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The Digital Library is published by the Digital Games Research Association - DiGRA. Free for educational and research use; commercial use or redistribution restricted and only by permission.

Approaches to Computer Game Design

Full text:PDF
Authors: Lankoski Petri
Heliö Satu
Source: Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference Proceedings
Tampere: Tampere University Press, June, 2002
Pages: 311-321
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Abstract:

From the player's point of view, action is an important feature of a game. Action can be created and directed by raising expectations, building up motivations and setting goals for the players. An important tool for setting up motivations and goals for the player are well-defined characters with distinct natures and needs. Those will create the basis of conflict in the game. Expectations, which guide the choices of players, are the expectation of gaming, genre and also intermediality as a whole. Space and architecture can be used for communicating the genre, thus creating some expectations and removing others. On the other hand, by using the design of space and the rules of the game the players can be guided into using the space in a manner that endorses the gaming experience.

Keywords: game design, character-driven action, conflict, expectations, spatial design