Hi, I was wondering if there are any online classes that teach video game deisgn? -Lohrno

Exactly what are you looking for in a game design class (or course)? Game design is viewed by many as an art, so realize that while a course will teach you the basics and lay down structure, it will still take you years of experience to get good at it.

Game Institute is planning a course called Principles of Game Design and Architecture (check here for more), but I am not aware as to the status of the course, such as whether we need an instructor for it, whether the instructor is still working on the course materials, etc. If you want tho I can find out for you.

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Hmmm actually something like that...
Or maybe a small online series of classes on the principals of
game design. Yeah, I realize that its one of those things you
have to just do to get good at, but I want some kind of class
that will teach some of the formalities, and intellectual
aspects of it. Actually I do take classes there at Game
Institute, but its strange that I never noticed that one is
gonna be available soon. As soon as it is I''m taking it

-Lohrno

PS. If any of you know of any others, I''d be interested too! =)

I will answer questions/give short lessons via email if you''re interested in the writing/art/player psychology aspects of game design. What I know about game design is RPG/adventure focused, which may or may not be what you''re interested in. Game design really isn''t that complicated if you already know the basic principles of how to design a painting, or a building, or a piece of clothing, or a language... you can learn the fundamentals in any field of design because they''re based on how the human mind works, and only modified slightly by the medium you work in.

sunandshadow@excite.com

That''s cool of you, S&S

Hmm I dont even know where to start to ask for help from you! =)
Thats a really nice offer of yours...and I''d love to hear any
thoughts you have on Game Design...
I just dont know...What kinda question I should ask...

Like what are good indications my game idea is balanced or fun?
or
Just in general, advice...
I dont know, I''m sure I can make a design doc or two about some
of my ideas, but after I do that, what should I do to make sure
it is feasible/practical/fun?

I, like everyone in the whole world basically have ideas but
I dont know, I''d like some ideas on formalizing them, and/or
fine tuning, or even in the beginning whether or not I should
even bother in the first place.

Yes, I have read several people''s essays about the realisticity
of getting people to implement your ideas, but I just want some
advice, practice, and maybe formal lessons about designing.

If you''re willing to send me your thoughts about anything
really, my email is at:

Lohrno@yahoo.com

-Lohrno

I just enjoy teaching people.

It''s hard to know where to start if you don''t have any particular questions... What type of game do you want to make? Knowing that will help me tailor my answers better.

Well, maybe a good basic place to start is "Would my game be fun?" There are lots of things that contribute to the fun factor of a game, especially of the more story- and art-heavy types. The types of appeal are: aesthetic/romantic, sympathetic, strategicly challenging, suspenseful/mysterious/surprising, and ego-boosting (game praises the player for intelligence, morality, other competence)

Should I provide examples of which game elements have which sorts of appeal, or is it pretty clear?

There are also lots of things that can sabotauge an otherwise-fun game. These seem to exist in three clear categories: problems of player boredom/annoyance, problems of player confusion/stuckness, and problems of story involvement/suspension of disbelief.

Problems of player boredom/annoyance:
Long waits, repetition (see FF8''s summon attacks for an example of both), no need for player to evolve his/her strategy, too few options at any given time or the best choice is too obvious, predictability of any sort (in story, combat, or even art), too easy

Problems of player confusion/stuckness:
Too many options at any given time, no clear immediate objective, confusing navigation/other UI issues, game-logic that appears non-sensical to the player, too hard

Problems of story involvement/suspension of disbelief:
Poor mood transition (e.g. a slapstick moment in a tragic death scene), lack of a sympathetic character, lack of explanation of characters'' motives, morals heavy-handed or incompatible with player''s own, inconsistent characters, atmosphere not properly set up and introduced, story not emotionally involving, cultures stereotyped or illogically constructed, poor conveyance of emotion through character appearance, items that work except when the plot requires them not to (Aeris''s death and Phoenix Downs), see the ending goblin genocide document for many examples of traditional game stupidities


So basically, when designing your game put in lots of good things, weed out bad things, and do a lot of imaginary play-testing. And don''t forget to type up all your ideas, annoying though it may be. Was that at all helpful? Or too basic?

Thats all really good advice, thanks a lot! =D

I''d suppose I''ll fire some more questions at you then since
you like this! =)

How do you know if a game idea is fundamentally good or bad?
I mean if you have an idea that you think is just really cool,
and in reality, 99.9% are going to hate it, how do you know?
(well beside not impressing anyone)
Basically, how do you know before writing a doc whether you
should bother or not?
Or what if you had an idea, that you thought might kinda suck,
but actually would be very cool?
Should I make a design for everything just to eliminate the
possiblity?

I know, thats kinda philosophical, and psychological, but I was
wondering what your thoughts would be on that =)

Also, how detailed should one be when writing design docs?
Should one literally write a 200 page backstory for each
character in your story, or should it be a 2 sentence blurb?

What should one consider about the technological limits of ones
design? In this day and age, a lot is possible but should we
limit our design if something is not possible? or just keep it
the way it is until it is?

What about length? (for offline games) Should we
design our games to adhere to an average time to beat, or do you
think it matters? Should one who has beat the game be able to
zip right through in 2 hours to the end, or should we limit
people''s ability to do that?

I''d like to hear what you think about these things =)

-=Lohrno

quote:How do you know if a game idea is fundamentally good or bad?
I mean if you have an idea that you think is just really cool,
and in reality, 99.9% are going to hate it, how do you know?

Quite honestly I don''t think anyone would have an answer to that since there''s no quantitative measurement of how "good" or "bad" a game really is. All you can really do is make something with high quality, different from the rest so it''ll stand out, fun, and pray for a ton of luck.

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