Understanding Game Design

In "Gaming Literacies: A Game Design Study in Action," Katie Salen describes five core aspects behind the design of a game:

• Rules
• Goals
• Space
• Components
• Core mechanics

By using these elements, a designer can mix multiple aspects into a game that represents coherent text within a genre.

Let’s look at an example of this concept. Super Mario Brothers is designed primarily as a horizontal space that scrolls across the screen as Mario runs. However, this space only makes sense if the player action is delimited somehow by the rules of the game.

In the case of Super Mario Brothers, this happens through the presence of simulated gravity which causes the character to fall to the ground. It also gives meaning to jumping. In fact, the relationship between these two ideas, space and rules, is so central that jumping becomes the most fundamental dynamic in the game, i.e., the core mechanic. Through this fundamental interaction of jumping, the player "talks" to the game.

Discovering Meaningful Patterns Through Play

Raph Koster argues that the central purpose of playing a game is for the player to discover the patterns hidden within it (Koster, 2005). While these patterns are mostly easier to see in a simple game like Pac-Man, more elaborate games make it increasingly difficult for the pattern to be seen and recognized. This complexity contributes to the overall challenge and fun of the game.

To discover the pattern, players must engage in a cycle of observation, experimentation, analysis, hypothesizing and observing. This cycle is very similar to that which scientists engage in when researching something new.

By discovering the patterns in the game, the cycle of repetitive action is combined with a variation in the level of difficulty for the game. In other words, in the beginning of a game, a lot of help is given to the player and the relationship between the player and the game is made explicit. As the player advances, such explicitness fades and the he or she is given more control over his or her own learning.

Shaping Player's Behavior

Sid Meier, designer of Civilization, defines a game as "a series of interesting decisions" (Camargo, 2004). Decision-making is fundamental to games, as the player must constantly choose between possible actions while moving forward. By choosing the rules, components, core mechanics and space of the game, designers can constrain or free up player actions.