Game Design Workshop

By Stephen McGregor

Who am I?

• Game Designer/Producer/Game Developer of Escape Industries
• Co-host of Nice Games Club
• QA Analyst at various places
• Community Events Manager at GLITCH
• Various other things...

What is Game Design?

Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game to facilitate interaction between players for entertainment or for educational, exercise, or experimental purposes. -Wikipedia

Okay, but what does it really mean?

How to Start Designing

• Have an idea, emotion, narrative, game mechanic, etc. and run with that.
• What would go well with that/evoke that?
• Prototype!

No Design Decision is Arbitrary

• Anything you decide for your game is going to have good or bad consequences.
• Consequences can range from small approachability things to whether or not a person would want to play your game.
• Costs of any decision you make need to be balanced around goals you have made and what things you can afford to add or lose.

...But Don’t Think About it Too Hard.

• Over-designing is bad.
• Sometimes it helps to just make an arbitrary decision.
• Work on something else for a bit and come back.
• Play other games!

Playtest Early, Playtest Often!

• You can’t know if a decision works until you try it.
• You are the worst playtester for your game.
• Family and friends are okay, but find some strangers!
• Iterate on the feedback you get.
• It’s hard to open yourself to criticism, but it’s worth it.

Let’s Try It!

• Teams of four.
• Materials on your table
• I’m giving you a theme, but just have fun with it!
• Helpers walking around are here to help you start, or give you advice if you need it.
• Don’t forget to playtest!
• Careful about scope.

The Theme is… Emotion!

• Pick one emotion to base your prototype off of (rage, happiness, apathy, etc.)
• Try to get your players to feel that emotion while playing, or remind them of that emotion.

Please take 60-seconds and tell us about your experience in this session!

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