And if you're at the Game Developers Conference this week, be sure to stop by the IGDA Booth and learn how the IGDA can help with your professional growth.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
IGDA Webinar: How To Get More Speaking Gigs to Grow Your Career
Interested in speaking at the Game Developers Conference next year? Listen to this audio recording to get tips from past/present GDC speakers on how to land more speaking opportunities.
And if you're at the Game Developers Conference this week, be sure to stop by the IGDA Booth and learn how the IGDA can help with your professional growth.
And if you're at the Game Developers Conference this week, be sure to stop by the IGDA Booth and learn how the IGDA can help with your professional growth.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
IGDA Game Design SIG at 2015 Game Developers Conference
In partnership with the Game Developers Conference, the IGDA and IGDA Game Design SIG are pleased to hold our roundtable Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 11 AM in Room 111, North Hall.
Join us to discuss how our SIG can better help you. We will talk about how to better share questions, ideas, and information and what new fields we can include in our group discussions. Comments and suggestions this early would be appreciated if you want anything else in particular covered in the roundtable. A GDC pass (at least an EXPO Pass) is required so you may enter the premises. This session is right before the lunch break so we can continue the discussion over lunch. Independent developer Howard Dy Go will be moderating.
Event Link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/igda-game-design-sig-roundtable-gdc-2015-tickets-15658961375?aff=estw
In addition, we will be having a Social Gathering, open to all (no GDC pass required) at the IGDA booth (usually located in the lobby; ask for directions) on Tuesday, March 3, 2015 at 4:00 - 4:30 PM. This social meeting is scheduled during a break between conference sessions. If you're there for the Summits only, this would be an opportune time to meet up with other game designers.
Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/events/427479910732550/
(through Game Design SIG group) https://www.facebook.com/events/937400352945362/
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Who Needs a Fourth Wall?: Co-Designing A Game With Players
In this article, aspiring game designer Gabby Taylor remarks that co-designing games with players can be part of a great marketing plan that can either succeed or backfire.
Game development, in an ideal setting, is all about creativity. Brainstorming awesome ideas, refining those ideas, and polishing the execution of those refined ideas is what we do. But for some reason, we’ve mostly been doing this within the context of a game, never reaching through the fourth wall. Of course, once we caught on to that little fact, we did what we do best. Enter stage left: Co-designing games with players.
The basic idea of co-designing with the players is simple: start with a basic idea, and implement suggestions that get tossed at you from people. In the end, the development process itself doubles as a brilliant marketing scheme (who doesn’t want to buy something fun they helped make?. #IDARB, a game that used design suggestions through Twitter, did a great job with this. Like all great ideas, though, this needs some refining.
The major sticking point is that this requires public interest, which not all of us are capable of garnering (I’ll be the first to admit to that fault). Going back to the #IDARB example, it really only took off once indie superstar Tim Schafer not only offered a suggestion, but also passed it along to his fans. Once the people have noticed, you need to work quickly to maintain interest (notice the difference between when it first started on Jan 3 to the updated version on Jan 10). The problem here is we can’t predict what goes viral or how, and this has a big risk of going one of two ways: either we keep putting in our own ideas and showing updates and essentially just developing traditionally, or we keep trying to get eyes and interest and come off desperate and pathetic.
I’ve been experimenting with trying to get people to co-design a game I’ve been working on for a few years called Avalon. Like I mentioned before, I am by no means any good at marketing or getting attention, but I’ve found that suggestions don’t usually come snowballing in like they did with #IDARB. They come in spurts-- one suggestion on name spelling here, maybe two suggestions on combat a bit later, with another suggestion about a week after that for adjusting graphics. I’ve pretty much been just working traditionally with frequent updates, while walking the razor’s edge between invitations and pleading for feedback (sometimes not so successfully, which I think has foiled a lot of my better attempts).
A minor sticking point to co-designing is picking and choosing which ideas you implement. Not all ideas can get in, lest the game become overloaded and the design break down entirely, but part of maintaining interest is making sure you implement enough of them in such a way that they’re recognizable as their ideas and the game still flows nicely. Shunted ideas are all well and good, but ignored players are former players who will tell their friends they’re being ignored. Want to watch your game go from 60 to 0 in no time flat? That’s how you do that. And trust me, if trying to capture interest initially is an uphill battle, trying to recapture interest after the game falls on its face is like a fight up Everest. This is another reason you need to implement ideas very quickly, and update as soon as it’s in.
Co-designing a game with players requires tact, great people skills, and a very quick workflow. While it’s a constant balancing act between failure and shining success, the experience and the payoff can be amazing, such as with #IDARB. Just remember: the internet has no attention span, but it will never forget failure.
Gabby Taylor is an aspiring game designer and head of GreyBox Studio. When not making design documents, she contemplates going outside, and sometimes even takes a few steps when feeling particularly frisky.
Game development, in an ideal setting, is all about creativity. Brainstorming awesome ideas, refining those ideas, and polishing the execution of those refined ideas is what we do. But for some reason, we’ve mostly been doing this within the context of a game, never reaching through the fourth wall. Of course, once we caught on to that little fact, we did what we do best. Enter stage left: Co-designing games with players.
The basic idea of co-designing with the players is simple: start with a basic idea, and implement suggestions that get tossed at you from people. In the end, the development process itself doubles as a brilliant marketing scheme (who doesn’t want to buy something fun they helped make?. #IDARB, a game that used design suggestions through Twitter, did a great job with this. Like all great ideas, though, this needs some refining.
The major sticking point is that this requires public interest, which not all of us are capable of garnering (I’ll be the first to admit to that fault). Going back to the #IDARB example, it really only took off once indie superstar Tim Schafer not only offered a suggestion, but also passed it along to his fans. Once the people have noticed, you need to work quickly to maintain interest (notice the difference between when it first started on Jan 3 to the updated version on Jan 10). The problem here is we can’t predict what goes viral or how, and this has a big risk of going one of two ways: either we keep putting in our own ideas and showing updates and essentially just developing traditionally, or we keep trying to get eyes and interest and come off desperate and pathetic.
I’ve been experimenting with trying to get people to co-design a game I’ve been working on for a few years called Avalon. Like I mentioned before, I am by no means any good at marketing or getting attention, but I’ve found that suggestions don’t usually come snowballing in like they did with #IDARB. They come in spurts-- one suggestion on name spelling here, maybe two suggestions on combat a bit later, with another suggestion about a week after that for adjusting graphics. I’ve pretty much been just working traditionally with frequent updates, while walking the razor’s edge between invitations and pleading for feedback (sometimes not so successfully, which I think has foiled a lot of my better attempts).
A minor sticking point to co-designing is picking and choosing which ideas you implement. Not all ideas can get in, lest the game become overloaded and the design break down entirely, but part of maintaining interest is making sure you implement enough of them in such a way that they’re recognizable as their ideas and the game still flows nicely. Shunted ideas are all well and good, but ignored players are former players who will tell their friends they’re being ignored. Want to watch your game go from 60 to 0 in no time flat? That’s how you do that. And trust me, if trying to capture interest initially is an uphill battle, trying to recapture interest after the game falls on its face is like a fight up Everest. This is another reason you need to implement ideas very quickly, and update as soon as it’s in.
Co-designing a game with players requires tact, great people skills, and a very quick workflow. While it’s a constant balancing act between failure and shining success, the experience and the payoff can be amazing, such as with #IDARB. Just remember: the internet has no attention span, but it will never forget failure.
Gabby Taylor is an aspiring game designer and head of GreyBox Studio. When not making design documents, she contemplates going outside, and sometimes even takes a few steps when feeling particularly frisky.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
IGDA Webinar: Constructing Ramped Difficulty in Gameplay
In this video, game designer Michael John of GlassLab discusses the concept of flow in macro design and how it relates to difficulty and engagement.
Game design Webinars from the IGDA are held on every third Wednesday of the month.
Game design Webinars from the IGDA are held on every third Wednesday of the month.
Saturday, January 24, 2015
Motivational Boosts to Fitness Behavior Modification
In this article, game designer Sande Chen discusses the use of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in fitness apps.
As I mentioned previously in the article, Fitness Behavior Modification, January is the month for fitness goals, weight loss goals, and other behavior modification goals (e.g. smoking cessation). Numerous smartphone tools, trackers, and devices such as FitBit exist to help people succeed. Has technology helped boost motivation to change behaviors?
In a 2014 study of approximately 1900 volunteers around the world, researchers at Imperial College London wrote that there was a "significant although modest" reduction in BMI of those dieters who used social media and smartphone apps compared to those who didn't use technology. Another study at Arizona State University's School of Nutrition and Health Promotion noted that those who used smartphone calorie trackers were more likely to continue tracking food intake than those who used pencil and paper.
To me, it seems like the technological leap in the Arizona State University study seems to be more about convenience. I have tried both calorie tracking methods -- smartphone and the more traditional pencil & paper -- and I can state that it is somewhat of a chore to accurately track calories. I never bothered to weigh my food with a food scale and if I couldn't find the exact information I needed, I would put down whatever was approximate. A smartphone app made it easier for me to track calories, but I confess that even with the app, I stopped after a month or two. This experience of mine isn't unique. People often take to New Year's resolutions with eagerness, only to fall back into old habits by March.
Still, a monitor or tracker would seem to point to intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation. The information gained from the data tracking compels the individual to get better numbers and do better. Intrinsic motivation is about a person's internal desire to engage in the activity without the fear of a negative event or the promise of a reward. Intrinsic motivation arises from within an individual whereas extrinsic motivation is from an outside source.
While I do not know the apps specified in the Imperial College London study, the researchers reasoned that the community forums provided support, advice, and approval to the dieters who used them. While peer approval would appear to be an extrinsic motivator, it has been seen in research that praise in certain situations can improve intrinsic motivation. Excessive praise for minimal work certainly does erode intrinsic motivation but if the praise isn't evaluative like "Great job!" and more a subjective expression of appreciation than a reward, then praise can lead to a boost in intrinsic motivation.
Let's take a look at other fitness apps: Here's the carrot or stick approach.
Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.
As I mentioned previously in the article, Fitness Behavior Modification, January is the month for fitness goals, weight loss goals, and other behavior modification goals (e.g. smoking cessation). Numerous smartphone tools, trackers, and devices such as FitBit exist to help people succeed. Has technology helped boost motivation to change behaviors?
In a 2014 study of approximately 1900 volunteers around the world, researchers at Imperial College London wrote that there was a "significant although modest" reduction in BMI of those dieters who used social media and smartphone apps compared to those who didn't use technology. Another study at Arizona State University's School of Nutrition and Health Promotion noted that those who used smartphone calorie trackers were more likely to continue tracking food intake than those who used pencil and paper.
To me, it seems like the technological leap in the Arizona State University study seems to be more about convenience. I have tried both calorie tracking methods -- smartphone and the more traditional pencil & paper -- and I can state that it is somewhat of a chore to accurately track calories. I never bothered to weigh my food with a food scale and if I couldn't find the exact information I needed, I would put down whatever was approximate. A smartphone app made it easier for me to track calories, but I confess that even with the app, I stopped after a month or two. This experience of mine isn't unique. People often take to New Year's resolutions with eagerness, only to fall back into old habits by March.
Still, a monitor or tracker would seem to point to intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation. The information gained from the data tracking compels the individual to get better numbers and do better. Intrinsic motivation is about a person's internal desire to engage in the activity without the fear of a negative event or the promise of a reward. Intrinsic motivation arises from within an individual whereas extrinsic motivation is from an outside source.
While I do not know the apps specified in the Imperial College London study, the researchers reasoned that the community forums provided support, advice, and approval to the dieters who used them. While peer approval would appear to be an extrinsic motivator, it has been seen in research that praise in certain situations can improve intrinsic motivation. Excessive praise for minimal work certainly does erode intrinsic motivation but if the praise isn't evaluative like "Great job!" and more a subjective expression of appreciation than a reward, then praise can lead to a boost in intrinsic motivation.
Let's take a look at other fitness apps: Here's the carrot or stick approach.
- Nexercise allows users to earn discounts and gift cards in a gamified environment of XP points, leveling and badges.
- FIT ACC punishes users who fail to work out regularly with a monetary fine.
- Cardio Smackdown allows players to compete against friends.
- Ghost Race allows players to compete against friends but also a player's best time in the form of a "ghost" self.
- Zombies, Run! is a well-known exergame in which the runner player needs to avoid zombies
- Superhero Workout helps defenders of the Earth get in shape for the alien invasion.
Sande Chen is a writer and game designer whose work has spanned 10 years in the industry. Her credits include 1999 IGF winner Terminus, 2007 PC RPG of the Year The Witcher, and Wizard 101. She is one of the founding members of the IGDA Game Design SIG.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
5 Years of GDAM
Apologies for the lack of attention last month. I had some issues with my computers and am now in the process of building a new one. I am still using mobile devices at the moment, which makes it harder to update.
Before the end of last year, I had in fact wanted to comment on the 5th year anniversary of GDAM blog.and go through some sort of 2014 year-end review. 5 years ago, GDAM started as an unofficial initiative of the IGDA Game Design SIG. Its target audience was game designers, students, and other professionals in the industry. I wanted the blog to be a forum for issues that particularly concerned game designers. I meant it to be a community blog and not so much my blog, but I did take it upon myself to start writing more blog posts when there were lulls in participation.
In the early days, I had a co-editor, Altug Isigan, who helped to review and solicit articles. Altug provided scholarly attention and added a dimension of critical analysis to the blog. I also had a pantheon of repeat contributors who enjoyed the topics that were raised by fellow game designers. The podcasts were very popular but they proved to be too work-intensive for me. Altug finished his PhD thesis and afterwards, could not help with the blog as he did before. He is now a professor.
Throughout the years, there have been starts and stops. At times, I was working in full-time jobs that took me around the world and simply did not have the time.. Still, GDAM became a regular column in the IGDA Perspectives newsletter (which sadly has been discontinued) and I tried to at least keep a monthly schedule down. At last, I relaxed the condition that all articles had to be on the monthly topic and simply accepted articles as they came, as long as they fulfilled one of the previously suggested topics.
I hope that as readers, you have found some enjoyment and usefulness in hearing the different voices and opinions expressed on this blog. I sorta like the variety and I hope that I will get more contributions in the New Year. And if you're a friend of mine, then yes, I will relentlessly bother you for an article :)
Best regards,
Sande Chen
Before the end of last year, I had in fact wanted to comment on the 5th year anniversary of GDAM blog.and go through some sort of 2014 year-end review. 5 years ago, GDAM started as an unofficial initiative of the IGDA Game Design SIG. Its target audience was game designers, students, and other professionals in the industry. I wanted the blog to be a forum for issues that particularly concerned game designers. I meant it to be a community blog and not so much my blog, but I did take it upon myself to start writing more blog posts when there were lulls in participation.
In the early days, I had a co-editor, Altug Isigan, who helped to review and solicit articles. Altug provided scholarly attention and added a dimension of critical analysis to the blog. I also had a pantheon of repeat contributors who enjoyed the topics that were raised by fellow game designers. The podcasts were very popular but they proved to be too work-intensive for me. Altug finished his PhD thesis and afterwards, could not help with the blog as he did before. He is now a professor.
Throughout the years, there have been starts and stops. At times, I was working in full-time jobs that took me around the world and simply did not have the time.. Still, GDAM became a regular column in the IGDA Perspectives newsletter (which sadly has been discontinued) and I tried to at least keep a monthly schedule down. At last, I relaxed the condition that all articles had to be on the monthly topic and simply accepted articles as they came, as long as they fulfilled one of the previously suggested topics.
I hope that as readers, you have found some enjoyment and usefulness in hearing the different voices and opinions expressed on this blog. I sorta like the variety and I hope that I will get more contributions in the New Year. And if you're a friend of mine, then yes, I will relentlessly bother you for an article :)
Best regards,
Sande Chen
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
December 2014: Franchises
Hello and welcome to a new topic for December 2014!
Back when I was running polls for this blog, there was a topic of Sequels that apparently never got voted up. I struggled with the name of the topic because I don't think it should be strictly about sequels and franchising. I think it's an interesting problem to try to continue something after it's already been established and self-contained. Or perhaps people do create the first game with cliffhanger in hand for the sequel...?
With DLC, it seems like there could be a trickling stream of additional content that further expands the story, the world, and the gameplay. With MMOs, this is a constant endeavor. Is there ever an ending in sight? How do we consider the eldergame?
The Opening Hook explored the impact of beginnings. What is the impact of an ending that may not be the ending?
As always, I take requests about new topics and even encourage people to write in with their topics and questions. Please take a look at the submission guidelines along with submission procedure on the right hand side of the blog. Topic suggestions and articles are welcome!
Back when I was running polls for this blog, there was a topic of Sequels that apparently never got voted up. I struggled with the name of the topic because I don't think it should be strictly about sequels and franchising. I think it's an interesting problem to try to continue something after it's already been established and self-contained. Or perhaps people do create the first game with cliffhanger in hand for the sequel...?
With DLC, it seems like there could be a trickling stream of additional content that further expands the story, the world, and the gameplay. With MMOs, this is a constant endeavor. Is there ever an ending in sight? How do we consider the eldergame?
The Opening Hook explored the impact of beginnings. What is the impact of an ending that may not be the ending?
As always, I take requests about new topics and even encourage people to write in with their topics and questions. Please take a look at the submission guidelines along with submission procedure on the right hand side of the blog. Topic suggestions and articles are welcome!
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