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Game Design Patterns

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Title: Game Design Patterns


1
Game Design Patterns
  • Staffan Björk, Tobias Rydenhag Jussi Holopainen

2
Disclaimer!
  • We are not
  • business people
  • game designers
  • service providers
  • programmers (well not in this role)
  • We are
  • researchers

3
People talk about games
  • But either as an abstract thing
  • Everything is a game and dont ask me about the
    details now
  • Or about a specific game
  • and specific details
  • But there doesnt seem to be too many common and
    well-defined concepts by used
  • Is it important that things are defined?

4
What are game design patterns?
  • A way to describe design choices that reoccur in
    many games
  • An explanation to why these design choices have
    been made
  • A guide of how to make similar design choices in
    your own game project
  • What is required to make the pattern emerge
  • What consequences can the pattern have on game
    play?
  • We will not talk about the origins of design
    patterns in architecture nor its use within
    software engineering, human-computer interaction
    or interaction design

5
Again, what are game design patterns?
  • Examples
  • Power-Ups
  • Boss Monster
  • Paper-Rock-Scissor
  • Cut Scenes
  • Role Reversal
  • Parallel Lives
  • Orthogonal Unit Differentiation
  • Stimulated Social Interaction

6
Why is this interesting?
  • Need a vocabulary for talking about games
  • Describe and compare games while focusing on the
    interaction provided in games
  • Need to discuss game designs in a structured
    fashion
  • Provide a tool for, especially experimental, game
    design

7
Game Mechanics?
  • Similarities
  • Describe specific elements of games
  • Differences
  • Patterns use structured description
  • More than one sentence
  • Consequences of applying a pattern
  • Patterns stresses the influence they have on each
    other
  • Subpatterns
  • Superior patterns
  • Potential conflicting patterns

8
Formal Abstract Design Tools?
  • Doug Church
  • Formal Abstract Design Tools. Gamasutra, 1999.
    Originally Game Developer magazine, Vol 3, Issue
    28, July 1999.
  • Focus
  • precise definition and the ability to explain it
    to someone else
  • emphasize the focus on underlying ideas, not
    specific genre constructs
  • form a common vocabulary
  • Examples
  • INTENTION Making an implementable plan of one's
    own creation in response to the current situation
    in the game world and one's understanding of the
    game play options.
  • PERCEIVABLE CONSEQUENCE A clear reaction from
    the game world to the action of the player.

9
400 Design Rules?
  • Hal Barwood Noah Falstein
  • Better By Design The 400 Project. Game Developer
    magazine, Vol. 9, Issue 3, March 2002, p. 26.
  • http//www.theinspiracy.com/400_project.htm
  • Collect proven game design rules and techniques
  • Stated as instructions to follow but acknowledge
    that there may be trumping rules
  • Parts
  • Imperative Statement
  • Domain of Application
  • Dominated Rules
  • Dominating Rules
  • Examples Aliases
  • Examples
  • Turn Constants into Variables
  • Fight Player Fatigue
  • Let the Player Turn the Game Off
  • Dont Penalize the Player

10
Game Design Patterns?!?!
  • Berndt Kreimeier has introduced game design
    patterns in The Case For Game Design Patterns
  • www.gamasutra.com/features/20020313/kreimeier_01.h
    tm
  • Concerned with content patterns
  • Parts
  • Name
  • Problem
  • Solution
  • Consequences
  • Focuses on problem-solution pair

11
Yet again, what are game design patterns?
  • Important characteristics
  • Recurring game mechanics or elements of
    interaction in games
  • Semi-formal inter-dependent descriptions
  • Can be intentional or emergent in game designs
  • No canonical definition
  • Our definition (others are possible)
  • Not only a collection of patterns
  • The methods in which they can be used

12
Our pattern template
  • Name
  • Description
  • Consequences
  • Using the pattern
  • Relations
  • References
  • Works upon a structural framework (game sessions,
    rules, players, actions, closures, information
    structures, control structures, etc.)

13
Our pattern template, cont.
  • Name
  • Preferable short, specific, and idiomatic
  • Description
  • Concise description of the pattern
  • how it affects the structural framework (if it
    does)
  • In what games the pattern is typically found

14
Our pattern template, cont.
  • Consequences
  • What effects the game pattern has on game play
  • What superior patterns the pattern supports
  • Potentially conflicting patterns and why
  • Using the pattern
  • What components from the structural framework are
    required to use the game
  • Subpatterns that can be used to instantiate the
    pattern

15
Our pattern template, cont.
  • Relations
  • Superior patterns
  • Subpatterns
  • Potentially conflicting patterns
  • References
  • To descriptions of the phenomena not using
    patterns
  • Games exemplifying the pattern
  • Patents

16
Structural Framework
  • A activity-based model of game interaction
  • The medium patterns occur in
  • Includes many of traditional concepts used to
    describe games

17
Structural Framework, cont.
18
Example pattern
  • Producer-Consumer

19
Producer-Consumer
  • Name
  • Producer-Consumer
  • Description
  • The production of resource by one game element
    that is consumed by another game element or game
    event

20
Producer-Consumer
  • Examples

21
Producer-Consumer
  • Consequences
  • Concrete, and very common pattern
  • Can regulate the flow of the game
  • Can increase the complexity of the game,
    especially if the players can control the
    producer-consumer elements
  • Can increase the feeling of player control

22
Producer-Consumer
  • Using the pattern
  • Production regulation
  • Based on time or turn, player actions, game
    events, element configuration, continuous
    production vs. one-time etc.
  • Effects what is produced, indicators to players,
    play mode changes etc.
  • Consumption regulation
  • Based on and effects as in production
  • Use of Factory, Accumulator and other related
    patterns

23
Producer-Consumer
  • Relations
  • Subpatterns Factory, Accumulator, Symmetric
    distribution, Asymmetric distribution , Symmetric
    abilities, Asymmetric abilities,
  • Superior Limited Resources, Trade, Investments,
    Resource Management and Control,
  • References
  • Rolling, A. Adams, E. Andrew Rolling Ernest
    Adams On Game Design.

24
Break
25
Uses of game design patterns
  • Inspiration
  • Creative design tool
  • Design verification
  • Problem-Solving for Game Interaction Design
  • Communication and analysis

26
Inspiration
  • Avoid getting stuck in the same thoughts
  • Avoid missing possible ideas
  • Each pattern is an example of possible
    interaction in a game
  • No need to distill ideas from existing games
  • Can be used tarot-like for brainstorming

27
Inspiration example
  • Brainstorming session
  • Game for future mobile phones
  • 9 participants
  • Design requirements
  • number of required players 3-12
  • technical details has to use Instant Messaging
    etc.
  • use of certain patterns from Bluffing, Stimulated
    Social Interaction, Cooperation, Competition,
    Hovering Closure, Coalition Dynamics, Tension,
    Producer-Consumer etc.

28
Inspiration example
  • Brainstorming in groups of three
  • The usual slam-each-idea-on-the-table-one-at-the-t
    ime
  • Short, one sentence game features, themes,
    characters, mechanics, player to player
    interaction etc.
  • Patterns as anchors
  • Group the ideas for more concrete concepts

29
Creative Design Tool
  • A collection of patterns as the starting point
    for a game concept
  • Refinement can be done by examining and choosing
    additional patterns, gradually building a more
    concrete game design

30
Creative Design Tool example
  • Setting
  • Soap operas
  • 4-12 players
  • Design exercise for future mobile phones..
  • Main patterns
  • Stimulated Social Interaction
  • Tension

31
Creative Design Tool example
  • Stimulated Social Interaction
  • Trading -gt Producer-Consumer -gt Asymmetric
    Distribution -gt Completion of Collection Closure
  • Mutual Goals
  • Shared Rewards
  • Tension
  • Bluffing -gt Impartial Information
  • Possibility of Betrayal -gt Uncommitted Alliances
    -gt Collaborative Action -gt Delayed Outcome

32
Creative Design Tool example
  • Goal of the game
  • Create soap opera episodes as comic strips
  • Game Components
  • Each episode contains 12 scenes
  • Scenes require Drama Points Love, Hate, Wealth,
    Lust based on characters, setting and mood
    (Completion of Collection Closure)
  • Producers Wish List, i.e. This actor has to be
    in 4 scenes

33
Creative Design Tool example
  • Actions
  • Accept wish (Producer of Drama Points, Impartial
    Information)
  • Create scene (Consumer of Drama Points, Impartial
    Information, Personalization)
  • Trade and coalitions (Trading, Bluffing,
    Collaborative Actions, Uncommitted Alliances,
    Impartial Information)
  • Complete an episode (Mutual Goals, Shared
    Rewards, Delayed Outcome)

34
Design Verification
  • Use of the patterns and structural framework to
    check design against intentions
  • Spot gaps in design
  • Spot overemphasizes
  • Spot redundancies
  • Spot opportunities

35
Problem-Solving in Interaction Design
  • Understanding why a design has certain wanted and
    unwanted characteristics
  • NOT why the game isnt fun or good!
  • Give examples of what can be added to, or removed
    from, a design to achieve a certain effect

36
Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example
  • Imagine a basic racing game
  • Complaint Not enough variation in game play
    how about some power-ups?
  • what Power-Ups could exist?
  • Give Privileged Actions
  • otherwise unavailable (laying mines)
  • simply modification (speed-up)
  • Replenish Limited Resources (gas)

37
Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example
  • when should they be available?
  • Fixed or variable intervals (Timing, Reward
    Schedule)
  • Consequence of events in the game (e.g. a
    character is killed and his weapon can be picked
    up by other players)
  • Rare are Limited Resources
  • Where should they appear?
  • Predetermined location
  • allows players to identify Strategic Points
  • Random location (increasing Randomization)

38
Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example
  • who should be able to take them?
  • how long should the effect of the power-up last?
  • can disrupt player balance
  • Limit the effect (e.g. max health)
  • Use as Balancing Effect
  • Intangible to players meeting certain criteria
  • Power-up available only to disadvantaged players
  • Reveal the nature of power-up only after being
    picked up (Impartial Information). Modify the
    nature of power-up according to the players
    status in the game.

39
Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example
  • Treadmilling in MMOGs
  • Repetitive actions for progression
  • (Can be) boring, but is necessary
  • Use of macros
  • Sense of progression
  • Strong incentive to stay in the game
  • Progression structures
  • High sense of achievement (leveling)
  • Constant acknowledgements
  • Social pressure

40
Problem-Solving in Interaction Design example
  • Possible modifications
  • Diminished Rewards
  • Limited Resources
  • Variable Reward Schedule
  • Possibility of critical failure
  • Mentor

41
Communication and Analysis
  • Offer a neutral definition instead of relying on
    that subjective understandings match
  • Patterns can be used as concise definitions that
    make descriptions shorter and more specific
  • Makes the design process more visible
  • Explain design decisions
  • Identify new patterns

42
Communication and Analysis
  • Avoid jargon specific to profession
  • Allows comparisons with other games
  • How same pattern used in different ways
  • The selection of patterns used
  • How the patterns relate to each other

43
Communication and Analysis example
  • Patterns as design requirements
  • Common understanding of the features of the game
    with all stakeholders (publisher, producer,
    development team, marketing)
  • Easier to check if the features present in design
  • Design decisions easier to explain
  • To achieve Social Interaction I used Trade in
    such and such way

44
Conclusion
  • A possible common language for game design
  • A collection of game design knowledge
  • Tool for
  • Inspiration
  • Structured creative design
  • Problem-solving
  • Communication and Analysis

45
Thank you
  • http//www.gamedesignpatterns.org

46
Discussion
  • Silver-bullet?
  • Vitamins or pain-killers?
  • Destroys creativity?
  • Encyclopedic committee?

47
Recommended Reading
  • Kreimeier, B. The Case For Game Design Patterns
  • www.gamasutra.com/features/20020313/kreimeier_01.h
    tm
  • Kreimeier, B. Game Design Methods A 2003 Survey
  • http//www.gamasutra.com/features/20030303/kreimei
    er_01.shtml
  • Wright, W. Dynamics for Designers. Presentation
    at GDC 2003
  • http//www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/Wright_Will.pp
    t
  • Smith, H. Orthogonal Unit Differentiation,
    Presentation at GDC 2003
  • http//www.gdconf.com/archives/2003/Smith_Harvey.p
    pt
  • Rollings, A. Adams, E. Andrew Rollings Ernest
    Adams on Game Design
  • Our website www.gamedesignpatterns.org
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