Posted by Brice on January 30, 2010
Hello TGP readers! Based on the success of the Break Into Games e-book, we’re working on a new and more in-depth product for students interested in becoming professional game developers. But I want this product to be as incredible as possible, and so I’m conducting a quick 2-minute survey to get your feedback and thoughts.
In return for filling out the survey, I’m giving away free copies of The Player’s Guide ($11). This deal will only be around until Tuesday!
Click here to take the 2-minute survey and get your free copy! Thanks!
Posted by Brice on January 15, 2010
The four-day book deal is now over, and I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who purchased a copy of Break Into Games! It’s great to know that people think the information on this site is valuable; you make it all possible.
For those who were late to the party, the book is still available in The Game Prodigy store.
Thanks again!
Posted by Brice on December 29, 2009
Hello readers! I wanted to take a moment to THANK all of you for making The Game Prodigy such a success in only its first three months. There have been over 3,000 unique visitors to the site and I’ve gotten great feedback from many of you fellow game developers, via comments on the blog, videos, and email. It’s been a great learning experience for me and I hope I’ve been able to give some of you some useful information about game development as well. Thank you so much!
Many of the emails I’ve gotten have started some fantastic dialogues about game design and development, and so I wanted to create an opportunity to interact with readers a bit more by sharing some of the discussion with the rest of you in a mailbag post. I love answering game development and career questions, so please feel free to submit your own.
Our First Mailbag Question
I find that, for some strange reason, I’m not confident when I’m designing games. Sometimes it feels like I’m designing in a void, and don’t exactly know how to piece things together. I’m wondering if it’s because, in the last ten years, I haven’t played/completed that many games at all. I keep starting then giving up in the first hour or so.
So, just like if you’re a writer, you gotta read, I’m wondering if the reason I’m finding game design so difficult is because I haven’t played that many games recently, *especially* in the genre I’m working in. I’m hoping that playing more will make things go more smoothly.
Another thing. How do you game designers. Do you sit down and play, say, Metal Slug with a ‘YEAH BOI GONNA SHOOT SOME BAD GUYS’ mentality, or do you pay more attention to design . I remember playing Lufia 2 with a notepad at my side, but I’m not sure if it did any good.
Thanks guys!
———————————————-
Most of what everyone else has said is correct. I like to think of it as research. If I am working on a game, then I need to know what else is going on in the genre. There was a really good article on Gamasutra a while back about how to go about doing this kind of research, pick up some different games and notice exactly how they work.
So for example, if you’re doing a platforming shooter and you want to do a charge-up, then you’ll want to check out games like Megaman, Contra, and indie games with similar mechanics. How long does it take to charge? Do they limit how long you can do it? How powerful is it? Once you establish what has been done, you can decide what YOU want to do.
A lot of big game companies actually have free game libraries for employees to use exactly for this purpose.
And you don’t need to finish the game, but you should be able to pick apart exactly what’s going on and hone in on what you’re looking for. If you want to learn about a combat system you probably don’t need to play more than an hour or two. But if you want to learn story progression then you’ll want to play through most of it. AAA Games are made up of many things; if 80% of another game has nothing to do with the one you’re making, then you probably don’t need to play it.
“I find that, for some strange reason, I’m not confident when I’m designing games. Sometimes it feels like I’m designing in a void, and don’t exactly know how to piece things together. I’m wondering if it’s because, in the last ten years, I haven’t played/completed that many games at all. I keep starting then giving up in the first hour or so.
So, just like if you’re a writer, you gotta read, I’m wondering if the reason I’m finding game design so difficult is because I haven’t played that many games recently, *especially* in the genre I’m working in.”
Answer
You are very right in your hunch; I like to think of it as game design research. If I am working on a game, then I need to know what else is going on in the genre. If you are working on a brawler title, then you will want to play other brawlers to see what they do and how they work. If you are working on a mystery title, same deal. You need to know what other developers have done so that you can get a head start on where you want your game to go. WAIT! There is more to read… read on »