Introduction (Game Design: Theory & Practice)

Game Design: Theory & Practice (Book's Summary: Part 1)

Book’s Author: Richard Rouse III

Summarized by Samuel Coelho

0. Introduction

The book Game Design Theory and Practice, from Richard Rouse III, deals with the game development process from the viewpoint of the game designer.

0.1 What is Gameplay?

The gameplay is the component of computer games that is found in no other art form: interactivity. A game’s gameplay is the degree and nature of the interactivity that the game includes, i.e., how players are able to interact with the game-world and how that game-world reacts to the choices players make.

Accordingly to the book’s author, the gameplay concept does not include how the game-world is represented graphically or what game engine is used to render that world. Nor does it include the setting or story line of that game-world.

0.2 What is Game Design?

The game design determines the form of gameplay. The game design determines what choices players will be able to make in the game-world and what ramifications those choices will have on the rest of the game. The game design might determine what win or loss criteria the game may include, how the user will be able to control the game, and what information the game will communicate to him, and it establishes how hard the game will be. In short, the game design determines every detail of how the gameplay will function.

0.3 Who is the Game Designer?

The game designer is the person who designs the game, who thereby establishes the shape and nature of the gameplay. Many game designers perform a wide variety of tasks on a project, but their central concern should always be the game design and the gameplay.

Knowing how to program can be a great asset to game design. However, it is not necessary component of designing a game; many fine designers do not know how to program at all.

Note: Projects are often led not by the people with the most seniority or who have the right title on their business card; projects are led by the people who “show up” to the task, who care about their projects and are committed to them, and who are willing to put in the time and effort to make the game the best it can be.