Game Design

The term, Ludology, was coined by Espen Aardseth, who advocates the emergence of a new field of study, specifically focused on the study of games and game play, rather than framed through the concerns of pre-existing disciplines or other media.

Costikyan: I have no words so I must design....more

A historical artifact that takes us to minds of game designers. Costikyan makes a call to game designers and to the game industry for a critical language.Defines a game as "a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal." He then provides game designer with tools to analyze games. Points to the narrative aspect of games, while emphasizing that an interactive narrative is not a game just for being interactive

Ways to strengthen games

Variety of Encounters
–Random elements are never wholly random, they are within a range of possibilities
–Randomness can be useful.. It is one way to provide variety
–Players like to encounter the unexpected
–With inadequate variety, it gets boring quickly
Positive Identification
–Character identification is a common theme in fiction and games
–Lends emotional power to a story
–In a sports game the identifying position is YOU,
Making the game more important to YOU
Role Playing – provides position identification, the feeling that the world is alive and colorful
Socializing – When designing think about social issues and how the game encourages or discourages socialization.
–How can you encourage better socializing
Narrative tension- The story should become more gripping as it proceeds until climatic resolution.

Narratives:
metanarratives


narratives are not just linear and crafted; Jenkins broadens understanding of narrative into a metanarrative
Jenkins: Game design as narrative architecture
Explores the relationship between games and story
Read: The image of the city
Kevin Lynch argues that the structure of a city exists not only in physical reality but also in the minds of its inhabitants. Individuals hold a unique image of his or her city, a visual representation that guides through daily life and maps out meaning. He breaks down interconnected design elements into five categories: paths, edges, districts, nodes, and landmarks.
Paths are the transportation routes of the city and are the most common points from which the city is experienced. They can be made distinct and memorable through variation in design and natural setting. To avoid confusion, there ought to be an obvious hierarchy of streets, indicating which carry a higher volume. Each street need not be absolutely straight, but it ought to travel in one general direction and have a directional gradient to communicate where on the line the traveler is. Paths should have well-defined origins and destinations as well as landmarks along the way.

Edges provide a spatially distinct constitution to elements of the city. The more visually obvious they are, like a waterfront or park side, the better. Edges can be strong, but planners must ensure they are are still penetrable enough to allow connections across them.

Districts are relatively large areas that have enough identity to be named. Each district should be set apart from others through thematic, visual clues. Districts often become defined in terms of class or special use as well. Some districts are introverted, with sharp boundaries and an exclusive association, while others are extroverted, tied more closely to the whole pattern of the city.

Nodes are precise locations that require extra attention from the observer, usually junctions along a network of paths or transit stations. They should be limited to a reasonable amount and made distinct through edges and landmarks. A landmark is anything that stands out that can help an observer orient himself. It could be lavish and visually appealing, or it could simply be a foreground that contrasts sharply with the background.