‘ll try to answer
• What is a Game Designer?
• What are Game Designers doing
all day long?
• What kind of misconceptions are
there about Game Design?
© 2010 Related Designs

10. What is a Game Designer?
Looking at Clichés
• Game Designers are artists
• Game Designers live in an
ivory tower
• Game Designers rule the
development team
• Game Designers are waiting
to be kissed by the muse
• Game Designers play games
all day long „Can you believe
we get payed to do this?“
© 2010 Related Designs

11. What is a Game Designer?
What is a Game Designer ?
• What is a Game?
• What is Game Design?
• What is a Game Designer?
© 2010 Related Designs

12. What is a Game Designer?
What is a Game?
• A game is not a painting
• A game is not a story
• A game is not a puzzle
• A game is not a toy
© 2010 Related Designs

13. What is a Game Designer?
What is a Game?
• A game is a balanced system
• A game is a set of rules
• A game is a cause for
interaction
• A game is a source for
emotions
all kind of emotions…
© 2010 Related Designs

14. What is a Game Designer?
A definition
„ A game is a system in which
players engage an artificial
conflict, defined by rules that
conflict rules,
results in a quantifiable
outcome
outcome.“
Katie Salen/Eric Zimmerman
whAt???????11
© 2010 Related Designs

15. What is a Game Designer?
What is Game Design?
„Game Design is the act of deciding
what a game should be.“
Jesse Schell
• it is not one decision but hundreds
and thousands of them
• You don`t need special tools
• You don`t have to be able to
programm or to draw
• You don`t just make decisions
and move on
• You`re not the only one to decide
© 2010 Related Designs

16. What is a Game Designer?
What is a Game
Designer?
• He is a creater of interactive
systems
• He is moderator and dictator
at the same time
• He listens, encourages,
challenges and constitutes
• He is someone the team
trusts to make the right
decisions
© 2010 Related Designs

17. What is Game Designer?
A matter of will and a
question of confidence
Who are you?
I am a Game Designer!
Really? You‘re sure?
I am a Game Designer!
So you design stuff?
I am a Game Designer!
You mean you play games?
I am a Game Designer
Designer!
Sorry, who are you again?
© 2010 Related Designs

18. What are Game Designers doing?
What are Game Designers
doing all day long ?
• What is a typical day in the
office like?
• What are his skills?
• What are his tasks?
© 2010 Related Designs

19. What are Game Designers doing all day long?
Looking at a typical
day in the office
10:00 a.m.
11:30 a.m.
14:00 p.m.
15:30 p.m.
17:30 p.m.
19:00 p.m.
19:30 p.m.
© 2010 Related Designs

20. What are Game Designers doing all day long?
Designers must listen
to the Team to 3rd Parties
Management Producer
Programmers Marketing
Game
Graphic Artists Designer Community
Level Designers Press
Quality Assurance Outsourcing Partners
© 2010 Related Designs

21. What are Game Designers doing all day long?
What kind of skills does
a Game Designer need?
Primary Skills:
• Communication
• Documentaion
• Management
• Creativity
• Public Speaking
• Analysis
© 2010 Related Designs

22. What are Game Designers doing all day long?
What kind of skills does
a Game Designer need?
Secondary Skills:
• Brainstorming techniques
• General knowledge
• Visual Arts
• Music and Sound Design
• Cinematography
• Psychology
© 2010 Related Designs

23. What are Game Designers doing all day long?
What are a Game Designer`s
most important tasks?
• identify the game`s meaning
• set up the game rules
• properly document the design
• build game assets
• specificate and iterate the design
• balance the game
• improve the gameplay experience
© 2010 Related Designs

24. What kind of misconceptions are there about?
Misconceptions about
Game Design
• A lot of people try to become
Game Designers for the wrong
reason
• Game Design is not about
having genius ideas
• or about bossing around the
team
• It is not a stage to shine
• It is a professional work
enviroment
• and a money making business
© 2010 Related Designs

25. What kind of misconceptions are there about?
1st Misconception:
Mistaking Game Designers for
artists
• Some Game Designers love to be
seen as artists
• then why isn`t it called Game Artist?
• Maybe there is a reason for that
• Maybe even a good reason
• A Designer should not take art as an
excuse
• for a lack of logic or the absence
of skill
© 2010 Related Designs

26. What kind of misconceptions are there about?
2nd Misconception:
Refusal of Project Management
• Some Game Designers hate Project
Management
• They think Game Design can‘t be planned
• This maybe comes from dreaming of
being an artist
• but it‘s wrong!
• Solid planning creates free space
for Designers
• Good Project Management enables
good Game Design
© 2010 Related Designs

27. What kind of misconceptions are there about?
3rd Misconception:
Loss of focus
• Some Game Designers fear not
knowing enough
• They try to know all areas of
developement
• They end up with a lot of dangerous
half-truths
• instead of focusing on the core of
Game design
• as a fundamental discipline for itself
• They lack of focus
© 2010 Related Designs

28. What kind of misconceptions are there about?
4rth Misconception:
Overestimation of fun
• Many Game Designers think fun is the
most important characteristic of a game
• This is a gamer‘s perspective
• Game Designers love to pretend
they‘re gamers
• but they‘re not!
• With the rise of F2P games it‘s hard
to deny
• first comes the money, then comes
the fun
© 2010 Related Designs

29. The End
Literature
Rules of Play
Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman
2004
- THE Book about Game Design
- Fundamental work of reference
- maybe too theoretical to begin with
The Art of Game Design
Jesse Schell
2008
- My favorite book about Game Design
- clear and colorful language
- lots of useful insights
© 2010 Related Designs