As game designers we often find ourselves having to make complex decisions quickly. Are all the mechanics and features really necessary? What needs to be developed first? Do all these interesting-sounding ideas actually fit together? When we get to a fork in the road and both options sound good, how do we choose one over the other? Overall, what’s our design method? Having to face these situations often, not being able to provide a concise and clever solution can (and usually does) lead to two types of consequences: Poor design: making design decisions with no solid foundation or clear criteria, guided only by instinct or contextless taste. This usually leads to a design that’s limp, with games that end up suffering from “feature creep” (a heap of features, stacked on top of one another). Suffering team: a good portion of the teamwork stands on the decisions made by the creative team. If you can’t explain those decisions through clear and logical reason the entire crew will feel as if their work is headed towards random whims and/or chance. I came upon a methodology—I call it “Core, Focus, and Power”—which can be applied to almost any development while delivering the expected results (solid experiences and enjoyable development). The design method in a nutshell That’s what I call this methodology, which is simple: First you define the Core. Core is the objective, the intent behind the design; it’s the “North” that we’ll continue to look to throughout the design. This is defined only once, preferably before you even begin making a prototype. You then Focus on that Core. Focus means that EVERYTHING in our game should be pointing toward the Core, focusing on it. When things don’t, then they have to have a really good reason. It can’t be an accident or oversight. This step is taken every time a new feature is brought forward, and every time a design decision needs to be made. You take every Focused feature and you seek to give it Power. Power means that at least one of the game’s features should go the extra mile, take the product out of the comfort zone, with a fresh and bold outlook. You take this step after having designed a feature or an element that focuses on the Core. You can approach this step by asking: how can I take this further, or even to the extreme? Core The Core is the central piece in our game. It’s what we want to deliver. It’s the message. The Core could be a word, a feeling, an emotion, a mechanic, a character. It could also be a business objective, a platform (for example, making use of Switch’s capabilities). I like to sum this up by saying that the Core is “the design’s intent.” Examples of Core in existing games can be: Fez: perspective Ico: the relationship between two characters The Core will be the cornerstone around which we’ll be designing the whole experience. It’ll become the objective, and thus the “North.” How new is this “Core” concept? Other people use the concept of “design pillars.” Some companies such as Ubisoft or EA work with a similar concept, and they call […]
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