Week 6 Task

What is meant by Gameplay?

Gameplay is a term used to describe the interaction between an individual and a game.

Who are the leading lights in Game Design?

I’d say the business analysts are probably the most responsible for whether or not a game is made rather than the people who actually work on the game as if the business analysts don’t think there’s a market for the game (whether there is or not) then the game wont get made.

Where does Game Design take place in the modern Developer?

In the “GWP” (“game waterfall process” http://www.gamedev.net/columns/gameengineering/gup/ ) the actual game design process seems to start at step three with the exception of the original conception of the game idea. I don’t know of any other kind of process that is in use by game developers but this process seems to fit what I already knew about the game development process.

Is it a single person's responsibility?

Depends on the complexity of the game. In early computer games it was possible for one person to make an entire game let alone handle every bit of design work but as games get more advanced a need for more man power is required (not that its impossible for one person to make an up to date advanced game it would just take a very very very very very long time). These days game design is split into different categories such as character design and level design with a number of different people working on each category. The only way it can possibly be narrowed down to being one person’s responsibility is if you pin the responsibility on the person in charge of orchestrating everyone working on the game design team.

Do different genres require different design principles?

The generally shouldn’t but I’d expect there are exceptions (though I can’t think of any at the moment).

What's important for you, when you play?

Depends on the type of game. Puzzle games for example just need to look okay and play well, FPS on the other hand also need some kind of story line and a good variation on how I can go about my business in the game (multiple weapon choices, different ways of achieving objectives etc). In general the game needs to play well, look good and have a good story where possible. Most important is it has to be fun and if it can be played cooperatively or have some kind of multiplayer then that’s a huge bonus as is general replayability and game life.