Game Elements

 Understanding Game Elements

Game Elements

During this weeks reading I learned more about game elements. When designing your own game it is important to know how all the various parts fit together. Although there may be many definitions on what a game actually is we can take some of the similarities of each and use them to define a game. All common reoccurring themes like, games are activities, they are safe, games are outside of normal life, they are voluntary and they are also art gives us an opening to understanding and identifying individual game elements.  These are the formal elements of a game because they are everything that creates the game in a mathematical and scientific way. These elements are known to some as atoms, as they are the smallest part of a game that can be segregated and studied. 

When game designers get to work on a new game design they will look at these sort of  'atoms'  

• Players
• Objectives 
• Rules
• Resources and Resource Management 
• Game State
• Information
• Sequencing 
• Player Interaction
• Theme 
• Games as Systems 

Also in the reading I furthered my knowledge on critically analyzing games. Analyzing a game is not just picking everything that is wrong with the game but more so what to add or remove in order to increase the quality of the game. I found out about a simple three step method for when critically analyzing a game. It involves, describing the games formal elements,  how the formal elements work and trying to understand why the designer chose these elements and how the game could differ if other elements were chosen.

 Learning to critically analysis your own or other peoples work can prove valuable to developing games to the best of quality. In the reading "What are the qualities of games" provides questions to ask yourself during the process of critical analysis. Some of the questions include, what is the games target audience, what challenges do the players face, and is the game replayable ? Learning about these techniques and putting them to use should provide anyone with a more strategic approach to game development.

For anyone who is interested in game design and is maybe struggling with the development or design of the game I have provided a useful link to a webpage which talks about paper prototyping and the benefits this technique can have on the developing your game. Check it out! https://bit.ly/36ZASDA

 

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