Week 04

Game Elements

This week we're learning more about what makes a game a game and looking at the key things about a game. There are so many factors that make up a game it's hard to define what strictly makes a game. Let's look at the formal elements of a game, they're called formal not in the sense that they're fancy and wear a suit and a tie but because they are formal in a mathematical or a scientific sense and are things that are explicitly defined by the game. There's a book on amazon that covers this whole topic from a fun and informative perspective, Its is called "Challenges for Gamers" shorturl.at/mruBQ

What are the Atomic Elements of Games

There are many different forms of classifying the schemes and the elements of a game, There are so many different kinds of games, and the ideas you come up with in games cant be contained, creativity cant have a set amount of rules or guidelines. Although most games all have some factors in common some of these themes are the things we should be looking at when creating our own game. These themes are:

• Players 
• Objectives
• Rules 
• Resources & Resource Management
• Game State 
• Information
• Sequencing 
• Player Interaction
• Theme (Narrative, Backstory, Setting)
• Games as Systems 

I think these are really good themes and would make the process of spotting the aspects of the game. By using these set elements to look for it makes looking and thinking of the possibilities that a game could have easier and have some sort of structure, I found this info at shorturl.at/gmCE6

I think most people would find this helpful for when they're looking to make their own game, this works as some sort of a blueprint.

 Critical Analysis of Games

This is not just a game review, we are looking for the things that are wrong with the game. When a game is under "Critical" Analysis they arent going out of their way to find faults but rather give a proper examination of the game and what its strengths and flaws are.

critical analysis is a great way of comparing games and point out the game's good points and parts where it could do better, its Mainly sharing opinions on how one person could love it and one person could hate it. 

There are many ways to critique a game but here are the most common ways:

1. Describe the game's formal elements. It's best not to give your opinion yet as you're just stating what's going on In the game and whats the main elements are so far.
2. Describe the results of the formal elements when put in motion. How do the different elements interact when put together. What is the play of the game like? Is it effective?
3. Try to understand why the designer chose those elements and not others. Why this particular player structure, and why that set of resources? What would have happened if the designer had chosen differently?

Some of the questions you should ask yourself when partaking in critical analysis.

• What challenges do the players face? What actions can players take to overcome those challenges?
• How do players affect each other?
• Is the game perceived by the players as fair?
• Is the game replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory, varied start positions?
• What is the game's intended audience?

Game Design Research

In many ways, game design as design research could revolutionize the way we see game studios. The design and designer process and practice have been linked to art. Design Studios are pulling design cognition and the practice to the front row of attention to the public and making games more popular in recent years.

In 2008 Staffan Hjork wrote how the interest in game research on game-related topics has grown in interest because of the popularity and vast interest that computers and devices have brought in, in recent years. It was at this time where Staffan would think to create three main game concepts which were "Games, Gamers, and Gaming". 

Also in 2008, Frans Mayra explored and built on how the focus of the game lives in the interaction between the game and the player.

More on this topic can be found here shorturl.at/lI089

I think these two were an inspiration to the creators of the new generation in video games, They really paved the way with their principals. The phrases "Gamers and Gaming" are used so much in today's world, this shows the impact his ideas had on the new generation of gaming. 

The way Frans explored the focus on how the player interacts with the game has really pushed the boundaries in how games nowadays aim to be immersive and build on creating a better interaction between the player and the Game.