What Is Game Design?
What is game design? It’s probably one of the most complex questions you could ask a game designer. Would it be easier to define what game design isn’t? Probably, as that might be a simpler task. Game design is an integral part of any game experience. Games are made of a multitude of elements, and game design is the one that dictates how those are pieced together. No matter whether we are talking about video games, games such as Two Fat Ladies bingo online, or simple mobile games, all games need good design. In the opinion of many (including me), game design is one of the main reasons why video games are considered an art form. But what exactly is this so-called “game design”?
The history of game design
The history of game design is a long one, but it’s also something that’s been under the radar for a long time. While we’ve been playing games for thousands of years, it wasn’t until around 1950 that the term “game design” was first used to describe the process of creating a new game. In the early days of game design, computers were too expensive for anyone outside of big companies like IBM or MIT to have access to them. So most people made their own games using paper and pencil. They’d draw their designs on paper and then cut the pieces out like a jigsaw puzzle—this is why many early board games came with pieces you could move around by sliding them along a track marked by numbers. The person who designed the game would then test it out by playing against themselves!
It wasn’t until later in the 1960s that computers became more affordable and more accessible to average consumers; this allowed more people to build their own games without having to hire an engineer or programmer first.
So what is game design?
Game design is a creative process that involves creating rules and mechanics for players to interact with. A game designer will often use their own ideas or those from other designers to create their own unique gameplay experience. The first step in designing a game is deciding what type of experience you want your players to have. Players may choose from many different genres when they play games, including puzzle games, strategy games, action games, multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), third-person shooter (TPS), real-time strategy (RTS), role-playing games (RPGs), sports games, platformers… The list goes on! After deciding on which genre(ies) you’d like to explore as part of your game design process, you’ll need to decide on what type of player you want involved with your project: casual gamers or hardcore gamers?
How can you design games?
Game design is a broad term. It can mean everything from the overall structure of a game to the character development in a game. However, there are some commonalities between all games that make them similar to each other, no matter what type of game they are. For example, a game must have rules and objectives for players to follow.
There must also be some kind of reward for following these rules and achieving these objectives—this is called “player feedback.” The player feedback could be something like points or money or even just praise from others who play your game! The point of all this is: if you want to become a game designer, you need to understand how games work! You don’t need to know how every single video game operates—just enough so that you can create one yourself!
