How We Design Games Now and Why

20.12.
2016
Gamasutra: Katharine Neil's Blog - How we design games now and why
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Howwedesigngamesnowandwhy
byKatharineNeilon12/14/1609:22:00am
6comments
Thefollowingblogpost,unlessotherwisenoted,waswrittenbyamemberofGamasutrascommunity.
ThethoughtsandopinionsexpressedarethoseofthewriterandnotGamasutraoritsparentcompany.
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Florida,SchoolofVisual
ArtsandDesign
InstructororLecturer,
HereIsharesomethoughtsonhowgamedesignpracticehasbeenshapedbybusiness,
technologyandculture.FirstpublishedinthebookCriticalHits:AnIndieGaming
Anthology,editedbyZoeJellicoe,forewordbyCaraEllison.Availableforpurchasehere.
In1884,anEnglishmancalledGeorgeSturtinheritedatwohundredyearoldwheelwrightsshopfrom
hisfather.Awheelwrightwasanartisanwhomadewheelsforhorsedrawnvehiclescartsandcarriages.
Sturthadbeenaschoolteacher,andwasentirelynewtothisbusinessofmakingwheels.Asaman
possessedofbothawheelwrightsshopandtheenquiringmindofascholar,Sturtsetouttolearnnot
onlyhowwheelsweremade,butalsowhytheyweremadethatway.Findingpeopletoshowhimthe
wheeldesignsandhowtheywereconstructedwasnotdifficult.Buthecouldnotfindanyonetoexplain
why,forexample,cartwheelswereastrange,elaboratedishshapelikesaucers.Whyweretheynot
flat?Atfirstglancethestrangeshapeseemedtohavesomecleardisadvantages.Notonlydiditmake
themmoretimeconsumingtobuild,theyhadtobepositionedonacartinsuchawayastheyjuttedout
fromthesideataratheroddangle.Andyettheydidtheirjobremarkablywell.
Sturtdevelopedhisowntheoriestoexplainthestrangedesign,whichherecordedinhis1923bookThe
WheelwrightsShop,andinthedecadessincethendesignersandengineersofferedtheirowntheories.
WhileSturtwasdestinedtonevertrulyunderstandthesecretlogicencodedinthiswheeldesign,hequite
happilycontinuedusingittomakewheelsoveranumberofyears.Indoingsohewasfollowingthe
traditionofgenerationsofwheelwrightsbeforehim,whoseknowledgeandskillwereaccompaniedbythat
otherenduringtraditionoftheartisan:analmostcompletelackoftheoreticalunderstanding.
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By1923theyhadgreatwheelsbutitlooksliketheycould'vedonewithafewmorebridges.
Turnofthecenturygamedevelopment
Wenolongerhavewheelwrightsandwearenolongermakingwheelsinshapeswedontunderstand.
Thisisbecausedesignpractice(thewaydesignersdesign)inanydisciplinefromthecreationofwheels,
buildingsandfurniturethroughtofilm,musicandliteraturedevelopsovertime.Itreachesmilestonesit
passesthroughphases.Untilaroundadecadeagovideogamedesignlookedasifitwasabouttobegin
theevolutionaryshiftthatotherdesigndisciplineshadmadebeforeit.Butthisdidnothappen.A
confluenceofmajorchangestotheworldofvideogamestechnological,industrialandculturaltook
place,settinggamedesignonaverydifferentcourse.Tounderstandwhathappened,weneedtoturnthe
clockbacktothelate1990sandearlytomid2000s,beforethesemajorchangeshadoccurred.
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Letsimagineaconsolegame(forPlayStationorXbox,forexample)beingmadeinanaveragely
successfulgamedevelopmentstudio.
Snowball...
Gamedesignwouldusuallykickoffwithapitchforagameidea,takingtheformofadocument,some
conceptartandperhapsevenavideomockuporprototype.Thispitch(andsomebusinessduediligence)
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wasusuallyenoughforapublishertodecidewhetherthegamewasworthfinancing.Oncetheproject
wasgreenlit,thefirstphaseofdevelopment,preproduction,wouldbegin,andasmallteamof
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designerswouldproduceaseveralhundredpagegamedesigndocument.Thisdocumentwasusedasa
blueprintfortheproductionofthegameandprojectplanningthatis,forbreakingdowntheelementsof
thegamesothattheycouldbecostedandscheduled,andasameansofcommunicatingalltheelements
ofthedesigntothepublishersotheyknewwhattheyweregetting.Aprototype,orperhapsmorethan
oneprototype,wasthenproduced.
Basedonthisprototypeandthe,bynowhefty,designdocumentthegamewouldgointodevelopmentfor
thenextyearandahalformore,withateamofseveraltoseveraldozen,orevenhundreds,ofgame
developers.
Manymonthsoryearsintothisprocess,theprojectreachedthemilestoneknownasalpha,meaningthat
thegamewasconsideredtobefeaturecomplete.Allmajorfunctionalitywouldhavethenbeen
implemented,andthegamewasplayablefrombeginningtoend.Itwasoftennotuntilthispointthat
designerscouldplaytestandevaluatetheirgamedesign.Frequently,thegameplaywouldrequiresome
majorchanges.
Designchangesmidprojectcouldsenddevelopmentintodisarray.Projectmanagerswerenaturallywary
ofanychangesthatwouldresultinhavingtothrowawaymonthsofproductionwork.Besides,theproject
mayatthispointalreadyberunninglate,andsomefeatureswerealreadybeingcutfromthegame,
leadingdesignerstodespair.Programmerswerenowworkingweekendsandnights,formonthsonend.
Occasionally,aftermonthsorevenyearsofwork,thenowfullyplayablegamemightrevealitselftobeso
irretrievablybadthatthepublisherwouldcanceltheprojectaltogetherandcuttheirlosses.
ThisprocessthatIhavejustdescribedtheprocessbeingusedformostgamedevelopmentprojectsat
theturnofthe21stcenturywasbeginningtostaggerunderitsownweight.Ploughingsignificant
resourcesintoagamemonthsbeforeyoucouldbefullyconfidentthatthegamedesignwasnot
fundamentallyflawedwasrisky.Asteamsgrewanddevelopmentbudgetsrosefrommillionstotensof
millions,publishersbecamewaryofbackingprojectsthattookcreativerisks.Itwassafesttomake
gameswiththekindofmechanicsthatwealreadyknewworkedbecausewedalreadyplayedthemin
othergames.Innovation,manyobserved,wassufferingasaresult.
CommentGuidelines
BloggingGuidelines
HowWeWork
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Ifyouenjoyreadingthissite,
youmightalsowanttocheck
outtheseUBMTechsites:
GameCareerGuide
IndieGames
ThingsgoingawryinGameDevStory(2010),agamedevelopmentstudiosimulationgame.
Consideringtherelationshipbetweendesignandproduction
Atthecoreoftheproblemwasaconflictofinterestbetweentheincreasinglydemandingneedsof
productionandtheneedsofdesignitwasabrokenrelationship.Butgamedesignerswerenotthefirst
designerstofindthemselvesneedingtorethinktherelationshipbetweendesigningandmaking.
Incomparingtraditionalbuildingdesigntomodernarchitectureinhis1964bookNotesontheSynthesis
ofForm,ChristopherAlexandermakesadistinctionbetweentwokindsofdesigncultures:
unselfconsciousdesignandselfconsciousdesign.Unselfconsciousdesign(orcraftbaseddesign)
concernstheuseoftraditionalbuildingmethods,inwhichthedesignerworksdirectlyontheform(so,if
youwereawheelwright,thewheel)unselfconsciously,throughacomplextwodirectionalinteraction
betweenthecontextandtheform,intheworlditself.Thedesignrulesandsolutionsarelargely
unwritten,andarelearntinformally.Thesameformismadeoverandoveragainwithnoneedto
questionwhydesignersneedonlylearnthepatterns.Theyknowthataspecificdesignelementisgood,
buttheydonotneedtounderstandwhyitisgood.
Theyknowthataspecificdesignelementisgood,buttheydonotneedtounderstandwhyitisgood.
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Igloosareagoodexampleofunselfconsciousdesign.
Inunselfconsciousdesign,designtraditionsandconventionsstandinplaceofdesigntheory.Withno
understandingofunderlyingdesignprinciples,modificationsto,orremovalof,adesignelementcanbe
risky.Thismeansthatpatternsandrulesofdesignevolveveryslowly.Andwhilerulesandconventions
candevelopgraduallyovertimetoattainahighlevelofdesignsophistication,asitdidwiththe
cartwheel,thisisnotaccompaniedwithadeepeningunderstandingandsophisticationinthedesign
principlesthatgovernthepatternsandrules.
Moderndesignersofwheelsarenotliketheirunselfconsciousdesignerpredecessors,thewheelwrights.
TheypracticewhatAlexandercallsselfconsciousdesign.Inthismoderndesignculture,designthinkingis
freedfromitsrelianceonmaking.Thankstotheirdesignthinkingmethodsandtools,anengineeroran
architectdoesnotneedtobuildthebridgeorhousetheyaredesigninginordertotestwhetheritwillfall
down.Intheworldsofarchitectureanddesignthisnotonlyopeneduppossibilitiesforboldcreativityand
innovation,itfacilitatedtherapidadaptationofdesignstochangingsocial,technologicaland
environmentalrequirementsandfashions.Selfconsciousdesignrunsrightthroughtheartsaswell.
Consideracomposersabilitytowritepagesoforchestralmusicatadesk,withoutneedingtoliterally
hearthemusictheyarewriting.
In2004,gamedesignerBenCousinsusedAlexandersdistinctionbetweentraditionalandmoderndesign
practicestocriticisethevideogamedesignanddevelopmentprocessofthetime.Inashortblogpost,
Cousinssuggestedthatgamedevelopersarestilloperatingunderanunselfconscioussystemofdesign.
Hedescribedagamedesignculturethatwasrifewithantiintellectualism,wheretheeldersofgame
developmentwereintolerantofanydeviationfromtraditionalprocess,andwhereacademic,scientific
andanalyticaltechniquesarenotallowed,delayingthesearchfortrueknowledge.Hearguedthatthe
majordifferencebetweendesignersinothermediaandthoseingameswasthefactthatwehadnotyet
progressedtoselfconsciousdesign.
Thecallforgamedesigntools
Cousinswasnotaloneinthisobservation.Ithadnotgoneunnoticedthat,despitetherapidlyincreasing
technicalsophisticationandproductionvaluesofvideogamesbeingproduced,gamedesignitself
remainedrelativelyunderdeveloped.Backin1999,designerDougChurchhadpublishedaninfluential
pieceintheindustrystrademagazineGameDeveloper,callingforthegamedesigncommunityto
developwhathecalledformal,abstractdesigntools.Churchwarnedthatourlackofformaldesign
understandingwouldhinderourabilitytopassdownandbuilduponcurrentdesignknowledge,andthat
ourlackofevenacommondesignvocabularywastheprimaryinhibitorofdesignevolution.
Intheyearsthatfollowed,othersjoinedthecall.DesignerRaphKosterhighlightedtheimprecisionof
naturallanguageasatoolfordesigninggameplay,andproposedwedevelopagraphicalnotation
systemforgamedesign.DesignerDanCookwentsofarastocallpastgamedesignachievements
accidentalsuccesses.Cooksobservationthatwecurrentlybuildgamesthroughhabit,guessworkand
slavishdevotiontopreexistingformisanappositedescriptionofhowunselfconsciousdesignerswork.
AsAlexanderexplainedit,anunselfconsciousdesignerhasnochoicebuttothinkwhilebuildingthey
designbymaking.Butinselfconsciousdesign,adesignerhaswaystosolvetheirdesignproblems
withoutrelyingonmaking,orhavingtothinkthroughallthemovingpartsofadesignproblemjustin
theirhead.
Tosomeextent,writingdownideastothinkthemthroughcanhelp(suchasinagamedesigndocument),
butgamedesignerswerefindingthisprocesswoefullyinadequate.Whatselfconsciousdesignershave
thatwedidnotwasameansofdesigndrawing.Designdrawingdoesnotliterallymeanadrawingit
couldbeasketchormodelofabuilding,musicalnotationorindeedanykindofmaterialthatgivesa
usefulrepresentationofthecurrentstateofyourdesignthinking(yourdesignsituation).Designdrawing
isnotprimarilyforcommunicatingthedesigntootherpeopleitispartofthedesignthinkingprocess.
You,thedesigner,canengageinaprivatedesignconversationbetweenyouandthesematerialsof
designthatyouarecreatingandmodifying.
Designdrawingisadesignerssuperpower.InhisbookHowDesignersThink,BryanLawsondescribes
howtheadventofdesigndrawingliberateddesignerscreativeimaginationinarevolutionaryway.It
affordedthemagreaterperceptualspan,enablingthemtomakemorefundamentalchangesand
innovationswithinonedesignthanwaspossibleintraditionaldesignbymakingstylepractice.
SomegamedesignersandacademicresearchersbegantoseeiftheycouldanswerChurchscallfor
designtools.Theyproposedideasfordevelopingsemiformal,sometimesgraphicalmethodsofmodelling
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anddescribinggameplay.Thereweregamedesignerswhoweretryingtoworkouthowtodeviseakind
ofgrammarofgameplaythatcouldhelpusbreakitdownintobasicunits(verbs,ludemes,atoms,
choicemoleculesandskillatoms).Otherswereattemptingtoabstractandformalisecrossgenredesign
concepts,givingdesigntalkswithnameslikeOrthogonalUnitDesign.ProjectHorseshoe,aninviteonly
annualeventdedicatedtosolvingcurrentproblemsingamedesignthatgatherssomeofthe
communitysmostwellknownfigures,setthemselvesthetaskoffiguringsomeofthisstuffout.
AslidefromRaphKostersGameDevelopersConferencetalkfrom2005,AGrammarof
Gameplay
Didtheseearlyattemptsbuildmomentumandgrowintoanindustrywideshifttowardsselfconscious
designingames?
No,theydidnot.Gamedesigntodayisnotaselfconsciouspracticeinwhichdesignersusedesign
drawingtoolstosupporttheirdesignthinkingasanalternativetodesignbymaking.Nolanguageof
gamedesign,noranythingthatcouldbedescribedasformal,abstractdesigntools,hasbeenadopted
intomainstreamgamedesignpractice.Infact,ingamedesigntodaythemakeandtestdesignapproach
ofunselfconsciousdesignhasbecomeevenfurtherentrenched.Butwithnoadoptionofnewwaysto
bettersupportdesignthinkingthatdidntinvolvemaking,howdidourincreasinglyunwieldyand
expensiveprocessofdesignguessworknoteventuallyfalloverfromitsownweight?
Thisisbecause,inthelasttenyears,somemajorchangesoccurredthathave,atleasttemporarily,
delayedormaskedtheneedforashifttowardsselfconsciousdesign.Thesechangeshaveallowedusto
mitigatesomeoftheinefficienciesandslowpacedevolutionofunselfconsciousdesignbydrivingahuge
increaseinthespeed,volumeandsophisticationofbothmakingandtesting.Ifwewerewheelwrights,
thiswouldbeakintohavingaphenomenalcapacitytobuildwheelsandtestincrementaladjustmentsto
them,onamassivescaleathighvelocity.Inotherwords,wenowengageinakindofbruteforce
unselfconsciousdesignpractice,whereourdesignevolutionandinnovationhascometorelylessupon
anyadvancementinourtheoreticalunderstandingandsophisticationasdesigners,andmoreonour
sophisticationasmakers.
Theinfluenceofthesoftwareindustry
Thefirstmajorchangetothewaywemakegamescamefromoutsidethegameindustryviathe
softwareindustry.
Let'soncemorereviewthestateofthegamedevelopmentasitwasintheearlyyearsofthiscentury.
Manypeoplefeltthatthewaywemadegameswasfundamentallybroken.Gamedevelopmentprojects
werestruggling,producingjobinstability,schedulingblowouts,a95%marketplacefailurerateanda
workcultureoflonghourssonotoriousitwasmakingheadlinesinthemainstreampress.
Thefactthatgameindustryprojectmanagerswereusuallyyoungandlackinginformaltrainingwas
undoubtedlyafactor.Buteventhebestsoftwaredevelopmentprojectmanagersmighthavestruggled
withtheprocessbeingusedingamedevelopmentatthetime.ThisstagebasedprocessthatIdescribed
earliertookitscuefromconventionalsoftwaredevelopmentprocessesthatinvolvedcomprehensive
planningatthebeginningstageoftheprojecttheWaterfallmodel.Teammemberswererequiredto
understandandpredicthowlongitwouldtakethemtosolveadesignorengineeringproblembeforethey
hadstartedworkingonit.
Criticsofthisprocesswithinthewidersoftwareindustrywerebeginningtocallthisabsurdand
impossible,thecauseofschedulingblowoutsandotherprojectmanagementissues.Coretotherangeof
newagilesoftwaredevelopmentframeworksthatemergedinresponsewastoreplaceelaborateplanning
andextensivedocumentationwiththerapid,iterativecreationofworkingsoftwaresothatitcouldbe
testedasoftenaspossible,modifiedasneededforanewversion,thentestedagain.Thiscouldbe
distilledintoiterateandtest.Makeit,testit,changeit,repeat.
Itishardlysurprising,therefore,thatwhenagiledevelopmentbecamefashionablewithinthesoftware
industry,gamedevelopersanddesignerswereenthusedaboutthisnewiterativeapproach.Notonly
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diditofferanescaperouteoutofourdevelopmentcycleofpain,itputplayableversionsofthegameinto
thehandsofdesignersrightthewaythroughtheproductioncycleafarcryfromhavingtowaitmonths
forthealpha.Somegamedesignerssawthisasthesalvationtheyhadbeenwaitingfor:finally,handson
creativecontroloveraprocesstheyhadseengraduallyslippingawayfromthem.
TheAgileManifesto(2001).Notonlydiditteachustoembraceiterativedevelopment,italso
servedasanalarmingreminderofwhyyoushouldneverleaveaprogrammeraloneina
roomwithaPhotoshopfilter.
Productionistransformed
Butthiscouldonlypartiallyaddresstheincreasingcostsandtimespentonproducingsomethingplayable.
Intheearlyyearsofthiscentury,makingevenamodestgameprototypewasstillveryexpensive.But
thisallchanged.Overthenextdecadechangesingameproduction,labour,distributionandthedigital
gamesmarkettransformedourabilitytoiterativelymakeandtest.
Takegameengines,forexample.Intheearly2000stheywerecostlywhetheryourstudiodevelopedone
itself,orlicensedonefromanothercompany.ThewidelyusedgameengineRenderwarecosttensof
thousandsofdollarstousepertitle.EventheTorquegameenginethelowfi,budgetoptionaimedat
independentdeveloperswouldsetyouback$1,500.Andifyouwantedtoincludevideoinyour
cutscenes?Sound?Physics?Developersalsoneededtopaythousandsinlicensingfeesforthose
technologies.Alevelorworldbuildingtool?Buildyourown.
Renderwarewastheengineyoulicensedifyoudidnthavetheresourcestobuildyourown
gameengine.Thatis,untilElectronicArtsboughtthestudiothatmadeitandtookitoff
themarket.
Comparethattotoday:twooftheleadingprofessionalgameenginesUnity3DandUnrealEngineare
moreorlessfreeforanyonetouse.Nolongeraretheybarebones,eithertheydoalotoftheheavy
liftingthatusedtotakealargeamountoftimeandskillfromprogrammers.Moderngameenginescan
allowacompletebeginnertobuild(albeitwithinverytightcreativeconstraints)aplayableexperience
withinafewhours.
Thankstotheseadvancesinproductiontools,theabilityfordesignerstobetterunderstandagame
designideaviatheactofbuildingandplayingithasbecomesignificantlymoreaccessible.
Distributionopensup
Otherchangestotheindustryhaveacceleratedthemakingandtestingcycle.Inparticular,the
emergenceofdigitaldistributionhasmeantthatdeveloperscannowmakemuchsmallergamesina
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muchwidervarietyofgenres,andgetthemtoplayersfaster.
Untilrecently,videogamesweremoreorlessexclusivelysoldinboxesinretailstoreswhereshelfspace
wassewnupbycorporatedistributiondeals.Anotableexceptiontothisemergedinthelate90sandearly
2000s:thesaleofsocalleddownloadablegamesbyonlinegamepublisherdistributorslikeBigFish.
Thesegames,whichincludedtitlesliketheoriginalDinerDash,weretargetedatcasualgamers(then
somewhatsneeringlydescribedasthe40yearoldhousewifemarket).Meanwhile,Flashgameswere
attractingasmaller,youngercommunityofenthusiastsviabrowsergameportalssuchasKongregate.
ButastheInternetgotfasterandbandwidthgotcheaper,sellingdownloadablegamesonlinewasstarting
tobecomearealisticoptionforthemuchbiggergamesofthecoremarket.Valvesdigitaldistribution
platform,Steam,openeduptothirdpartyPCgamesin2005,andthelaunchoftheiPhonein2008saw
onlinedistributionofgamesgomainstream.Microsoft,SonyandevenNintendostartedtocuratedigital
distributionsubplatformsontheirgameconsoles.PCgames,whichmanyindustrypunditsbackinthe
dayweretellinguswasadyingmarket,werenowsuddenlymucheasiertobuyandinstall,andwere
givenasecondwind.
Akeycharacteristicofthesedigitaldistributionplatformswasthatnotonlydidtheybreakthe
strangleholdofthebigpublishers,distributorsandretailstores,therebyclearingapathtomarketfor
independentdevelopers,theywerealsoostensiblyopen(thoughstillregulated)platformsthatanyone
couldmakeandsellgameson.Thesechangeswerefundamentaltoenablingthephenomenalriseofindie
games.
Independentgamesemerge
Untilaroundadecadeago,independentlypublishedgameshadwhatwereperceivedtobealltheworst
possibletraits:smallscale,lowfigraphics,retroornichegenresandgenerallyonlyavailableonPC.To
theindustry,thismadethemvirtuallyunmarketable,excepttoatinyaudienceofnerdydiehards.Indie
gamesweresuchanonstarterthatanarticlewiththetitleWhyThereAreNoIndieVideoGames
appearedinSlatemagazinein2006.In2005,GregCostikyan,aleadingfigureinthemovementto
establishanindependentgamesindustry,spokeoftheneedtocultivateanindieaestheticsimilartothat
offilmandmusic,thatmadetheaudiencefeelasiftheywerepartofahip,discerningfansubculture.He
wasrightandthisdidhappen,justashesaiditwould.Overthelasttenyears,eachoneofthosebad
traitssmall,2D,lowfi,retroandsoforthhasbeensuccessfullyrebrandedintoahip,indieaesthetic.
Digitaldistributionplayedamajorroleinthis.
In2006youcouldwriteheadlineslikethis.
Together,allthesechangestoproductionanddistribution,tothecharacterofgamesandtheiraudiences,
havecontributedtoamassiveincreaseinthevolumeandfrequencyofgamesbeingdesigned,produced,
andbroughttomarket.Forexample,2014sawanaverageof500gamelaunchesperdayontheiTunes
AppStorein2015Steamaveragedeightdailyreleases.
Dataentersdesign
NotonlydidtheInternethelpsignificantlywidenthevolumeandvarietyofgameswemake,italso
helpedsuperchargetheotherpartofthemakeandtestdesignparadigm:testing.Whileusertestinghas
longbeenusedingamedevelopment,theInternetandthetechnologiesithasspawnedhaveenabled
testingtobeappliedtothedesignprocessinnewways.Testinghasbeenextendedandformalisedintoa
powerfuldesigntool,aspartoftheiterateandtestformulanowgenerallyacceptedasbestpracticein
gamedesign.
Thisisnowheremoreapparentthanintechniquesusedindatadrivendesigndesignbasedon
analysingthebehaviourofplayersusingdatatheygenerateastheyplay.
Datadrivendesignisnativetofreemiumgames(gameslikeFarmville,CandyCrush,Clashof
ClansandLeagueofLegends)thatuseagamesasaservicemodel.Thedesignofthesegamesisnot
static,asboxedgamesusedtobe.Thegameisdesignedasacontinuouslyevolvingentertainment
servicethatgatherslivedatafromitsusers,drivenbyadesignprocessthatcontinuesindefinitelyafter
thegamehasbeenlaunched.Becauseplayerspayviainapppurchasesratherthanbuyingthegameup
front,thedesignerstaskistomaximiseboththemoney(monetisation)andtime(retention)thatplayers
spendinthegame.Tohelpusfinelytunethesedesigndecisionsourindustryhasborrowedmarketing
optimisationtechniquesfromonlineindustries.OneoftheseisA/Btesting,inwhichvariationsofdesign
modificationsarerunsimultaneouslytoseewhichoneresultsinthebestretentionandmonetisation.
Thisdatadrivenapproachtogamedesignisnolongerconfinedtoasmallsectionoftheindustry.As
onlineplaybecomesthenorm,andasfreetoplaymonetisationgainswidertractionacrossmoregaming
markets,genresandplatforms,workingwithplayermetricsdataisbeingincreasinglyintegratedintoour
gamedesignprocess.
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Anothertrendthatintegratesliveusertestingintotheheartofourprocessisthepracticeofopenalpha,
whichiscurrentlypopularinindiegamedevelopment.Playerspaytoaccesstoanalphastage(playable,
butnotfinished)buildofagame,whichinturnhelpsdevelopersfundthegamescompletion.Anopen
alphaalsoactsasalivetestingplatform,similartogamesasaservice.Alargepartofthedesignsuccess
ofMinecraft,forexample,canbeattributedtotheadjustmentstoitsdesignmadebasedonfeedback
fromthecommunityduringitslengthyopenalphaperiod.
Makingtestingamorecentralpartofourdesignprocesshasbolsteredourcraftsbasedapproach.Ithas
formalisedandamplifiedand,insomesectorsofthegameindustry,mandatedanunselfconscious
designmethodoftinyiterativeadjustments.
Riskisrestributed
Doesthisnewtestingregimemeanthatmakinggamesisnowlessrisky?Havethenewplatforms,new
markets,digitaldistributionandtheemergenceofindiegamingloosenedthemarketstrangleholdthat
publishersanddistributorsonceheld?Haveweescapedthecurseofbeingahitdrivenindustry?Nonot
really.Atleast,notinthewaywemighthavehoped.
Mobilegamedeveloperstodayfindthemselvesfrustratedbyawinnertakesallmarket,inwhichbig
companiesmaintainneartotaldominanceofAppStorecharts.Meanwhile,Steamusagestatsrevealthat
themarketfornewgamesisonlyatinyminorityofthePCgamingaudience.Thevastmajorityofgames
releaseddonotbreakeven.
Makingmoneyfromgamesisascreativelyandcommerciallyriskyabusinessasiteverwas.The
differencebetweenthenandnowisinwhobearsthecostsoftheserisks.Increasingly,itisdevelopers
themselves.
Thosepublishersandinvestorswhowouldpreviouslyhavestumpedupmillionsinproductionfundingon
thestrengthofapitchandthequalityofadevelopmentteamareincreasinglydemandingthatsomeform
ofthegamealreadybeproducedandproveninthemarketforexample,interestgeneratedinthegame
viaacrowdfundingcampaign,playermetricsfromasoftlaunchorreleaseonasingleplatformbefore
theywillagreetopublishorinvest.Thisiscommoninmobilegamepublishing,andtherearesignsof
establishedAAApublishersfollowingthistrend.Thereisanincreasingunwillingnesstofrontthemoney
andtakeariskonanunprovengame.
Whatisgivingpublishersthiskindofleverage?And,inariskymarket,whatisstokingtheindustrysgiant
furnaceofgameproduction,withitsenormousincreaseinthevolumeandpaceofoutput,mostofit
doomednevertobreakeven?
Beinga"youngindustry"startstogetold
ExcerptfromChrisCrawfordsessayTheEducationofaGameDesigner(2003)
Toanswerthesequestionswefirstneedtounderstandsomethingunusualaboutthedemographic
characterofthegameindustry.Overthelastdecadeortwo,ourindustryhasundergonesomemajor
changes.Onethingthathasnotreallychanged,though,ishowyoung(and,asmanywillobserve,white,
maleandmiddleclass)developersare.Peoplewholookattheyoungfacesinourindustrymightassume
weareayoungdesigncultureinahistoricalsense.Butthatisnolongeractuallytruewearekept
artificiallyyoung.
Ourgamedeveloperancestorsdidnotdisappearduetodeathorretirement.Theystillwalkamongus
theyjustnolongerworkalongsideus.Itisalmostasifweareanindustryhauntedbytheghostsofliving
formergamedevelopers.Whatifthesegenerationshadremained,insteadofleavingtheindustrybefore
reachingmiddleage?Iftheyhad,gamedevelopmentmightnotbesuchastrikinglyyoungscene.Asa
group,wemighthavemorecloselyresembledourgreyingtechnicalandcreativecounterpartsinother
entertainmentindustrieslikefilmandtelevision,whoalsofaceageismbutnottosuchabrutalextent.
7/12
20.12.2016
Gamedevelopersreceivingtheircareerachievementawards.(Alternatively,the1976
filmLogansRun)
In2004gamedevelopmentcareerslastedanaverageoffiveyearsorless.Amajorreasonforthiswas
thatgamedevelopersburnout:salariedemployeeswereexpectedtoworkexcessivelylonghoursfor
relativelylowpay,andwerefrequentlylaidoffattheendofprojects.Theindustrytodaystillshowsfew
signsofofferinglong,sustainablecareers,inwhichitscreativescanexpecttospenddecadesdeepening
andmaturingtheirdesignpractice.Weareexpectedtoreachourfullcreativepotentialearlyandfast.
Whilethismakesusrelativelycheapanddisposable,thedownsidefortheindustryisaproblemofsupply.
Asthefruitfliesofthescreenbasedarts,ournumbersneedtoberegularlyreplenishedinordertoenable
andmaintaintheindustrysheightenedactivity.Howhasthisbeenachieved?
Gamedevelopmentcareersgoonsale
Firstly,ithasbeenachievedbymakinggamedevelopmentahighlyvisible,highlydesirableactivity.A
careeringamedevelopment,previouslyanicheactivityfornerdsandcomputersciencedropouts,has
undergonearemarkableimagechange.AsHasbrowilltellyou,basedona2015surveytheydidto
updatethecareersfeaturedintheirpopularfamilyboardgameTheGameofLife,thenumberonecareer
preferredbykidsisvideogamedesigner.
Whiletherearestatusbenefitstoyourprofessionnowbeingseenaseverykidsdream,thereisalsoa
downside.Dreamsaregoalsyouaresupposedtoaspiretowhileyouareyoung,beforeyoufinallygive
themuptogetarealjob.Whentheworldperceivesyourlineofworkasnotsomuchaboutmakinga
livingaslivingadream,youroncereasonableexpectationsofasustainablecareercanstarttoseem
unreasonableevenentitled.
Thereisanotherwayinwhichtheindustrybenefitsfromthiswaveofinterestingamedesigncareers.The
gamedesigndreamhashelpedensuretheriseofanewindustrythatenablesandservestheexpanded
productivecapacityofthegameindustry.Beforeenteringtheindustryproper,thedreamsyoung
adherentsarechaperonedintoafeederindustrywithenormousproductivecapacityofitsown:thegames
educationsector.
Degreesingamedevelopmentarerelativelynew.Untiladecadeorsoago,gamespecificqualifications
wereonlyofferedbyararefewuniversities.Thefirstdecadeofthecenturysawanexplosionofgame
developmentcoursesofferinggraduatesashotata(likelyasnot,veryshort)careeringame
development.
Theemergenceofagameseducationsectorisgreatforthegameindustry.Ithascreatedalargepoolof
reserveskilledlabour,andallowedtheindustrytooutsourceitshighlyvocationaltrainingandassociated
coststoinstitutions,studentsandtheirfamilies.Thereisalsoamoresubtleandpervasivebenefitthat
thegameindustryreceivesfromthegameseducationsector:itsuppliesthegameindustryintheways
itfeedsandmaintainstheindiegamesscene,forinstancewithcheapandfreecognitivelabourwhich
injectsnewideasandinnovationsintothewiderfieldofgamedesign.
Gamedeveloperswhoareyoung,cheapandfreeplaywellintoourpresentdaycontextofeconomicand
generationalinequality.Asmembersofanewsubclassofworkerssomehavenamedthecreative
precariat,creativeprofessionalsareincreasinglybeingpressuredintoreimaginingtheirproductive
labourassomethingthatisnolongernecessarilyexchangedforpaydirectly.Instead,wearetobuild
socialcapital,personalbrandsandprofessionalprofilesthatwehopewilllead,indirectlyandeven
somewhatmystically,topaymentlikeakindofeconomickarma.
8/12
20.12.2016
GamedeveloperwasBarbiesofficialCareeroftheYearfor2016.
Whatdoesitmeanforanindustrytofinditselfwithnewandvirtuallyinexhaustiblesourcesofcheap,free
labour?Itmeansthathereinwehaveourfinal,keyelementpoweringthebruteforceofourbruteforce
unselfconsciousdesignpractice.Itisapracticeinwhichevolutionandinnovationisbeingdrivennotby
intellectualortechnologicaladvancesindesignitself,butbythesheervolumeandspeedofdesigns
producedandtested,withinadesigncultureincreasinglycharacterisedbymassparticipationgame
jamsandintensiveplayermetricsharvesting.Thisbruteforceapproachisallowingus,asadesign
culture,tomitigatetheinefficienciesofthecraftbaseddesignprocessinefficienciesthatholdbackthe
paceofevolutionintraditionalunselfconsciousdesigncultures.
Imaginetheindustryisacomputer.Ourdesignalgorithmmaybeinefficientandoldfashioned,butwhy
wastetimeoptimisingitnowthatwehaveadramaticallyfastermachinetoruniton?
Imaginingotherwaystodesigngames
Isthistheinevitablepresentandfutureofgamedesign?Ormightwetakeitdownadifferentpath?
Designbymakingcanbeawonderfullysatisfyingprocess.Butitshouldnotbetheonlyprocessavailable
tous.Whileitmaycurrentlysuittheindustryforgamedesignerstoremaininastateofstunted
development,weshouldbedemandingmoreofourselvesandmorefromourindustry.
Itistimewereturnedtothisunansweredquestionofformal,abstractdesigntoolsforgamedesign.Until
wehavethetoolstodesignwithourmindsandnotjustwithourhands,wearelimitingourselves
creatively.Ingames,theselimitsincludehavingourcreativeprocessheldhostagebytheoftentimes
alienatingandfranticchurnoftheproductionandtestingcycle.
Havingbeenexposedtodatadrivendesign,whichsomedesignershaveexperiencedashavinganegative
impactontheirprocessandtheircreativeagency,ournaturalinstinctmaybetofeelwaryoforresistant
totheideaofanyandallformalapproachestodesignthinking.Buttheanswertotoolswedonotlikeis
notnotoolsitisbettertools.Wecandemandresearchanddevelopmentintodesignsupporttechnology
notformoretoolsforprototypingandproductionormetrics,butfortoolsthatsupportdesignthinking.
Withconceptualandcomputeraideddesigntools,wecouldextendourdesignthinkingbeyondthe
constraintsofcurrentpractice.Wecouldmodeldifficultdesignproblems,andtakemorecreativerisks.A
tinyminorityarestillattemptingthis,albeitonthefringesofindustry.ThetoolMachinationsisanotable
exampleofthiswork,asarerecentexperimentsinmixedinitiativedesignbyahandfulofartificial
intelligenceresearcherswithinacademia.Whilelastcenturyscallfordesigntoolsmayhavelongbeen
forgottenbythemainstreamofgamedesign,someofusstillwanttobelieve.
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Comments
JaakkoMaaniemi
15Dec2016at1:04amPST
Thankyou,Ienjoyedthisverymuch.Ilargelyagree,andthissparkedconversationand
reflectionatourfairindiestudio.
LogintoReplyorLike
AnnaZajaczkowski
Greatarticle,thankyouforarticulatingsomeseldomarticulatedconcepts.
Ithinkthelackofformalabstractgamedesigntoolsmaybedueinparttotheemergent
natureofgameplaythedesignercraftstherulesfromwhichthedynamicsemerge,rather
thandirectlycontrollingtheplayer'sexperience.Thiscouldmakeitparticularlydifficultto
developatheoreticalunderstandingofgamedesign,andcontributetomakingtestand
iteratethedominantdesignstrategy.
Anotherfactorcouldbethatgamedesigndealswithhumanpsychology,incontrastto
somethinglikewheelmakingwhichdealswithphysics.Thehumanmindisnotaswell
understoodasphysicsandnotaseasilymodelledmathematically.Relatedly,thereisno
objectivemeasureofhowgoodagameis.Metricslikemonetizationandretentiondon't
capturethequalityoftheexperiencethataplayerhas,whichtendstobeverysubjective.So
notonlydoyouhavetotestyourdesigntofindouthowitplays,it'salsojudgementcallas
towhetherornotit'sanygood.
LogintoReplyorLike
LewisPulsipher
Thankyoufortheimpressiveresearchandthinkingthatwentintothisarticle.Itrytoteach
gamedesignasapracticalskillbasedonunderstandingwhyyoudowhatyoudo(education,
nottraining),andrarelyhavetheoccasiontothinkpurelyintermsoftheory.
Whetheryouarerelyingonaselfconscioussearchforanduseofatheoryandgrammarof
gamedesign,orareliancesolelyonheuristics(rulesofthumb)suchasyouascribeto
unselfconsciousdesign,doesnotdependonwhetheryoumakethegameearlyinthe
processornot.Itdependsondesignerattitudesandonmarketforcesshapingthepractices
ofgamedesign.
Whentheindustryreliedondesigninthemind,writinghugedesigndocumentsandworking
formanymonthsorevenyearsbeforetherewasagametoactuallyplay,thefailurerate
wasveryhigh.Mysuspicionisthatanythingsuchasabstractdesigntoolsthatmovesdesign
backtoward"inthemind"andawayfromusertesting,isalsogoingtoresultinahighfailure
rate.Insomesense,confidencethatagrammarandtoolscansolvetheproblemis
tantamounttoabeliefinmagic.
Owingtomyexperienceasacollegeteacherandearlierasauniversitystudent,IconfessI
havelittleconfidenceinthelikelihoodthatacademicswillproduceanythinglikeaviable
theoryandgrammarofdesign.
Ithinkthatrelyingonstatisticalanalysisofplaycontributestoweakdesignby"throwing
thingsagainstthewalltoseewhatsticks",andtendstoresultinsoullessgames.Itisthe
ultimateinheuristicstyledesign.Gamedesign,onceaprototypehasbeenmade,ismuch
morelikeusabilitytestingthanlikestatisticalanalysis.Irecommendthatalldesignersread
manyofthearticlesatalertbox.com.Theseareaboutwebusability,butmuchappliesto
videogames(andtabletopgames)aswell.
LogintoReplyorLike
RaphKoster
18Dec2016at10:29pmPST
Myexperiencewithformaltoolsasdescribedinthearticleisthatitcutmy
failureratebyabout80percent.Ithelpedmeideatemuchfaster,ithelped
medevelopvariantsfaster,itHUGELYassistedintuningandanalysis,and
itgavememuchclearerlanguageforcommunicatingwithateam.
Nothingingamegrammarorsimilarimpliesreturningtodesigningjustin
yourhead.Istillcomposemusicwhileataninstrument,afterall...butI
wouldneversaythatknowingmusictheorysomehowmovesdesignback
towardsinthemind,asyouputit.
LogintoReplyorLike
RaminShokrizade
10/12
20.12.2016
Ifindthe"unselfconscious"vs."selfconscious"semantictobeveryuseful
fordescribingmanyofmyperceptionsoftheevolutionofgamedesignin
thiscentury.WhenIobservedfailureratesapproaching100%inthe
creationoflargeonlinegames,andeventhesuccessfulgames(likeWorld
ofWarcraft)strugglingwithchallengesthatdefiedsolutions,Idecidedto
spendaslongasittooktocomeupwithnewtheoryregardingthecreation
ofvirtualeconomiestosolvetheseproblemsandgetthefailureratesback
downtoalevelthatwouldbeattractivetoinvestorsagain.Thiswasin
2005.Thisprocesstook4.5yearstocreatecommerciallyviableoptions,
butofcourseitisanongoingprocess.
Myinitialthoughtsweretotakethesenewmethodologiestooneofthetop
USAmediauniversitiesandteachit.Iwastooearly,andwasunableto
explain(backin2008and2009)whythiswasneededinacademiaor
industry.IwasrejectedbyalluniversitiesIappliedtodespitehavingthe
highestGPAofallapplicants.ForthenexttwoyearsItriedtosellmynew
theoriestoindustry,butwasrebuffedbecause"applicationisverydifferent
fromtheory".Itwasnotuntillate2011thatIwasallowedtoapplymy
theories,andafter12yearsintheindustryIwaspaidmyfirstdollarasan
employee/contractor.
By2012IwasstartingtobehiredbymostofthelargestWesterngame
developers,astheyfigurediftheircompetitorswereusingme,theremust
besomethingtoit.IneachcaseIwasputonverylongNDA'stokeepthe
relationshipsecret.Thismadeithardtodemonstrateefficacyofmy
theories.ItwasnotuntilWargaminghiredmein2013thatthingsreally
tookoff.Myboss,ChrisKeeling,whousedtoteachgamedesignatFull
Sail,saidafterthefirstinterview"IfIhadknowyouexisted,Iwouldhave
hiredyou6yearsearlier..."ButthosesuperNDA'skeptmyworkoutofthe
publiceye.
WhiletheoriginaldesignersofWorldofTankswerebrilliant,andyears
aheadoftheirtimeinthecreationofeSportsandfreetoplaygames,they
didn'thavethetheorytoknowwhytheyweresuccessful.Thismadeit
difficulttoimprovethedesign.Theideawastotrytokeepthedesign
intact,withasfewchangesaspossible,andmovetheIPtoothersimilar
games.ThusWorldofWarships,WorldofWarplanes,andWorldofTanks:
Blitzwereborn.ItriedtocautionthatwithoutknowingwhyWoTworked,it
wasabitperiloustotrytoadaptthemodeltoothergames.Becauseofthe
UkrainianconflictIwasunabletoassisttheWoWPprojectanditstruggled.
IlivedinSaintPetersburgforfourmonthsandwasabletohelptheWoWS
teamtheregetpastsomeoftheuglierdesignhurdles,buttheclosureof
theAustinstudiowhereIwasbasedpreventedmefromseeingtheproject
throughtocompletion.
WhereIdidgettofullyapplymy"theory",whichtheOPwoulddescribeas
"selfconsciousdesign"waswithWorldofTanks:Blitz.Asthefirstmobile
gameproducedbyWargaming,andthemosttechnologicallyambitious3D
mobilegameatthetimeitwasbuilt,thiswasagreatopportunity.The
originalWoTdesignalgorithms,thatthewholegamehadbeenbuilton,had
layhiddenfor4years.Noonehadbeenallowedtoevenlookatit,noteven
theotherfoundersofWG.Iwasallowedtogoin,andimprovethe
algorithm,andthenbuildallthenecessarydesignchangesneededto
optimizethegameformobileplay.
Incurrentstateoftheartunselfconsciousproductionstyle,wewouldmake
onechangeandthenA/Btesttheheckoutofit.Wedidtheexactopposite
onBlitz.Imadedozensofradicalchangesandwasgiven2hourstotest
thembeforewewenttoretail.That2hourswasdonefairlyearlyon,totest
mychangestothecorealgorithm.Calculationsweredonebyhandon
paper,usingahandcalculator.Iusedthenumbersgeneratedinthose2
hourstobuildalltheothernoncombatnumbersinthegame.Rates,costs,
progression,monetization,etc.
Thegamelaunchedclean,withoutseriousbugs,andwasimmediately
commerciallysuccessful.Nowalmostfouryearslateritisbeingportedto
severalotherplatforms.SinceI'mnolongeratWargaming,Itrustitisstill
runningoffthenumbersIcreatedfromthose2hoursofplaytestingfrom
2013.It'sthecompleteoppositeofthecurrentindustrystandard"brute
force"processofiteration.Whatistypicallydescribedas"A/BTesting"is
usuallyinmyeyesjust"A/ATesting"withthedifferencesbetweenthetwo
"A's"beingsosmallthatanythingradicalenoughtobeareal"B"isnever
consideredortested.
IhadaninterviewwiththeheadofoneofAmerica'stopstudiosthisyear
andIwastoldtheyjustneededmetoslapsomething(monetizationwise)
togetherbeforelaunchandthenwaitfortheanalyticsresultstobeableto
finishbuildingthebusinessmodel.Isaidnothat'snothowIdoit.IfImake
abusinessmodelanddesignforagame,itwillworkreliablyinalpha
withouttheneedforsignificantiteration.Hesaidthetechnologytodothat
didnotexist(I'mparaphrasinghereforpoliticalcorrectness),andbasically
11/12
20.12.2016
saidmyskillsetsdidnotexistintheindustry(orinmyself).Thatwasthe
endofthatdiscussion.
Mypointhereinthissuperlongcommentisthatwhileyesthereisgoingto
beclosetonilinnovationinourindustrywithoutselfconsciousdesign
methodologybeingused,wehavegonesolongnowusingbruteforce
unselfconsciousdesignmethodsthatithasbecomeideologythat
selfconsciousdesigneithercan'texistorifitdid,itwouldalwaysbe
inferior.Thisideologyissointensethatitevenpreventsrationaldiscussion.
LogintoReplyorLike
JamesMorgan
16Dec2016at6:24pmPST
Thiswasaveryinterestingread.Thankyouforpostingthis.
LogintoReplyorLike
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