Category: Design
Posted by: PaoloMonkey
You may have missed, some years ago, this article I wrote for GameCareerGuide about game analysis.
Here's the introduction:
Here's a sample diagram of PacMan deconstructed:
It's not a perfect tool, and I currently disagree with some of its statements, but it can give you some help to understand how games work.
Read the full article here.
Here's the introduction:
With this article I want to suggest a new way to analyze gameplay and game dynamics, using a visual diagram, easy to create and read.
In the last years many articles have been written with the aim of carrying out a precise gameplay analysis (e.g. MDA Framework or Game design patterns), but no one managed to present a brief and accessible method to represent and communicate their results.
My analysis (called in brief GD:EL) rests upon a decomposition of fundamental gameplay elements and a subsequent reconstruction within an ordered structure founded on layers. The ultimate aim of this process is to understand how game tokens, dynamics and player psychology are linked together.
In the last years many articles have been written with the aim of carrying out a precise gameplay analysis (e.g. MDA Framework or Game design patterns), but no one managed to present a brief and accessible method to represent and communicate their results.
My analysis (called in brief GD:EL) rests upon a decomposition of fundamental gameplay elements and a subsequent reconstruction within an ordered structure founded on layers. The ultimate aim of this process is to understand how game tokens, dynamics and player psychology are linked together.
Here's a sample diagram of PacMan deconstructed:
It's not a perfect tool, and I currently disagree with some of its statements, but it can give you some help to understand how games work.
Read the full article here.
