Defining the pillars of game design, and how we can use them throughout the design process.
Blog Post #01
7/27/23
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For my pilot blog post, I’d like to start simple and define the core principles of Game Design, which serve as a basis for all designers to build on, as well as provide some ideas on how we, as combat designers can use these as stepping stones.
So, what have we as a collective agreed are our industries pillars, and why?
In Essence, the “Core Concepts” Or “Pillars” Of Game design are really just ways for the player to interact with the world around them, they are what separates games from movies or other non-interactive forms of entertainment.
Given this, it’s hard to come to a solid consensus on this topic, and answers will vary based on who you ask, but my favorite definition is as follows:
- Goals and objectives
- Rules and/or Instructions
- Interaction
- Conflict (and/or competition, challenge, opposition)
- Outcomes and Feedback.
These serve as a solid way to separate games from other forms of media, as well as provide some room for creativity in what makes a game a game. For example, what if the only interaction a player has is pressing ‘x’ to advance a series of cutscenes that tell a story, is that still a game?
What about a game with visual feedback, where the only for it interaction is pressing ‘x’ to play a sound, is that a game? Many distinctions made about “what makes a game a game” are largely benign, but these pillars seem to serve as solid definitions that most can agree on.
Now that we're all (mostly) on the same page about what a video game is, let's discuss some of the necessary constraints, as well as the creative freedoms awarded to designers who choose to build off these pillars.
- Goals and objectives
One of my all-time favorite childhood games, Portal gives the player an incredibly simple objective and builds off of this in amazing ways. Simply move a cube onto a pressure pad while creating multi-colored portals. This simple and easy-to-follow gameplay loop allowed for a nearly endless addition of mechanics and interactivity, and cemented Portal as the quintessential puzzle game.
On the flip side of this, games like Starbound give the player so much freedom with their end goal, that the player is functionally free to play however suits them. However, even the most non-linear games must have some sort of objective. Oftentimes, this comes in the form of loot or currency collection, or combat; we’ll touch on this shortly.
2. Rules and/or instructions
I like to think of rules as the constraints given to the player, by the designer(hopefully for their own good.)
Often times rules are hidden in games in ways we don’t even notice, how high can you jump? How many weapons can you have equipped at once? Level designers seem to be masters at constraining the player without alerting them, gates and valves being a common example of this.
Ironically, what the player isn’t allowed to do often defines their experiences, and helps to make games more captivating. Imagine if Trucking simulators allowed you to wage war on Alien forces, as fun as that may sound, players who like trucking simulators may be turned off completely from their favorite series.
3. interaction
This is where I throw my hat in, and hopefully, turn ideas into gameplay! At their core, games are interactive experiences, many will say if a game doesn’t have interaction, it’s not really a game.
I’m reminded of my experiences creating a wall-running platformer for a game contest. I really liked the game feel, running from wall to wall picking up collectibles felt fun and rewarding, but it turned out my playtesters felt differently. In my quest to create simple gameplay loops, I had robbed players of the interactivity they had hoped for.
This is why being adaptable as a designer is key, I was able to create additional paths for the player to choose between, giving agency to the player, I also created a grapple hook mechanic that would allow the player to adjust their movement mid-air. While the game wasn’t quite what I hoped for, it turns out, speaking very generally, the more options for meaningful interaction the player is given, the more they will enjoy their experience.
4. Conflict (and/or competition, challenge, opposition)
I see this as an extension of interaction, what's the player's motivation for choosing to interact with your game, to begin with? From a combat design perspective, this may be something like capitalizing on an enemy's attack pattern in order to deal damage at their most vulnerable state. From a narrative perspective, this could be making meaningful decisions in order to get the desired outcome for your character, game like The Wolf Among Us do a stellar job at this.
In games like Call of Duty or Overwatch, the incentive for playing is often simply to win, or at the very least to do better than you’ve done in the past. On a more micro level, this may include unlocking loot boxes or practicing minimizing recoil on an assault weapon in order to maximize accuracy.
5. Outcomes and Feedback.
Outcomes and Feedback tie both into serious and/or educational games, as well as game games for entertainment. Educational games may use feedback as a way to let students know how well they are doing on a current subject or to continue to encourage progress.
Outcomes are just that, what happens when a player takes an action, and why is this important within the context of their environment? Imagine if a player were to shoot at the ground, and the ground split in two, and Kthulu materialized. Again, I would totally play that game, however, it goes against what the player would expect the outcome of their action to be. Outcomes and feedback ideally, but not exclusively work together.
With that being said, feedback is a universal term for showing or telling the player that the action they have taken has had some sort of effect. In games for entertainment, This could be something as simple as a dent in a wall after being hit with a bullet, or as complex as a complex particle system after casting powerful spells. Additionally, feedback can come in the form of music playing when the player enters a safe zone, growls when a hostile enemy enters your line of sight, or any number of visual, audio, or kinesthetic cues.
Of course, these are just the very basic, day-one design pillars that most designers will use at some point in their journey. Many Triple-A companies have their own design pillars focused on things like, combat, cooperation, and even specific mechanics that producers want to be highlighted frequently in gameplay.
As stated in my Mission statement, I have my own set of Design Pillars that I like to build most of my work from. I find that things like simple yet enjoyable gameplay loops, introducing mechanics early into gameplay, and matching character and AI abilities work well for me on a personal level.
Each specialization within game design has its own goals and pillars that they will use while designing. What works for one, can be useless for others, so it’s important to dig deeper into the intent behind your design, rather prior to entering a game engine.
Before ending this post, I decided to create a mock project to show off the use of design pillars, coupled with a solid design intent in order to create a cohesive plan of action for your work.
Turning Theory into Practice:
As you can see above, Design Pillars can be used for much more than just theoretical discussions about what makes a game a game. With a bit of visualization, I was able to create a decently fleshed-out plan of action, including an initial sprint, and plans for cross-team collaboration just based on three design pillars.
In my opinion, this is where the real power of design principles is utilized, in creating measurable plans of attack, that help mitigate design risks and provide a plan of attack for designers. The pillars of Game design are a great jumping-off point for more complex discussions, such as AI design fundamentals, risk vs. reward in combat, and other more specialized game design topics.
The practical use of design pillars was something that has been on my mind for a while, so I was glad to be able to discuss it in depth here today.
In our next blog, we will discuss combat systems in tabletop card games, and how we can translate these systems into video games, stick around it’s gonna get really exciting, and incredibly nerdy!
References:
Figure 6: The Six Game Elements Are Introduced.” ResearchGate, www.researchgate.net/figure/The-six-game-elements-are-introduced_fig5_281267623.
“ — -.” Copyright 2023 the Learning Guild. Copyright 2023: Powered by Cyclone Enterprise: Content Management Solutions and Dynamic Publishing System Developed by Cyclone Interactive Multimedia Group, Inc. http://www.cycloneinteractive.com, Powered by Cyclone and Powered by Cyclone Enterprise. Portional ColdFusion Programming Provided by Finial Software, Inc. www.finial.com, www.learningguild.com/articles/1087/game-architecture-delivering-meaningful-learning-experiences/#:~:text=According%20to%20Schell%2C%20games%20are,story%2C%20aesthetics%2C%20and%20technology.
GDC. “Authored Vs. Systemic: Finding a Balance for Combat AI in Uncharted 4.” YouTube, 11 July 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8W7EQKBgcg.
Matthew Apelman:
