Reading about Games GDD

Heya Huns,

Welcome back to my blog. For the reading this week we were looking at the early stages of the design process of games by Greg Aleknevicus.

source

He explains that if you are creating a game that include tiles to then make the tiles smaller than the space in which they have to inhabit so not to cause them to overlap or interfere with each other. 

He also suggests to use distinguishable colours in the design of your game, but this can be tricky as many people (including myself) are colour blind. Contrasting colours are best as they are easily distinguishable from each other and no mistakes can be made, If both characters and red and orange it can be hard to tell them apart.Greg also suggests using shape to differentiate characters in order to avoid the mix up which can occur from colour. Using different materials and components can also help to individualise characters. Use clear fonts so your game is easy to read and doesn't cause strain on the users eyes while trying to read. Keep your game uncluttered, so the user can focus on the actual game and is not distracted from the game play by an overuse of graphics.

When designing the box for your game he suggests listing the name on the side as many companies tend to forget this seemingly unmissable design point. Depending on how the game is then displayed on the shelf, this can be the selling point for the customer as they might miss the game if you forget this design feature. It is also important to display the age rating on the front, side and back of the box. 

Have your theme work with your rules, this means to have a clear set of rules that do not contradict each other (unless the add to the game play) and do not cause confusion for new players. Keep your game rules concise and to the point, don't create intentionally vague rules as they can then be interpenetrated however a player wants. Include examples of the gameplay from the rules to avoid confusion also.

I've learnt a lot of do's and don't about game design from this reading and I found it quite helpful. Even being colour blind I had not considered designing my game to suit these needs.

I also found these additional readings interesting to read:

https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/level-1-overview-what-is-a-game/

http://www.artificial.dk/articles/artgamesnetworks.htm

http://publisherperspective.blogspot.com/2009/08/playtest-notes-on-initiative-frontline.html