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Building an In-Game Store for the First Time? Here are the 4 Keys to Success UNDER REVIEW
May 23 2013 07:08 AM | Posted By Yaniv Nizan
in Game Design
So you have a great concept for a mobile game and you have heard that free games with in app purchase is the way to go but you are not sure where to start. Guess what? You are not alone and many are struggling with this challenge. Here are 4 golden tips.
Tagged With: iap in-app purchase in-game store virtual currency mobile iphone android ios
Breaking Out of Breakout UNDER REVIEW
May 21 2013 11:07 AM | Posted By Thomas Duindam
in Game Design
For the past couple of years, me and some friends have spend one day each week working on ‘Caromble!’ 'Caromble!', a breakout/ pinball styled game. We would like to share why working on a retro game is interesting and how you can build upon a classic game.
Tagged With: retro breakout physics 3d design pinball
Life of a Level Designer
May 14 2013 11:07 AM | Posted By Szymon Barchan
in Game Design
Take a look at what it really means to be a level designer, from a Bulletstorm developer
Tagged With: level design fps unreal 3d udk scripting
The Total Beginner’s Guide to Better 2D Game Art
May 14 2013 01:09 AM | Posted By Mark Simpson (Prinz Eugn)
in Visual Arts
This article will introduce you to basic art concepts to give you a head start in making your game art great. This article is written for those non-artists who would like to start creating their own quality 2D assets, or inexperienced artists just getting started with creating 2D art for games.
Tagged With: art creative drawing pixel art shading shadows hue shifting sprite proportions character design concept 2d beginner getting started artist
Documentation for Indie Studios: Why do you need it? UNDER REVIEW
May 09 2013 07:00 AM | Posted By Ivan Spasov
in Game Design
This article features the importance of writing down good documentation for the entire development process. This is applicable for the indie studios and indie developers and teams that quite often miss out on this important step.
Tagged With: design documentation technical indie
Non-Linear Story Lines UNDER REVIEW
May 06 2013 07:05 AM | Posted By BrendanL.K
in Game Design
Take a simple concept of summarizing stories with lines, and blow it out of perspective. Make your stories more interesting with non-linear stories.
Tagged With: story non-linear design writing
The Infinite Game
Apr 20 2013 05:42 AM | Posted By Anton Temba
in Game Design
Find out how to control the longevity of your project and how to create the ultimate, infinite game. Be warned, this is a massive guide.
Tagged With: game design design infinite infinite game super game
Taking Slender apart, an Introduction to Horror Games
Apr 19 2013 05:44 PM | Posted By Jonas Schwammberger aka Bluefirehawk
in Game Design
Slender has been an internet phenomenon, creating more videos of screaming and sobbing players than most AAA games in the Survival Horror genre. I have never met a person who truly wasn't scared or at least startled by this game. So come with me on this journey, if you too want to be a diabolic Game Designer who makes grown men cry!
Tagged With: Slender Introduction Dissection Mechanics Horror
Dominoze PC Post-mortem: Nine Years, One Programmer
Apr 18 2013 09:34 PM | Posted By Christopher Haag
in Game Design
The developer of the PC game "Dominoze" describes the life cycle of a unique 3D physics puzzle game that was never finished, and how development without boundaries or goals can simultaneously result in a commercial failure and a personal success.
Tagged With: indie design development physics postmortem
Writing Game Music
Apr 18 2013 01:52 AM | Posted By John Licato
in Music and Sound
Learn the basics of music theory, notation and composition to make your game sound better. Written for both musicians and non-musicians
Tagged With: composing audio music
100-Percenting It: Video Game Play Through the Eyes of Devoted Gamers
Apr 05 2013 09:18 PM | Posted By Preeti Khanolkar
in Game Design
This is a summary of my academic publication on gaming, which explores the deeper meaning that games have for gamers, the social quality of games, gaming etiquette, and the desire to 100-percent games, among other topics.
Tagged With: game study morals violence 100-percenting it hardcore gamer atmosphere immersive worlds etiquette talking trash sociology social interaction competition accomplishments thoroughness status stigma cheating walkthroughs
I Have a Game Idea!
Apr 04 2013 07:43 PM | Posted By Casey Hardman
in Game Design
New to game development? Have a game idea, but don't know how to turn it into a game? Want to sell your idea to a game studio and get rich? Let's talk about it.
Tagged With: game idea game design idea guy
Developing Your Game Concept By Making A Design Document
Apr 04 2013 05:02 AM | Posted By Mare Kuntz aka sunandshadow
in Game Design
This tutorial will walk a beginning or intermediate game designer thorough the process of evolving their initial game idea into a full design document. This guide also explains how the design document is then used to begin and developing the design into a playable game, and continue as a guide throughout the development process.
Tagged With: game design document concept genre features pet design doc
What does a Game Designer do? An Introduction to Role UNDER REVIEW
Mar 31 2013 12:29 PM | Posted By Jonas Schwammberger aka Bluefirehawk
in Game Design
Game Design is a word thrown around in many different game review journals. But what is it, and especially what does a Game Designer do, and when did you do a good job?In this article I hope to shed some light on the role of a Game Designer.
Tagged With: beginner game designer role careers level designer game designer
Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics
Mar 23 2013 06:31 AM | Posted By Casey Hardman
in Game Design
The Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics approach helps to teach new game designers how to focus their game designs and create more concentrated gaming experiences.
Tagged With: game design aesthetics mechanics dynamics aesthetics of play genres beginner
Autodesk Maya 2013 Review
Sep 05 2012 06:10 PM | Posted By Kelly L. Murdock
in Visual Arts
Autodesk Maya 2013 software is available as a stand-alone product; as part of the Maya Entertainment Creation Suite 2013, which includes Maya, Mudbox, MotionBuilder and Sketchbook Designer; as part of the Premium Suite which adds Softimage to the mix; and as part of the Ultimate Suite, which also includes 3ds Max. So, there are several different packages that include Maya.If you plan on working...
3ds Max 2013 Review
Jul 31 2012 01:00 PM | Posted By Kelly L. Murdock
in Visual Arts
Introduction3ds Max 2013 is available as a stand-alone package or as part of a suite of tools and, for the first time, Autodesk is also offering an Ultimate Suite that includes both 3ds Max and Maya together along with the other suite packages. This provides a solution to artists that lets them choose the best tool for the task at hand instead of deciding at the project's start which packag...
Ravenwood Fair Postmortem
May 01 2012 01:56 PM | Posted By YetiZen
in Game Design
Hello from YetiZen!YetiZen has two arms. We are a key community builder as we run the San Francisco Game Developer's Workshop, the largest regularly meeting game developer group in the world (5000+ game developers last year). We also run the YetiZen Accelerator, the only games focused accelerator in existence.After hundreds of requests to bring the San Francisco Game Developer's wor...
Autodesk Media Summit 2012
Apr 17 2012 10:44 AM | Posted By Kelly L. Murdock
in Visual Arts
We break down what's new with Autodesk's upcoming lineup of products, including cloud rendering services, tightly-integrated game asset pipeline tools, new rendering technologies, and more
Getting Started with Audacity
Feb 24 2012 10:01 PM | Posted By Bethany Hiitola
in Music and Sound
Audacity is an open source audio editing software. This means that the software is free to download, and you can use it to create items that are freely distributable. You'll learn all of the basics about creating audiocasts—or podcasts—that can be uploaded to the Web and shared with the world.This article by Bethany Hiitola, author of the book Getting started with Audacity 1.3, will discuss...
Raw Meat: Game Design Tips from Team Meat's Edmund McMillen
Jan 31 2012 05:12 AM | Posted By Pat Flannery
in Game Design
Edmund McMillen is one of the most popular indie game designers of the past 5 years. From his early award-winning work on Gish, through the mega-popular Super Meat Boy, and now his personal project The Binding of Isaac, his games have exhibited truly brilliant design and a unique visual style. Check out some of his tips for designing your own games, highlighted here, and be sure to watch the fu...
The No Twinkie Database!
Jan 24 2012 02:40 PM | Posted By Ernest W. Adams
in Game Design
designersnotebook.com —
The "No Twinky" database is an extensive list of commonly occurring design mistakes seen in video-games, and provides a reference for designing good games by explaining what not to do.
The Tao of Game Design
Jan 24 2012 02:37 PM | Posted By Ernest W. Adams
in Game Design
designersnotebook.com —
In this piece, veteran designer Ernest Adams shares some basic precepts for game design.
Grand Theft Auto Design Document
Jan 17 2012 01:08 PM | Posted By DMA Design Ltd
in Game Design
scribd.com —
This document from 1995 shows a scanned copy of the Race'n'Chase game, which later became known as Grand Theft Auto.
Once you land the gig… | Madsen Studios LLC
Jan 10 2012 02:16 PM | Posted By Nathan Madsen
in Music and Sound
madsenstudios.com —
A few simple -- but not always obvious -- tips for dealing with a project after you have landed the gig.