Game Design

SUMMARY

Role

Individual in team #7

Intention (SMART Goal)

By May 10th, as part of team 7, I will have completed Brackeys’ tutorial playlist for how to make your first video game to create my first game in Unity.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

Aaron Garbut

Aaron Garbut is an artist and leads world builder at Rockstar. He is the one behind the amazing works of the Grand Theft Auto series, Max Payne, and Red Dead. In my opinion of these, I think that RDR2 is the most beautiful looking, graphically. It’s all due to this amazing man you see here, Aaron Garbut. More about Aaron here and here

Training Source(s)

Notes from Ep #3:

• 0:11 devassets.com – download high-quality 3d models, scripts, files, etc, for free, by Brackeys.
• 1:06 Freezing players X, Y, and Z location using constraints. This has a flaw tho, for the player will then not be able to do anything on the axis you constraint/stop
• 1:12 Adding a physics material that you can then apply to any object.
• 2:12 A brief explanation of variables (simple)
• 3:22 Code to make variable editable in the inspector
• 4:11 using If statements to code
• 5:00 Code player movement, for example, WASD

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

Game Screenshot:

GamePlay (MVP):

Skills Commentary

Slide

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

This session in particular had me scratching my head in some situations, it was my first time with Unity. I chose a simple tutorial to follow but it was a little outdated. Sometimes I would get bugs or errors that he didn’t state in the tutorial so I had to go back step by step and fix pieces of code that I don’t even know how they work. This was part of my goal as I wanted to know where I can begin with my unity coding process. I was wondering if I should make games and more games to get used to unity or learn to code first instead of jumping in and problem-solving. Of course, they both require problem-solving but they are one that is a lot more efficient cause unity needs coding.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

I was in an Independent group so I got to work on my own work instead of as a team.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

I was lucky to choose the right video that I could follow step by step otherwise things would have been a lot more challenging because of how complex coding can get, especially when you don’t know anything about it and I would have had to do a lot of research to fix things.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

I honestly think this helped me a lot in deciding whether or not to do something. I learned to first get a sneak peek of what something is before fully sending it. Now I can actually get to use Unity and code comfortably because I am a lot more comfortable with the UI.

Reactions to the Final Version

I built a game but I didn’t publish it. I build a minimal viable product and still had a complete level to finish and an end screen and menu to work on. I feel that that is ok because I followed a tutorial step by step so then that product is not really mine so there is no need to claim it, as long as I can provide proof. So there was no reaction since I didn’t publish anything and I was in an independent person group.

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

I think I learned to be prepared before starting a project. For example, when starting a project I should know what my end game will look like, what my obstacles will look like, and what my UI might look like. One good thing is also to watch other people create games similar to your game (even if your game is in two genres you can watch two different videos making each genre) and then analyze what worked for them and what did not, then adjust your game goal accordingly.

Grammar and Spelling

I used Grammarly and the default built-in auto correcter.

Editor

Max

SUMMARY

Role

Programmer / UI / Heads Up Display

Intention (SMART Goal)

By March 2nd as the Programmer / UI / Heads Up Display person, I will create a game flowchart, a detailed and immersive UI/Menu, and Lastly, I will have completed 2D and 3D top-down versions of team #4s previous game as an extension by watching this tutorial to make the AI for my game.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

Alex Harbuzinski

Alex is a game designer and an UX designer. He is very experienced from what I see and has made official games on the behance site. His latest upload is a 3D game with very big ambitions. The reason I chose him is because he is experienced and UX is is basically UI but for VR experience.

Training Source(s)

Notes:

Project Timeline

Week 1 (February 23-24)

• MVP
  • Music
    • Demon Slime
    • Main Game Music
  • Enemy Block – Red
  • Player Block – Blue
  • World Block (interactive) –  Brown
  • Player Code

Week 2 (February 28 – March 4)

• Enemy (attacking/movement to player)
• Complete and Textured world
• UI
  • How to Play page
  • Start Page 
  • Back Log  – Animated Menu
• Background (behind the interactive part of map)

Proposed Budget

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

itch.io

Skills Commentary

Slide

One of my favorite code was the enemy’s ability to follow the player. The enemy looked janky. I did a little researching and found a simple 2 line code that made the enemy move to the player exactly like we wanted. The best part, we could customize the speed and anything about the enemy!

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

To make the enemy move we whole team was struggling. We tried a-lot of different ways of approaching it, it never worked. So I had to stop and breath in and be smart about it. I simply searched it up rather than going blank into the problem. It was a simple 2 line code.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

Making the menu is an end game type of thing and menus are very easy to make for me so I was helping with code. That is where I got to communicate with mostly the level and character artist. Without communicating you could do something right but not the way everyone agrees or likes it.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

I used a lot of youtube videos. I tend to solve everything on youtube and rarely rely on the Construct 3’s built in helper. A video I found very helpful, cool and surprising is here

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

I am pretty similar with level, code, and menu design so I didn’t really explore new resources to learn from.

Reactions to the Final Version

Jim Flatmo: The Advisory Committee Member (said something along the line of) – “The game is good however you should make the end point a little longer that way the player stops and gets time to jump in the pit. The player should also have a clear view of where they are jumping (make it noticeable).”

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

I am very proud of the instructional menu and the animation that came with it. It was simple and I was just testing animations and layers.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

It was very hard to make the enemy of our game follow the player. The objective was for the enemy to follow the player on the platform so only platform movement. However our enemy was moving up and flying everywhere. So I simply went on youtube instead of going blankly, coding and testing.

Grammar and Spelling

Default built in Grammar checker & Odin

Editor

odin

SUMMARY

Role

Level Artist

Intention (SMART Goal)

By Jan. 28 as part of team #4, I will have completed Brackeys‘ tutorial on how to make your first video game in order to understand the basics of how to create a very basic level design for my team

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

Andrew Yoder

What I like about Andrew is that he is pretty experienced. He has made a lot of games, one of them being Paladins, Smite Adventures, and  Realm Royale. He has also worked for some companies, some being Hi-Rez Studios and Digital Extremes

Training Source(s)

1:18 Level Designing is not just about the blocks. You have to understand the pacing of the game, the combat, the puzzles, and the ways you gonna be moving around the map and

1:41 It is important that the level artist understands to with works his team in order to make the right choice of objects and storyline and location.

The level artist should make a blocking (in our case that’s the minimal viable product) that meets everyone’s expectations, then add finer details like the store location, objects, etc.

Later on, the Level artist can then test the pacing of the game

3:29 Before making your world you should study your environment and look at reference images as well as concept arts.

Communication is important. You have to share your ideas but also listen to your team. Those are the open windows for improvement on your level design

Project Timeline

MVP

• Basics obstacles in the garage (week one)
  • Car
  • Trash can
  • Tool kit
  • Fridge
  • Welcome mat
  • Bike
• Enemies (three) week one
• Black background and character out-glow

Proposed Budget

Around 2-3 weeks will be needed. Week 1 for coming up with ideas, week 2 for MVP, and week 3 for final the product.

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

Game (itch.io)

Skills Commentary

Slides

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

My goal was to learn to create an isometric level (technically speaking). I both failed and was successful with that. I ended up creating a level that had a combination of 2d, platform and some sort of isometric view. I think it makes it unique.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

I didn’t really need that much communication with the team, because unlike most of my projects, this time I barely coded the game and only did level design.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

I used Google Images a lot to for tracing and perspective. This image specifically was very useful.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

I think that I really learned to be a little outgoing. I wanted to stick to coding a little more, but now I want to do a little more of both with the 3d Construct 3 mode.

Reactions to the Final Version

“I really like your art style” – Nate

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

I personally impressed myself. I think I’ll be able to do better with my next project.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I made a lot of mistakes because I was just learning. Sometimes I would use the wrong perspective on objects, or have to restart because I forgot to save the project. Fresh starts are good sometimes. It’s like playing going to level 1 after playing level 100. You have already learned a lot from 100 so now you can do things quicker and more efficiently.

Grammar and Spelling

Odin & Edu Blogs’ built in grammar checker.

Editor

Odin

Cue

Notes

– what does MDA stand for?? – The three different machines described – Aesthetics MDA Mechanics – MDA Dynamic – MDA How far can you take your project?? the audience, age, etc

– MDA – Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics – MDA is created for game analysis, game design and development, game criticism, and technical game research – Most things are made through some sort of system (methodology) that gives the designer the start and end of the project. MDA makes that easier. – Aesthetics 1. Sensation  Game as sense-pleasure  2. Fantasy  Game as make-believe  3. Narrative  Game as drama  4. Challenge  Game as obstacle course  5. Fellowship  Game as social framework  6. Discovery  Game as uncharted territory  7. Expression  Game as self-discovery  8. Submission  Game as pastime – Mechanics Mechanics are the various actions, behaviors and control mechanisms afforded to the player within a game context. – Dynamic Encourages individual users to leave their mark: systems for purchasing, building or earning game items, for designing, constructing and changing levels or worlds, and for creating personalized, unique characters. – When done with any process you should go through the tuning phase where you test and tune the game. – The three steps to checking your games MDA – First Pass What are the aesthetic goals for this design? Exploration and discovery are probably more important than challenges. As such the dynamics are optimized here not for “winning” or “competition” – Second Pass  Consider a different version of the game. (age, audience, etc) – Third Pass Consider a version of the game for the older audience, what things can you add in?? (Looting, missions, weapons) – Conclusion So after this you can now see, what things to restrict of difficulty, or inconvenience, etc

Summary

MDA stands for Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics which makes analyzing your game for error so much easier. It goes both ways though, it also allows the criticizer to make criticism. MDA gives you steps to analysis and criticize a game.

0:13 – 1:28 Downloading Unity

1:35 – 2:01 Creating a new project and selecting project save location in Unity

2:02 – 3:13 User Interface

• Mouse wheel to zoom
• Middle mouse or left click to pan around
• Alt + left click to roate around center view
• The hierarchy disaplays the objects we have in our scene
• When you click on a an object in the inspector bar you will see the properties of the object such as the transformation tool and other panlas called componets
• By going in the top right and selecting default you get the default layout

3:12 to create an object right-click or click on the create button in the hierarchy panel and select the object time… in the video, he selects a cube

3:27 To focus on a specific object select the object and press F

3:37 In the transformation component you can right-click and select reset to reset the position of an object

3:52 How to change the camera position and look at your game live while working on it. 

4:23 Changing the name of an object in the project and moving an object

4:52 Creating a new material for an object (so texture) and changing the color of an object

5:53 Adding physics to an object or player

6:25 How to use different tools like rotation, scale, and move tool as well as short cuts on keyboards

7:02 How to duplicate an object

7:11 Components further explained such as transform and mesh renderer or collision

6:23 Changing the shape of an object

Any adjustment made during the live game demo will not be saved

9:56 Changing sky and pressing shift + space to view game demo in full screen

10:19 How to save your game

SUMMARY

Role: Level Artist and Main Coder

Intention (SMART Goal):

My goal was to make a complete and working background. I did not intend on coding but I knew more about coding so I became the main coder. I worked on the player animation and movement. I also worked on the holes in the ground for my game. I made the holes and coded them. I worked on the icicles’ code. I worked on the 3-second cooldown as well as the 3 different backgrounds (different transitioning locations…. neighborhood, city, school). I also designed most of the UI designs as well as coded them.

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

https://www.shed-works.co.uk/sable

The developer of this game is quite different from others. He worked as the creative head by himself. The whole game’s look is from his creative ideas. That’s what makes the game so unique from others. The game’s look is very special from other games, and doesn’t try to look realistic. In fact, the player’s vehicle can even fly. The games look is quite cartoony looking.

Training Source(s

– 4:03: If you would like for an object to do an action in an X amount of time. Either spawn or disappear in an amount of time or anything else.

– 4:23: Here is how I made the icicles fall down. You can make the objects spawn in an area randomly by using the code in either X or Y by writing ” Random (1-200). That will make the object spawn randomly but only between the zones set there. This is a good method to make a game like mine or something like flappy bird very easily.

Project Timeline

Minimal viable product: This should mainly be the coder. They will make blocks as a starting point to make a basic playable version of the game. While doing this, the others can do what they need, like the UI person can work on a UI, music person make music, etc. That way nothing is held back.

1. Make character
2. Make block for character to move on
3. Code character movement
4. Make obstacle block
5. Code obstacle block

Implementing the done work: here is where we put the character into the game, the background, the UI design, etc.

1. Implement character
2. Implement background
3. Implement menu
4. Implement music
5. Implement character animations (jump, fall, walk)

The harder ideas: Here is where you can play around with the game and add the abilities you wanted. For ours this will be different levels, structured background with a start and end visually.

Proposed Budget

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (FILM, SOUND, or GAME Creation)

Team #4 Game

Skills Commentary

Game Slide Show

My Work:

Player

I coded the player animation and inserted him into the game.

Code

I coded the collision hitboxes, the time down, and invisible blocks. I also coded the arrow and WAD keys.

UI

In the UI I made most of the design except for the start button and coded the replay, easy/normal/hard layers. I also worked on the Reset button, R and Enter to reset the level.

Obstacles

I coded the icicles to work, and made sure that they would not spawn on top of the player on the start of the layout. I also coded the potholes in the ground to reset the level if the player touched them.

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

I had a lot of problems, but I think going back and going step by step through coding is a great way to solve problems. I also think saving versions of your things whether just the background or the game version itself is a good idea to do frequently. I learned that the hard way when I worked 2 hours on a game and lost everything.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

I did a lot of communication a lot with my team especially because I was kind of acting like the head of everything. I did a lot of the coding, the design, and most things in the game. Basically, anything you see on the game I have worked on a little or a lot. I did overwork. I did a lot of my teammate’s work. The team was gonna go slow if I ignored it so it’s better to work alone than not have anything. I intend on staying on the same team but this time we will have a properly working system.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

The tutorial above is a good example. I used the video but the video sometimes overcomplicates or does another thing. So it’s kind of understanding the thing they are doing before you do yours. Are you creating an exact replica or something different? He was using a similar code or reversed code to mind so I had to figure out a part of code by decoding his code (more of a block coding).

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

I think I learned a lot about stepping up and acting like the boss when you need to, or at least speaking about what might not work. I have learned that there is no need to carry while other classmates play on their phones. it’s not that they want to play, but it’s more that they don’t have anything to do. This is partly the fault of the system but me overworking, and the system not having a good setup for our designs and code to be implemented.

Reactions to the Final Version

Most of the feedback was positive, but there were some suggestions. Most people liked the background.

Your game is well made and it was fun to play. I thought the replay ability of the game was quite too long to work around as well as as the holes in the ground… there were too many then were needed. – Leo (Classmate)

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

I think the final version looks really good. I did not intend on making the city or a very detailed background. I got to learn quite a bit about pixel art. Our game itself was an okay game with a good story. The story of our game is that a student is going to school and he had to dodge obstacles. The game is hard but not too hard. The game keeps the player playing and playing. It has a decent UI that’s not too long or complicated. To top it all off, the music was also pretty good.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I have learned the creative potential for construct. Also, I have learned a lot more of the things you can do with animations, enemies, and random generators. I also have learned a little about pixel art. I think that the more you work with construct the more you discover… just like I keep learning and learning every game I create. Saving your projects every second when you can is also a very big thing. I learned this the hard way when I worked on a game for 2 hours straight and lost the data. I do however also understand that construct is not a coding engine so I am still open-minded on learning unity when I can.

Grammar and Spelling

For grammar checking I am using Grammarly where I can… the school for some reason has blocked the ability to add extensions so I can’t add Grammarly but I was using Grammarly for half of this blog. I am also planning on using a person to read over my blog.

Editor

Odin

https://www.sololearn.com/learning/1080

I have been wanting to learn to code but had an error so I had to stop early into my solo learn least. Though now Christain helped me, I can continue learning.

Since I stopped for a while. I decided to relearn everything I knew. so for now I am relearning and continuing solo learn. And I will continue solo learn and then move onto another lesson for the rest of the year.

I will also continue to improve my game in construct 3. However, I need the full version of construct which Mr. LeDuc is going to help with next week.

Summary

log-line:

Someone vs World

Description:

A little history: ProG – Pro Gamer (the reason behind the name, basically this game is supposed to be hard)

About the game: This game is basically kind of like flappy bird except cheaper and made with hard work. Plus it was made by all of me (well youtube literally helped step by step but still). So I would like for you guys to enjoy the game

Controls (you can only move up): To move up in order to avoid the firey stick. You have a lot of options. I thought about how different people like different styles of playing, so I made about 4 or maybe 3 controls.

1. Space bar   2. Up arrow   3. Left Click   4. Touch

To start the game: In order to start the game at first, your gonna have to click anywhere with your mouse after the short message then click on the Play button, and then you will be in the game. Then use the controls above to play. 

I hope you enjoy the game! And remember, If you in any way use the name ProG which mind you, is a Neremia B studios trademark. You will end up in a 1.5 trillion dollar sue (I need money). And again, Enjoy the game!

Questions

1. This game is fairly simple and maybe too simple so what do you think I should add (to the logo, to the gameplay, etc) to make it less complex or more simple?

2. What would you change about the game (colors, design, etc)

Peer Feedback

Feedback from “TheDailyGrind” – This is a great game with very addictive gameplay! All I found when I was playing is that there wasn’t a game over screen, which would’ve made the transition between dying and restarting a whole lot smoother. Also, consider a pause menu. Otherwise, I love it!

Feedback from “Christian” – Due to the server’s limitation Christian recommended that I maybe don’t make the beginning an animation or remove it because the loading is forever.

Feedback from “Ian Osborn” – make the intro shorter and spread the torches out more.

Feedback from “Gage Carpenter” – I think it’s good I think there should be levels or coins, and maybe like a flamethrower, you have to dodge.

Feedback from “Slade Carpenter” – you should make it much wider and less zoomed in.

Feedback from “Austin Wilcox” – I think that the colors are good and the designs work together well, I think maybe adding extra obstacles after awhile would increase the difficulty.

Summary

• I described/analyzed Grand theft auto 5 which is a game that is really great and the greatness stops their own company from making GTA 6 which is a game people really want.

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements	gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
The Basics	NOTES
Name of the game	Grand Theft Auto 5
The platform	PC
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	30+ Minutes
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	I would change the content bc I think they worked too much on the game and now it is hard for them to compete with there own game which is why it’s going to be hard for Rockstar Games to make GTA 6. for example no one plays red dead redemption bc its basically GTA 5
Players	NOTES
How many players are supported?	This is a game that supports both Multiplayer and Story Mode. Online er server: Xbox 360: 16, Playstation 3: 16, Xbox One: 30, Playstation 4: 30, PC: 30
Does it need to be an exact number?	Yes for online it needs to be an exact number in GTA 5
How does this affect play?	If there is a lot of people online on a server there is a lot of people killing each other but if there are fewer players fewer people kill each other and focus on their missions. The mission can be head to head, PvE, One against many, and more.
Some types of player frameworks:Single Player – like Solitare.Head-to-head – 1 vs. 1, Chess.PvE – Player vs. Environment, or multiple players vs. the game. Common in MMOs like World of Warcraft.One against Many – Single-player vs. multiple (obvy).Free-for-all – Every man for himself (1 vs. 1 vs. 1 vs. 1..). Most common for multiplayer games, from Monopoly to Modern Warfare.Individuals Against the System – Like Blackjack, where the Dealer is playing against multiple players, but those players have no effect on each other.Team Competition – Multiple vs. multiple, i.e. sports.Predator-prey – Players form a circle and everyone’s goal is to attack the player on their left and defend themselves from the player on their right.Five-pointed Star – Eliminate both players who are not on either side of you.
Objectives/Goals	NOTES
What are the players trying to do?	The players have a lot of options to do. They can free roam which is just play around with their vehicles which include planes, cars, motorcycles, and more. They can play missions, which include more heist missions or just completing missions with peds. Players can also race which is one that keeps the players busy and that is why it’s hard to release GTA 6, bc GTA has a lot of things to do. like the maximum level is 8,000
Some common objectives include:Capture/Destroy – Eliminate all your opponents pieces (Chess).Territorial Acquisition – Control as much territory as you can, not necessarily harming other players (RISK).Collection – Collect a certain number of objects throughout the game (Pokemon).Solve – Solve a puzzle or crime (Clue).Chase/race/escape – Anything where you are running towards or away from something (playground game Tag).Spatial Alignment – Anything involving the positioning of elements (Tetris or Tic-Tac-Toe or that game at Cracker Barrel).Build – Advance your characters or build your resources to a certain point (The Sims).Negation of another goal – The game ends if you perform an act that is forbidden by the rules (Jenga or Twister).
Rules/Mechanics	NOTES
There are three categories of (what the book Rules of Play calls) operational rules: Setup – the things you do at the beginning of a game. Progression of Play – what happens during the game.Resolution – How an outcome is determined based on the game state.	GTA is a game of Progression of Play.
Controls	NOTES
What controls are used?	Don’t get this question
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	No and Yes. GTAs Tuturails is more of an overtime thing. You do things while getting the tutorial at the same time, but they are helpful. The tutorial continues telling you where to go during missions and marks places on the map
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	The tutorials were easy to understand but sometimes were hard to understand.
Resources & Resource Management	NOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?	Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames
How are they maintained during play?	You can do anything you want at any time unless you in a mission where you can play and if you fail you try again or you can quit but there will be that big you failed on your page once you quit.
What is their role?
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are: Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game State	NOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	Total Information: if taking about the environment than its total info but you do need to unlock things such as a lime green color to customize your cars.
A snapshot of the game at a single point is the game state. The resources you have, the un-owned properties in Monopoly, your opponent’s Archery skill all count towards the game state. Some example information structures are: Total Information – Nothing is hidden, like Chess.Info per player – Your hand of cards is only visible to you. One player has privileged info – Like a Dungeon Master. The game hides info from all players – Like Clue, where no one knows the victory condition. Fog of War – In video games, where certain sections of the map are concealed if you do not have a unit in sight range of that area. You also cannot see other players’ screens, so each player is unaware of the other’s information.
Sequencing	NOTES
In what order do players take their actions?	GTA 5 Has a lot of different modes. Sometimes you each one mission and then meetup and sometimes you play with your teammates and sometimes you play a mission by yourself.
How does play flow from one action to another?	It is great actually, they make you unlock maybe something like a door, and then you can continue shooting which is very simultaneously.
Some structures include:Turn-based – Standard board game technique.Turn-based with simultaneous play – where everyone takes their turn at the same time (like writing something down or putting a card down in War).Real-time – Actions happen as fast as players can make them. Action-based video games.Turn-based and time limits – You have this long to take your turn.
Player Interaction
Some examples: Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there. Trading – I’ll give you this for that. Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.	GTA 5 doesn’t really have any of these even if it does then it would be like at a little percentage and you wouldn’t even notice it.
Theme & Narrative	NOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?	For online, no (though missions have like a story based thing), for Story Mode, yes. Cause the name literally says story mode in it.
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	Well, the whole story is a representation of life in America.
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	No, at least for me
Does it have emotional impacts?	No, But it is nice to win a mission or win in a fight due to how hard missions can be or just how complicated they can be.
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	Don’t understand
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	The people(peds) interact with each other.
What is the gameplay like?	Nice
Is it effective?	Yes
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	Yeah, GTA has a lot of lags which rockstar dislikes to fix
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	I think the designers made a good choice bc the game looks very good and can’t be outdated.
Why this set of resources?	What resources?
What if they made different decisions?	Then it couldn’t take just a little thing to ruin that game bc it’s such a big game plus it gets updates that improve the necessary things.
Does the design break down at any point?	Yes
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	Yes
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	Yes and No (I saw YouTubers get glitches but I also had glitches). In story mode, there are a lot more glitches.
What about sound?	It’s great. Though in story mode sometimes characters don’t sync to their voices causing other characters to talk in the other character’s voices.
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	Yes (on YouTuber people teach you all the cuts for entering missions more quickly and more.)
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	Don’t remember challenges but sometimes I just quit missions if I tried my best and couldn’t complete them.
Is the game fair?	No.
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	Yes. You can reply a mission, you can rest your level by creating another character and restart the whole game, or you can just play races without doing missions which you can play continuously
What is the intended audience?	17+ (that game has nightclubs and everything)
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?	having an open world is the best bc you can fly planes or do you own things.

This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/

Resources

• Playing Like a Designer – I: Examine Your Experiences by Extra Credits
• Playing Like a Designer – II: How to Analyze Game Design by Extra Credits
• Game Analysis Guidelines by MIT
• Level 3.2: Critical Analysis of Games at learn.canvas.net

Books

• A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster
  • raphkoster.com/2014/01/06/how-i-analyze-a-game/
• Level Up!: The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers
• Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals by Katie Salen

Mr. Le Duc’s Game Analysis Resources

• Diigo.com Game Analysis Links
• YouTube Game Analysis Playlist

“Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner” by classic film scans is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“Analysis gave me great freedom of emotions and fantastic confidence. I felt I had served my time as a puppet.”

Hedy Lamarr

SUMMARY

• I spent a lot of time on the game analysis thing because it was confusing. So I decided to organize it, which took a while. But after that, I quickly completed my work and am proud of what I made. I also got to learn a lot about games.

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

• This week I went to go outside a few times with my family once and by myself a few times. The cool is that I got to explore around with my bike.

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

• I learned a few things about games believe it or not. The whole analysis thing was great. I got to learn a few core things about games.