Key Aspects of Game Design Research – A Scoping Review

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Berger Lukas Kayali Fares Steinböck Matthias
2022 DiGRA ’22 – Proceedings of the 2022 DiGRA International Conference: Bringing Worlds Together

 

Levels of Sound: On the Principles of Interactivity in Music Video Games

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Pichlmair Martin Kayali Fares
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

This paper gives an introduction into the principles of interactivity in music video games. Music video games are an old but small genre of games. The earliest direct ancestors emerged in the 1970ies. Some recent music video games were hugely successful. Until today, there are only a few different approaches to their design. The purpose of this article is to shed light on what these design principles are, and how the player is immersed. By analysing several games qualitatively, we extracted certain typical features of games of this genre: active scores, rhythm action, quantisation, synaesthesia, play as performance, free-form play, and sound agents. All these aspects of music video games are discussed in this paper with the aim of describing how they affect the interactivity of the games. The result is a grammar of the language of music video games. Linked to adequate metaphors, this grammar can build a veritable repository for rhythm based, melodically interactive games and digital electronic instruments.

 

Serious Beats: Transdisciplinary research methodologies for designing and evaluating a socially integrative serious music-based online game

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Kayali Fares Schwarz Vera Götzenbrucker Gerit Pfeffer Jürgen Franz Barbara Purgathofer Peter
2011 DiGRA '11 - Proceedings of the 2011 DiGRA International Conference: Think Design Play

Recent studies show that the second generation of migrants is not adequately integrated into mainstream society but tends to segregate into secluded segments. ‘Internet Use and Friendship Structures of young migrants in Vienna: a Question of Diversity within Social Networks and Online Social Games’1 is a transdisciplinary2 research project with the objective to create a serious music-based online social game, which firstly is intended to be a positive impact game with the purpose of furthering integration and encouraging the manifestation of meaningful multiethnic relations. Secondly, the game shall make social interaction observable for evaluation. This paper gives an overview of which methodological approaches can be combined in the phases of the game’s design process and shows how the mutual embedding of game design researchers and social scientists works in this context.

 

Retro Evolved: Level Design Practice exemplified by the Contemporary Retro Game

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Kayali Fares Schuh Joseph
2011 DiGRA '11 - Proceedings of the 2011 DiGRA International Conference: Think Design Play

The examples of independent games presented in this paper provide fun through strong, innovative and playful game mechanics. The often-resulting combination of retro flair with focused gameplay is what makes the "contemporary retro game”. This paper argues that game and especially level design have evolved over time and provides insights on contemporary level design practice. By a qualitative analysis of contemporary game examples and a reflection of the authors’ own practice as game and level designers, this paper defines qualities of good level design and presents several distinct level design practices; to expand on strong core mechanics, iterative level design, to design game modes instead of levels, sandboxes, emergent gameplay and object-oriented level design.