What is Game Design?
Think about your favorite game that you have ever played - whether a mobile game, a card game, a board game or a console game. What made that game so much fun to play?
At the heart of your favorite game - is a well refined and tested game design. That idea wasn’t created instantly. Instead it started with a main idea - the core idea. That idea was then expanded upon with features and mechanics that complimented the core idea of the game. The game went through testing to work out kinks and issues. This process resulted in the game that you know and love.
What is a Game Designer?
At the heart of this well refined game design, is the game designer. What exactly does the game designer do?
The game designer is the one that comes up with potential ideas and then refines them into workable game mechanics. A game designer spends a lot of time working on potential ideas, testing them out and manipulating them so that they work smoothly within the game.
Creating a Game Design
Let’s look at an example of how the game design process might actually start. It all starts with a high level idea. For example: “Create a racing game”.
That is a great first step - but it needs to get more definition so that it is not so broad: “Create a 4x4 truck racing game”.
Good - now we have a better ballpark idea, but now we need to start adding more details. Once we start adding details we have the opportunity to create either good or bad game designs. As we define more details we may create a design that just doesn’t make sense or doesn’t resonate with players. Let’s look at two different ideas from this racing game:
- “Create a 4x4 truck racing game where you are an alien trying to run away from a pack of dinosaurs”
- “Create a 4x4 truck racing game where you compete against 6 other players in a timed race”
I think most of us will agree that the second idea makes a little more sense and will have more potential at success.
Good Game Design
While we don’t have time to get into every detail here, but just throwing out and combining random ideas is not always a great way to create a game. Instead - start with a core concept and then build out ideas that support and compliment that core concept.
A single game does not have to have every concept and feature ever invented. In fact a good game designer will know when to add and also when to remove ideas from a game.
The secret to good game design is to first come up with a core concept that defines your game. Then as you add additional elements, ask yourself whether this new idea compliments or distracts from the core of the game.
