The MOST Important Goal of Game Design
Game Design? What's that? Doesn't that just come naturally once we sit down at our computer and start programming a game? The game design just kinda sorts itself out as we go along, right?
This seems to be the mentality of some game developers and bedroom coders but it is something we need to get away from when we decide to actually create a game. In particular, this way of thinking comes with some very damaging baggage that has the almost certain ability to sabotage our game development efforts. This baggage has the following effects:
1. The game has no concrete design with a concept, scope and ending goal so... it never gets finished. The old adage of "failing to plan" equating to "planning to fail" applies here.
2. The lack of planning in the design stage will likely result in poorly structured coding which will make the game difficult to create, maintain and modify, possibly resulting in the same fate as point one above - the game never getting finished.
3. People won't enjoy playing the game! A game with poor (or absent) design methodology is apt to suffer from poor gameplay mechanics, storyline or other elements required to ensure a fun game. This could result in a product (if it ever actually gets finished) that holds little appeal for its intended gaming audience. Which brings us to the subject of this article...
What drives players to finish playing a game?
Yes, that is the most important question in game design and should be the number one goal of any game designer - to create a game so enjoyable and addictive that the player is motivated to finish it all the way through (hopefully several times).
So what factors contribute to the enjoyment and playability of any game that draws the player in and engages them so completely that they are compelled to see it through to the final end screen. Let's take a look at a few of these factors:
1. Playability
The mechanics of the game must be actually fun to play and free of annoyances such as long wait times, excessive difficulty, annoying music or sound effects and worst of all... bugs.
2. Novelty
The game should hopefully offer something new that the player hasn't seen before. Do we really need more pac-man or space invader incarnations? If so, the gameplay better be spot-on and include some novel elements.
3. Scope
The game should contain enough interesting elements to break the monotony.
3. Progression
The player should fee like they are actually getting somewhere and making progress as they 'progress' through the levels of the game. There should be some positive confirmations such as character level-up, weapons/vehicle upgrades, changing scenery, harder enemies, etc.
5. Mission Factor
In an ideal world the game would provide an overall mission or objective that the player should be constantly prodded to achieve. Some examples could be collecting a complete collection of objects, working your way up through various player ranks to achieve the top rank, or other 'collectible' objectives. When a player has a clear goal that is comprised of smaller obtainable goals, the ongoing positive feedback of small achievements along the way should help keep them coming back for more until they accomplish their mission (and ours - of having them complete the game to the end)!
