DE4108: Exploration Genre Suggested Game Elements

Below is a more graphically-rich version of Suggested Game Elements for the Exploration genre. Each Suggested Game Element is accompanied by a design-focused definition which is targeted towards developers. The graphic is designed to provide developers with 'at-a-glance' guidance and direction to form the basis of an Exploration game.

DE4108: Game Jam: An Initial Test of the Exploration Genre Game Design Framework

Game Jam: An Initial Test of the Exploration Genre

Game Design Framework

Rationale

Using a practical game development exercise (game jam), test the effectiveness of suggested game elements within a design framework, based upon the research carried out into popular Exploration game titles and from the Practitioner Research conducted earlier in the project (DE4201). Within the research that has been carried out, various commonly used game elements have been identified. I have used a combination of established game design theory, my own practical knowledge and the collective opinions of the practitioners interviewed during DE4201, to suggest why these elements are frequently used by designers within the Exploration genre. This body of research will be compared and critically analysed against the opinions of the participants, both before and after the game jam exercise has taken place. The participants understanding and opinions of the Exploration genre- and ultimately the framework itself- will also be compared before and after the exercise to ascertain if the framework is effective in influencing developers’ practice.

Date of event - 24^th- 25^th April 2015, 11am-6pm.

Location  - Futureworks, Riverside, New Bailey Street, Manchester, UK.

Participants

The participants that have been invited to undertake the exercise are as follows:

1.       Game Development Diploma Students.

2.       3^rd Year BA(Hons) Game Design Students.

3.       Diploma in Game Audio students.

As a result of their current levels of education, both groups of students will have varying practical skills and theoretical knowledge of game design and game development. This will help to test the design framework’s flexibility and usability across a greater range of developers. However, after consultation with the Game Development Diploma’s teaching staff it was recommended that slightly more guidance be provided to these participants in order to ensure the best possible outcomes (prototypes). Therefore, the exercise will be modified slightly for these participants (see below for details). The Diploma in Game Audio participants will be given the option of which team they wish to join, given their specialist area of expertise.

Schedule

1.     Participants will be welcomed and asked to fill in a pre-exercise questionnaire. This questionnaire will also set out the nature of the exercise and the research project linked to it.

2.       Depending on their level of expertise, participants will be either:

a.       Provided with a basic game concept theme (based upon an Exploration game), and will be provided with and asked to work within, the suggested game elements. This condition will be provided to those participants undertaking the Diploma in Game Development.

b.      Provided and asked to work within with the suggested game elements, and be asked to create an “Exploration” game. This condition will be provided to those participants undertaking a BA(Hons) in Game Design.

3.      Participants will be organised into groups – preferably ones with an evenly spread skill set (progammers, designers, artists, audio etc.)

4.       Each team of participants will have between 11am-6pm on Saturday 25^th April and Sunday 26^th April to use the suggested game elements to create a small-scope prototype video game. Members of the Futureworks tutor team will be on hand to provide any additional guidance required as well as ensuring that the suggested game elements are adhered to.

5.       At the end of the game jam, participants will be invited to fill in a reflective questionnaire based on the practical research exercise, as well as gathering their thoughts on the wider scope of the research that is taking place.

6.      The responses from participants will be analysed and will aid my overall conclusions in regards to further refinement of the Design Framework.

7.       The final game prototype builds will be analysed in terms of how closely they met with the recommended game elements guidelines. Responses from the reflective questionnaires will be considered when analysing the prototypes to inform design decisions made by the participants.

Possible Issues / Problems

Attendance – While approximately 30 participants have been invited to the Game Jam, and initial indications are that the majority of these will attend, attendance is voluntary. A low number of participants may not provide a true indication of the effectiveness of the Design Framework, and may hinder the development of the prototypes that are created. All possible measures to ensure the confirmation of attendance have been made.

DE4108: Design Practice 2: Game Element Analysis Through Practical Comparison

In order to begin identifying the most appropriate game elements that are to be defined and recommended within the Design Framework, for the past few months I have delved into various released titles that have been defined as Exploration games. I then decided to make a note of any common game elements that existed across these titles in order to ascertain what developers utilise to create what they perceive to be an Exploration-based experience. As many released titles, across all scales (AAA in comparison to smaller Indie titles), contain Exploration as a partial focus, I have attempted to limit my comparison to those titles who advertise exploration as their main (or joint-main) focus. The table below shows these titles as well as the game elements they contain. From this, a comparison can be made to determine common trends in regards to shared game elements. Those game elements marked green are those which are shared most commonly across the selected titles. Those marked red share the least amount of commonly shared game elements. From this, the most common game elements are those which I will use as the recommended game elements for the Design Framework.

Games In Order of Most Shared Gameplay Elements

The Long Dark (Hinterland Games) (7/8)

Sunless Sea (Failbetter Games) (7/8)

Elite: Dangerous (Frontier Developments) (7/8)

Rust (Facepunch Studios) (6/8)

Minecraft (Mojang) (6/8)

Fallout: New Vegas (Obsidian Entertainment) (5/8)

Miasmata (IonFX) (5/8)

Outer Wilds (Team Outer Wilds) (4/8)

Gone Home (Fullbright) (2/8)

Suggested Game Elements for Design Framework

Open World – Allows for a greater freedom of exploration and scope. Provides an added sense of intrigue and wonder (unexplored areas, shroud, hidden/secret areas). Player is not necessarily confined within a level-based structure- although some areas may still be locked off until the player achieves a certain goal.

Underlying Narrative – Provides a sense of context and purpose for the player within the game world. Also potentially provides a role or position within the game-world. Can define what the player is capable of, and what they can hope to achieve. Can provide a suggested end-game state.

Player- defined goals / objectives – Ultimately provides the player with a sense of freedom and greater control over their own actions and outcomes within the game-world. Provides a greater sense of immersion through player-defined role(s), allegiances and responsibilities.

Inventory System* – Provides a means for players to collecting items in a quantifiable manner. These items may help the player to achieve their goals or gauge a sense of their progress. Inventory items can be used within game loops and / or can be used to complete set quests, open hidden areas, or be used by players to achieve their self-defined goals / objectives. Inventories are usually (but not constrained to) finite storage amounts. This can help to add a sense of prioritisation, planning and additional challenges to the player (such as becoming encumbered).

AI Enemies – Provides the player with additional hazards that provide further context to the game world. In this sense enemy AI can help to create a greater sense of immersion, while providing the player with additional challenges to overcome. AI enemies can also potentially provide a sense of unpredictability (added challenge; greater sense of vulnerability; more believable world). Players can be rewarded for overcoming AI enemies either through world-progression or collectable items.

Environmental Hazards -  Helps to provide a sense of context and believability to the game world. Helps to set additional constraints on the player in terms of location boundaries. Environmental hazards can either be static or dynamic in nature, and can be designed to be either permanent or temporary depending on the player’s actions.

Anomalies

Gone Home – Interestingly this title, while described and widely recognised as exploration and narrative-driven, shares the least common gameplay elements with the other popular exploration titles that have been included in this comparative analysis.

References

Hinterland Games (2014). The Long Dark [Video game]. Vancouver :  Hinterland Games.
Failbetter Games (2015). Sunless Sea [Video game]. Greenwich : Failbetter Games.
Frontier Developments (2014). Elite: Dangerous [Video game]. Cambridge : Frontier Developments.
Facepunch Studios (2013). Rust [Video game]. Walsall : Facepunch Studios.
Mojang (2009). Minecraft [Video game]. Stockholm : Microsoft.
Obsidian Entertainment (2010). Fallout: New Vegas [Video game].Santa Ana. CA : Bethesda Softworks.
IonFX Studios (2012). Miasmata [Video game]. St. Paul. MN : IonFX Studios.
Team Outer Wilds (Not yet released). Outer Wilds [Video game] : Team Outer Wilds.
Fullbright (2013). Gone Home [Video game]. Portland. Ore : Fullbright.