Game Elements

 

In the previous academic writing post we looked at what a game is and how defining that can produce different meanings for different people. 

This week’s academic writing will be based on what makes a game or the parts of agame. For the purpose of making this easy to understand, I will refer to these parts (as the title suggests) ‘Game Elements’.

Image by Niuco

Based on the article by Ian Schreiber, similar to the definition of a game, classifying a set list of game elements can also differ depending on the person as this ties with what a game means to an individual. Therefore “no classification is perfect.” However, there are certain elements that are similar between all of them.

The following is a list of common foundational game elements that Ian has provided in his article:

Players – The name is self- explanatory. One should consider the amount of players in the game, whether the player is able to leave during the game and what impact that has on the game state. There is more information on this on Ian’s course website. 

·         Objectives – This refers to the main goal of the game and what the player needs to achieve in order to ‘win’. There are large amount of categorized game objectives. A common goal would be to defeat or destroy an opponent or structure.

·         Rules – As mentioned in the previous post, this can be seen as an obstacle for the player ( what constricts them to play in a certain manner in order to win).There are rules that  set –off automatically without the need for player interaction. There are also rules which provide choices to the player to shift the game state.  The rules are divided into three main categories:

 

Setup – Refers to what one must do at the start of a game. 

Profession of Play- Rules for the events that occur during the game.

Resolution - Refers to the circumstances in which certain events cause the game to end.

 

·         Resources and Resource Management – Refers to the player’s ability to manage anything under their control e.g.  More obvious examples would be the current items in their inventory, however it could also signify information they’ve gathered in-game and their ability to withhold that information from others.

·         Game State – Refers to the condition and changes of the game at any given time. This includes everything from the player to their resources, un-owned resources and the environment they can interact with.

·         Information – The amount of information in the game state that is available to the player e.g Do they know about an incoming attack from the enemy’s side or is the fog of war obstructing their view? This can largely influence the gameplay.

·         Sequencing – Sequencing entails the order and flow of the players’ actions e.g. “It’s my turn, and then it’s your turn.”

·         Player Interaction – As the name suggests, this refers to how a player interacts with other players such as conflict, trading 

·         Theme (Narrative, Backstory, Setting) – This  element provides a more emotional impact to the player rather than direct impact to the gameplay itself. Players may grow more invested in the game because of this.

·         Games as Systems – The game elements mentioned above are interrelated. Changing any aspect of  the game elements could potentially change the game itself.

 

Once the game elements have roughly been defined, it is common to begin creating prototypes of certain aspects of the game. Prototypes can be done in a variety of ways to explore the user experience and put certain parts of a game in action. An example of prototypes in game design as discussed in a video by LiveLessons are paper mock-ups or even physical representations of game elements through objects to experience how game play is put to practice. This is then followed by basic digital prototypes, once an understanding of the gameplay has been reached. Throughout the prototype process one may need to revisit and review certain game elements. This is where critical analysis plays an role in game design.

Critical analysis tends to be a misunderstood term. It can often be perceived it as a negative concept. However, in terms of critical analysis within a game it is important to have an in-depth and impartial view of the game – focusing on the logic and reason behind how the elements of a game are implemented. Otherwise it can be difficult for a successful game to emerge from game design. In order to do this, it is important to question the reason behind the game elements and examine the game in terms of the player’s experience.