The 10 most common mistakes made by Game Designers - Part 1

When you're designing a game, you've always got to keep in mind the poor player. Your poor player is the entire reason you're making a game. Sure, you could be making a game for yourself but that's a bit like writing a book or drawing a picture for yourself. You're already going to know how it turns out and there isn't any sense of discovery when you play it.

Today, we're going to get to know your poor player. We're going to take a look at the 10 most common mistakes made by Game Designers, and how to avoid them. These aren't just 10 mistakes I've seen teaching Kahootz in schools, or 10 mistakes I alone have made while designing games. These are the top 10 mistakes that are being made by even some of the best designers.

10. Making the game too hard
You've created an elaborate puzzle game where the player has to pit their wits against a series of fiendishly difficult riddles, math problems and logic patterns, but your player has just spent the last hour trying to work out the code to get in the front door.

High-Profile Sinners: Myst, The Castle of Dr. Brain, The Legend of Zelda

Why it happens:
You've got some great puzzles for a game. They're going to really confuse your player but they're obvious if you think about it, right? Unfortunately you aren't always going to be around if your player can't work out why the door knob won't turn, even though you know it's obviously because they need to pick the lock.

Hot to avoid it:
Simply put, your player might need a little bit more of a hint. Is there a way you could use sound and pictures to suggest that the door is locked? Maybe a thunking sound or an animation that shows the door getting caught on something just as it starts to open? This is called player-feedback, and it lets your player know what reaction they see whenever they try to do something in the game. Player-feedback is critical, it helps the player feel more involved in the game and teaches the player some of the rules of the game (such as, sometimes you have to pick the lock to open a door).

9. Making the game too easy
You've got another great puzzle, but if you make things too difficult you're going to end up with a frustrated player. You give them hints and make everything as clear as possible. Suddenly you find no one wants to play your game because it's too easy. What went wrong?

High-Profile Sinners: Red Faction: Guerilla

Why it happens:
It happens when game designers try to make their game easier, but accidentally go too far and take away all the challenge by giving the wrong kinds of hints. Players are very happy to play a game that is challenging or difficult if they have clear objectives. Hints and player-feedback should not patronise the player by giving away every little secret or lighting the way to each little hidden treasure. Learning and exploring is what makes a game fun, don't let the hints take away the fun.

How to avoid it:
Be careful not to give too much away when your giving hints. Game Designers have to be very careful to balance what hints they give out and when. Hints and player-feedback are important, but it's the way you give those hints that are the key. As any writer will tell you: show don't tell. Instead of using huge swathes of text to signpost every little part of your game, maybe you could use sounds or images. Let's say, for example, that your player walks into a toxic gas cloud and falls ill. A game might flash a warning text on the screen telling the player where to run to for medical attention, but a good game might make everything you see turn green and the character might start limping and struggling to walk in a straight line. This sudden change leads to a sense of urgency and forces your player to engage with your game, to remember where they last saw a first aid tent for example.

8. Teasing the player
Your player has just discovered a wonderful new magic power, or a fantastic new piece of equipment that suddenly makes even the most difficult enemy a mere distraction. It's fun playing with their new 'superpowers'. But then they're taken away, without warning, never to return.

Where did I put my black-hole anti-matter blaster? I had it just a second ago...

High-Profile Sinners: Half-Life, Splinter Cell

Why it happens:
It's cool when you get a new toy, especially when that toy is a powerful mega-robot with hover jets and invisibility.

There it is, hovering behind the other invisible mega-robot.

Game Designers love giving players new toys, and players love getting new toys. When done well getting a new 'toy' revitalises the game and gives the player more enjoyment out of familiar, predictable environments as the player effectively relearns how to interact with the game. The problem is that sometimes these toys are too powerful. Nothing is a threat to the player anymore. The game is no longer any fun without the threat of defeat. The Game Designer has realised that they've made a mistake by letting the player get so powerful. So the game pulls a swifty: a contrived reason is found for the player to lose these new-found toys - whether that be theft, betrayal or unexpected catastrophic meltdown. It's not clean and it's not pretty, but it happens.

How to avoid it:
Let me clarify that the problem isn't giving players these toys in the first place, in fact offering treasures and toys like this can be a great way to reward your player and keep them engaged in your game. The problem is the way in which these toys are suddenly yanked out from under your player. It's perfectly acceptable, and in fact quite fun, if there's a good reason for suddenly losing all your hard earned treasures. Good Game Design encourages a strong story. If you're going to give your player a toy, make sure they know why they're getting it and make sure they understand the limits you've placed on using it. For example, a catapult would be great fun to roll around a medieval battlefield in, reigning down unmitigated destruction. But once the battle is won, there's no use in a lumbering catapult when your actual job (monster-hunter) requires stealth and good aim. In fact, you only have such a machine because the King lent it to you, he may well order you to return his expensive contraption once you've saved the day.

We'll continue the list over the next few weeks until we reveal the number one most common mistake a game designer can fall foul of. Hopefully we'll see you all again soon.

Stay tuned!

Anthony

Examples of Linking Video Game Genres to Key Learning Areas using Kahootz

In his last post, Anthony wrote about computer game genres. The slideshow below outlines three simple examples of ways to link the genres of Empire Building, Action (incorporating First Person Shooter) and Role Playing Games to H.S.I.E., Science and Literature using Kahootz. The games suggested in the slideshow are examples of ideas students in my Year 5 class during 2009 came up with, and then went on to design and build. If you have other game examples that link to Curriculum areas, we would love to hear from you!

Examples of Linking Video Game Genres to Key Learning Areas using Kahootz

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Getting To Know Genres

Talking about the genres of computer games is a bit like looking at shades of red trying to call one maroon and one burgundy, at least that's the case nowadays. If we go back only ten or fifteen years the genres were strictly separated, you could tell just by looking at the box whether you were going to get an empire building game or a first person shooter. The reason for this lay more with accepting the hardware limitations of older computers than any strong desire to keep the genres apart.

Then the year 2000 came and game designers began to have more and more processing power to play around with. Their customers steadily bought better and better computers that could handle larger worlds with more intensive 3D graphics. Suddenly designers could make the games they wanted to make. If you wanted to tell a classic gangster story in sprawling New York with gun-fights and car chases, you could. If you wanted to tell an ultra-realistic Post-Cold-War spy story with all the gadgets of a modern James Bond and the twists and betrayals of a thriller, you could. If you wanted to tell the off-the-wall story of a young boy with psychic powers attending a Summer Camp for Psychics only to discover there's a hidden monster out there sucking people's brains out of their heads, you could.

Those three games exist and they were all made almost ten yeas ago, and in order they are Grand Theft Auto 3, Splinter Cell and Psychonauts. In an aside, I cannot recommend Psychonauts enough - it blurs tongue-in-cheek, off-the-wall hilarity with a deeply emotional story as you travel through the minds of your camp-mates cleaning up their Freudian tics and emotional baggage. And best of all, in terms of genre Psychonauts can claim to be (at different times) a shooter, a racer, a puzzle-game, a turn-based strategy game like Risk and a whole lot of fun.

Why talk about genres then? If all these current games are a pastiche of different genres and game-types, what's the use of talking about genres at all? Well, it's simple. To use anything you have to know about it, even on a basic level. Genres are like the archeology of games, they reflect the ancestry of a game. Now that game designers have the computer power to tell whatever story they like, good game designers have to know about the narrative techniques of games in the same way that a good writer has to know about the science-fiction genre and the film-noir genre to tell their story about gritty robot detectives trying to track down a serial killer with telepathy.

Sadly this idea has yet to be realised

Keeping in mind that in recent games the genres can be very blurred, it's important to know what makes up each genre so that you, as a good game designer, can identify genres where they are used and apply that knowledge to your own games. Let's have a closer look at some of the more popular genres that most games can claim a connection with.

The Empire Builder
You are the leader and commander. Your people look to you to take this newly-founded colony and turn it into a vast empire. Protect your citizens, build them houses and temples and walls. Manage your resources carefully. Build an army and crush all others beneath your heel.

Also known as: Real-Time Strategy (RTS) or Turn-Based Strategy (4X)

Real examples: StarCraft, WarCraft, Age of Empires, Civilisation, Master of Orion

The key elements of an Empire Builder or RTS are Resource-Management and Unit-Management from a Bird's Eye View perspective. Simply put, you sit in the clouds looking down on your growing empire. Everything costs money, whether that is food, wood, gold or some other natural resource so establishing an economy is fundamental to your survival. Without an income you can't support your armies, or house your citizens.

The game can play either in real-time, that is to say without pauses or breaks in play, or in a turn-based style, where action is broken up into turns - first you move your armies then your opponent moves his.

The Shooter
You are a one-man (or one-woman) army. You are the quintessential Hollywood Hero, often going out with guns blazing to take on a horde of baddies.

Also known as: First-Person Shooter (FPS)

Real examples: Unreal Tournament, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Counter-Strike

Shooters are the games that concerned parents usually point to when they say games are too violent. And, to be honest, in terms of the popular games there really isn't much to say to contradict this claim. The shooter is at its heart a violent game, the object is generally to be the last man standing. However, just looking at the violence is missing the point. It's almost like looking at a piece of art and complaining about the brand of paint used. Games do not need to be violent, however some games use violence because it provides simple ways for the player to identify with and appreciate what's going on in the game. This is a topic I feel strongly about, and it's something I'll deal with in greater depth in another post. Shooters are competitive and rewarding on a visceral level, thus shooters use gore as both a threat to the player (if I lose, I die) and a reward for good work. Guns are a big feature, whether they are realistically portrayed or fantastical objects of high-technology and the story (if there is one) reinforces to the player a 'One against a thousand' mentality to capture the player's emotional interest.

A contemporary twist on shooters are Team-Based Shooters: games where you have to rely on your team-mates for success. These games often give the player a choice of characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. To win, all roles have to be played together, like an orchestra. For this reason the competitive spirit is drawn from teamwork, winning as a team rather than single-handedly taking on your opponents out-right, and the violence and gore doesn't need such an emphasis to trigger the player's emotional reaction.

The Role-Playing Game
You are a hero of fantasy! You are fighting valiantly to save the world from orcs and monsters and dragons. You can be a paragon of virtue or a heartless mercenary working for the clink of cold coin in your pocket. The world is an exciting and dangerous place, and it's your job to explore its darkest corners.

Also known as: RPG

Real examples: Dungeons and Dragons, Baldur's Gate, Mass Effect, World of Warcraft

The RPG is perhaps the oldest of video games and at some level all games are RPGs. All games give you a role to play which serves as an emotional hook and ensures you have some investment with the game. However, above all an RPG gives you choice. Are you good or evil or just thoughtless? You see a man being chased by a mob - do you leap to the man's aid or do you join the mob? The world is yours and there is no wrong choice to make. RPGs are very story-driven, typically set in a fantasy universe of swords and sorcery though you're only limited by your imagination. A player plays an RPG to have a story unfold around them and to grow more powerful with every act. With each small victory you get experience points (XP), and when you reach a certain number of points you level up, suddenly becoming stronger, more capable, more hardy.

Contemporary games take RPGs down a slightly different route. While there's still a story line behind Massively-Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMOs) like World of Warcraft focus on racing up the levels and competing against other players. Players are rewarded for investing the most time in the game. The more you play, the better your armour and your sword will be, the more impressive you look to other players and the stronger you are in the field of battle.

There are other genres out there, including the Racing Game, the Puzzle Game and the Arcade Game. Maybe we'll come back to the others at another stage but for now the three main genres are a good starting point. I'll end with a piece of advice: rather than looking to build a game around a genre, take a hint from our current games and build your genres around the game. If you've made a high fantasy world of knights and goblins but you want to add horseback racing go for it. If you want a science-fiction shooter that expects the players to match symbols on a circuit board to hack into computers, don't let the shooter genre stop you. Good game designers use genres as guides rather than limits. Let your imagination run free!

Next time we'll be looking at the top ten mistakes a first time game designer makes, and how to avoid them. As always, I absolutely welcome any comments and questions. Looking forward to seeing you again next week.

Stay tuned!

Anthony

Imagine!

Imagine having our students being so engaged in a complex, goal directed activity, that self-consciousness disappears and time becomes distorted and they do it, not for external rewards but simply for the exhilaration of doing!

This is what can happen when we play well designed video games. I am sure many of us have either experienced it, or witnessed it in adults and children, that complete and energized focus on the game, the fun and fulfillment, the intense involvement, where nothing else matters but the game! What is it about playing good video games that enables this level of engagement?

This level of engagement has been referred to as ‘states of flow’ or being in 'the Zone'. Simply put, for this flow experience to occur, a game needs to:

1. be intrinsically rewarding, and the player is up to play the game
2. offer the right amount of challenge to match with the player’s ability, which allows him/her to delve deeply into the game
3. create a sense of personal control over the game activity

As teachers, if we have an understanding of Good Game Design, we could use it as a starting place for designing more engaging learning environments. Think about it, students in traditional, teacher led classes have little control over what they learn, are passive recipients of material chosen by teachers and must conform to the pace and ability level of the group through group instruction. Contrast the characteristics of what happens when children play video games. In good video games, players have clear goals, are challenged, often have the opportunity to collaborate and their performance is assessed according to clear criteria with multiple sources of feedback. Imagine basing our learning environments along the principles of Good Game Design, and therefore giving students more control over their own learning. Imagine having classrooms where ‘states of flow’ exist!

A NEW JOURNEY ON THE TITANIC - I MEAN QE2!

Yes, I too, am a teacher-in-tttrrraaiining with the MacICT Game Design Project.

As a teacher of too many years to tell (started full-time 1982-you do the maths) I have jumped in at the deep end with the gaming project. However, I am happily on board having been thrown a liferaft by my wonderful and clever colleague, Cathie Howe. Her skill, enthusiasm, dedication and patience 'buoying' me, what ho. Having not 'grown up with' computers as it were, and not having technical inclinations (you get my drift) I have indeed been on a huge learning curve (and sometimes on a slippery slide!).

As a GaTs teacher for many years, learning to let go, that it's OK not to know or understand at first and that even as the teacher, I don't have to be good at everything, have been worthwhile albeit humbling lessons!
I am fortunate that I have a class of children who want to learn. The class consists of 24 girls and 6 boys. Within the class there is a small cluster of GaTs students whilst the remaining students have been placed in the class based on English results. Only a handful of my students have identified themselves as 'gamers' although not in the sense of game design, merely 'playing games' they tell me. However, most are fairly skilled in the area of ICT.

The class has eagerly participated in the Kahootz training, their eager eyes glued to the screen. It has been a delight to see their free spirits openly diving into the tasks. I feel there is the sense of a learning community with the children supporting each other along the way. I like the creativity, solution-finding and the persistence involved as well.

Interestingly enough, on questioning my class for the first time about the Kahootz training, in general, they have felt that it's been a bit rushed without enough time to consolidate their skills before moving on to the next thing. This surprised me as I felt that myself when I was 'in training',but assumed it was due to a lack of technical know-how and experience on my part. They said that they would have liked a whole day to 'sink their teeth' into the training in order to suitably acquire the knowledge and skills and really understand the process. Food for thought.

It will be interesting to see how they tackle the process of game design itself.
I will endeavour to post some written responses from them tracing their journey in future.
Once again,Cathie,thanks for the liferaft-I'm looking forward to climbing aboard the ocean liner 'real soon'!

Teacher involved in the MacICT Game Design Project

My name is Sarah Morgan and this is my 3rd consecutive year of teaching Grade 5 at Cromer Public School. I have had 7 years experience teaching K-6 classes, including working in London as well as in the Private, Catholic and Public systems in NSW.

I was a former student of Cromer Public School and was very excited to receive a teaching position here in January 2006.

As a child I loved playing with Nintendos and spent many hours playing games. As an adult I have not had too much experience playing games until now!
I have always been interested in technology and have had the skills to go with it to enable me to teach my students in this area.

I gained a lot of knowledge in ICT while being on the Technology Committee at Cromer in 2007 and 2008. However, most of my learning and interest in this area came about while working closely with Cathie on Year 5 the last 2 years. It was amazing to see what a great teaching tool technology can be and how much the students enjoy it!

This year I am very happy to be involved in the MacICT Game Design Project. My class have loved being taught Kahootz by Anthony and they are all very excited to start designing their own games. My class has a range of ability levels and it is very interesting to walk around the room and see all students so interested in the Kahootz program.

I am sure my class will benefit from this project, and I am hoping the process will encourage them to think more about their own learning while designing their games. Now that we are at the end of the teaching part of the project, I am really looking forward to seeing what types of games my students create..

Year 5 Game Design at Cromer!

My name is Judy Farr and I am currently teaching Year 5 at Cromer Public School. I have been teaching for many years from Kindergarten to Year 6 - in permanent, casual and temporary positions with the Department of Education. In 1983 at Winston Hills Primary School I encountered my first Apple computer and took it home to babysit during one school holidays to become familiar with this wonderful new tool. Probably the first game that I played was "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego" and I spent lots of useless hours chasing Lemmings!

I moved into the corporate world for a number of years where I developed my skills with computer technology and when I returned to teaching in the early 2000's I found that I had skills that a lot of teachers from my generation were struggling to learn. I became a technology teacher for a number of years using many applications and assisting children to use the computer as an engaging part of the teaching , learning process across all areas of the curriculum.

To see my current class using Kahootz to design a game is amazing. My class is a very mixed ability group, but using this tool all children are using higher order thinking skills in designing a game. They are all extremely engaged, completely open to trying out all options, press any button to see where it will take them and are sharing their expertise with each other. This programme was completely new to me before I came to Cromer. We had a crash course in game design with Cathie (an excellent introduction but I still lacked confidence!) Now I walk around the room watching my children develop their skills without fear of making a "mistake" and thoroughly enjoying the game design process. I learn as they learn and I am as excited about the project as they are! I can't wait to play their games.