Genesis of a game design pattern

Game Design Patterns: a definition “Game design patterns are general descriptions of interaction which occur in games.. Game design patterns are usually identified from existing games wh

Genesis of a Game Design Pattern

Game Design Patterns: a definition

“Game design patterns are general

descriptions of interaction which occur in

games The patterns are semi-formalized

interrelated tools that can be applied in

situations to generate context-dependent

solutions Game design patterns are usually

identified from existing games where the

interaction pattern may or may not have

been intentionally been promoted by the

game designers.”

(Björk, 2003-05-13)

A word about our pattern collection

• We have identified more that 200 patterns

• Will not be used today

– (except as examples)

– Because only ~50% are described

– None are verified enough

– Threshold to start using (you will use it at later workshops)

• Patterns easy to recognize, difficult to define

• Play games, think games, dream games, design

games, read about games

• Other areas for inspiration: software engineering, computer science, HCI, architecture, drama, myths and legends, psychology, philosophy of mind,

choreography, music, visual arts, sociology,

human relationships, economics, politics etc etc

• Sketchy example in games

• Normally patterns come in groups, networks

• Candidate collection

• More is better!

Recognize (example)

• Java thread programming -> producer-consumer model – One thread is producing objects that the consumer thread is gobbling up

• “Hey, this could be a game design pattern also!”

(Civilization)

• Initial name “producer-consumer”

• “One element is producing resources which another element consumes”

• Strategy games

Recognize (example)

• Other brief ideas:

– Accumulator to store produced objects

Recognize (where to look in games)

Info Structure

Engagements

Attributes

• Analyze the group together but start with the main candidate

• The pattern in existing games:

– Think about different genres (RTS, FPS,

MMORPG, strategy, arcade games etc.)

– Think about different kinds of games (board

and card games, children games, table-top and live action RPGs

• Try to imagine the games without the pattern

• List games that do not have the pattern:

– Try to find games in same genres as in the

previous list

• Compare the games from each list

– What is the difference in game play?

• How the other ideas are related to the pattern? Are they part of it or separate?

• Relations to other patterns

Analyze (example)

• Sid Meier’s Civilization:

– Settlements produce unit

– Units consumed in combat or through new settlements

• Quake III

– Power-ups appear at spawn points

– They are consumed by players picking them up

– Players stats (health, ammo, etc.) are consumed through activity (are players accumulators or factories?)

– Player avatars appear in spawn points and are

Analyze (example)

• Civilization without the producer-consumer pattern?

– Would destroy the whole game

• Quake III without the pattern?

Analyze (example)

• Games without the pattern:

– Board and strategy games (Chess) with fixed resources, no producer part during the game– Some racing and simulation games (without power-ups)

– Puzzles (ah, but they are not games…)

– What about Poker?

Analyze (example)

• Comparison:

• Squad Leader with and without player controlled reinforcements

– Reinforcements increase complexity and

feeling of control (another level of player

Analyze (example)

• The other ideas:

– Accumulator turns out to be a pattern of it’s

own Limit is included in accumulator

– Consumer as factory -> the Factory pattern

– Chains and networks are features of the pattern and should be mentioned in the definition

• Draft out the first kernel definition (a couple of

sentences)

• Draw a diagram: optional

• Describe how the pattern is used in the example games

• Relationships to existing patterns:

– What other patterns are frequent in the example games?

– How the other patterns affect the pattern?

– Sub/superior patterns

• What are the consequences of using the pattern?

• Are the other ideas part of this pattern?

– Or are they separate patterns?

• Modify and elaborate the description according to the template

– Name

– Description

– Consequences

– Using the pattern

– Relations to other patterns

Describe (example)

• Producer-Consumer

• “One game element is producing resources, which another element consumes.”

Describe (diagram)

Producer-Consumer

Describe (example)

• Game examples (Civ, Quake III, Tetris etc.)

• Use of the pattern:

– Production regulation (time, turn, action, event etc.), consumer regulation (automatic, player controlled, mechanics of consumption)

Describe (example)

• Consequences:

– Concrete, but very common pattern

– Can regulate the flow of the game

– Can increase the complexity of the game, especially if the players can control the producer-consumer elements

– Can increase the feeling of player control

Describe (example)

• Related patterns:

– Subpatterns: Factory, Accumulator,

Symmetric/asymmetric distribution and abilities– Superior: Limited Resources, Trade,

Investments, Resource Management and

Control…

Describe (diagram)

Producer-Consumer with Accumulator

A

Describe (diagram)

Producer-Consumer chain with Factory

• Interaction design exercise:

– Nothing else but the pattern (well, requires

some extras)

– Why it is not a game?

– Add patterns or interactions to make it a game

proto-• “Redesign” existing games to use the pattern

• Apply the pattern in your current work, if possible

Test (example)

• Certainly not a game yet

– No goal

• Goal:

– Use Alignment: four tokens in a straight row

• Still not a game:

– No opposition

• Add another player:

– Multiplayer + Transfer of Control between players linked to placing the token

• Is this a pattern?

• Is it useful?

• Should it be part of another pattern?

• Should it be discarded altogether?

• Is the description sufficient?

• Start the Analyze-Describe-Test cycle again if need be

The Reality

• The reality is messy…

• Abstraction of the process

• Analyze-Define-Test normally intertwined

• Pattern elimination, mutation, fusion, spin-offs possible in all phases

• Difficult work (at least for me)

• Some phases are better done in small groups

An example of identifying patterns

• Board game Carcassonne (Klaus-Jürgen Wrede, published by Hans im Glück 2000)

• Simple

• Several interacting patterns

Example of pattern emerging from

token use

Tile-laying

Example of pattern emerging from

closure use

Area Enclosure

Area Enclosure: other examples

• Go

• Qix

Example of pattern emerging from

interaction

Hovering Closure

Hovering Closure: other examples

• Tetris

• America’s Army (taking a photo etc.)

• Qix

Example of pattern emerging from

experience

Tension

Lunch