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Dramatic Elements Premise: Games also create engagement with their overarching premise Lends context to the formal elements Premise of Monopoly is that players are each landlords – buying, selling property in attempts to become richer and more powerful This premise was very appealing during the Great Depression And it remains appealing today – because most of us enjoy the fantasy of being rich and powerful, of wheeling and dealing Can anyone think of other appealing premises for games? Which fantasies/desires did they tap into? __Rockband__

Dramatic Elements Character: In traditional storytelling characters are the agents through which dramatic stories are told and they are also a tool for engagement in video games They are a way for players to empathize with the situation or live vicariously Can be vessels for participation, entry points to experience conflicts and actions – almost like a mask to wear Can anyone name a video game character that they enjoyed playing or becoming? One you didn’t enjoy playing – didn’t want to be and so quit playing that game? __Kratos__ Dramatic Elements Story: Games can engage players emotionally by using the power of story within or surrounding the formal elements Different from premise in that it is a narrative – stories unfold with the game Integration with gameplay? Still a work in progress Should story dictate gameplay? Should gameplay change the story? How much story is too much or too little? Have any game stories gripped you, moved you, or just appealed to your imagination? Why? Or Why not? __Story isn’t what you think it is__ __Old Extra Credit on Storytelling in Games__ __New Extra Credit on Cut Scenes__ Sum of the Parts Each game element relies on the others Games are systems, and systems are groups of interrelated elements that work together to from a complex whole The whole is greater than the sum of its parts Can’t appreciate all the elements until you see them all working together and what that creates Play cannot be fully predicted until the entire system is put in play – hence the need for playtesting

Defining Games They have formal elements They have dramatic elements They are dynamic systems and their elements work together to produce a complex whole There are physical and emotional boundaries When you play a game you set the rules of life aside and take up the rules of the game instead When you finish a game, you (hopefully) set aside the incidents and outcomes of the game and return to the “real” world… So, Games are closed, formal systems that engage players in structured conflicts and resolve their uncertainty in an unequal outcome Defining Games Cont. Ernest Adams’ less complicated definition: A game is a type of play activity, conducted in the context of a pretended reality, in which the participants try to achieve at least one arbitrary, nontrivial goal by acting in accordance with rules.

Brainstorming How do designers come up with game ideas? Importance of buy-in What do we start with? Gameplay Mechanic? Genre? Character? Setting? License (movie, book, toy)? Tech Hook? Group Exercise In groups of 3-5

Brainstorm a game idea based on the starting point supplied to you

Use paper or a whiteboard to list some formal and dramatic elements of the game (or just some ideas/features for the game) Brainstorming Follow Up Share group results

Which starting point was easiest to generate a game idea from? Which starting point was probably the most difficult or inappropriate for a game idea?

Is brainstorming designing?

Mini Assignment 2 Briefly describe 5 ideas for different aspects of a new game 1. An idea for a gameplay mechanic to base a game around 2. A brief story idea (or hook) for a game 3. An idea for a game setting 4. An Idea for a tech hook (gameplay features that can be based on a technological ability) 5. An idea of a character a game could be based around Ideas can be for games of any genre, on any platform Min. 150 words, Max. 500 words (approximately) Descriptions should be brief and can be in point form Email me your assignment or hand it to me at the beginning of class next week max.piesner@sheridanc.on.ca

Wiki Site __http://cct311f2011.wikispaces.com/__

Thanks to Camilo