Step 2 of Designing Your Video game

09 July 10

THE CREATIVE BIT: WRITING AND DESIGNING

Platforms and controls

On what systems will your game be played? Consoles? PC? Mobile phone? Choose a platform that your team have good knowledge of – the more confident you are with how it operates, the more creative you can be with your game design.

What buttons or other controls are used to play your game? It’s important that you know exactly how they relate to the actions in the game you design.

Q: How many of these different kinds of games controllers do you know?

A: Click here to find out

Story

Outline the overall ‘set up’ of the game and how the narrative progresses. Whether it’s a simple puzzle game, or a complex role-playing game, you’ll probably want to have a story revealed level by level.

Are there any characters in the game? If so, who are they? Include the playing characters (controlled by the gameplayer) and also describe the non-playing characters (the ‘quest-givers’ who give tasks to the playing characters, or characters which are part of the game environment).

Where does the game take place? What does the world of your game look like? Include a description of the overall setting and also any key objects that the characters interact with.

What will players see on the screen? Draw a screenshot (a typical image of the game in play), with explanatory notes about the environment, characters and objects. Use a separate sheet of paper if necessary.

Gameplay

What happens when you play your game? What do you do, and why? Include the basic steps and rules for the player and any important details relating to moving through your game’s puzzles or narrative.

Knowing who a game is aimed at is essential for a games designer. Be sure that your game is just right for the age of your players. Research other popular games played by 11-16 year-olds and see how they operate.

Q: How many of these different kinds of gameplay do you know?

A: Click here to find out

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