Letter to A Friend
So yesterday I read up on Robin's site, and she wrote a bit about game design stuff (always a good read). Here's the link.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/blog/index.php?m=20050118
The game stuff is down towards the end of the post.
Anyways, earlier this week, I played Katamari Damacy for the first time and then borrowed the Game Developer mag issue from a coworker. So a lot of this stuff is definitely floating in my head right now (that and crazy programming stuff), so wrote Robin an email. I'll just post it so you guys can read it too.
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------//
It's funny how everything all comes together.
So I finally caved into the hype surrounding Katamari Damacy and gave
it a go. And it's just interesting how it ties into the advice you
gave me back in April.
Basically the game reminds me of why exactly I'm not a gamer. I'm not
a gamer because very few games come to the level of quality that I
demand. And the unfortunate thing is, that this sound odd when I
say that game like Katamari Damacy comes to that level of quality,
while more complex, graphically intense, intricately designed games
just don't get to me.
But that exterior contradiction only comes through when one doesn't
truly understand games. When they just don't "get it". Games are not
made of polygons, powerups, realistic lighting effects, or simulation
style controls. Games have one purpose - entertain the player. This
is the pure purpose of a game, and what sets a great game apart is
when the designer envisions a solid design, and strives to build
everything else around it. That is when a game becomes more than the
sum of the parts.
So I remember how you basically said that even though I might be a
gamer, there are probably games that give me hope, even if they are
once a year. Katamari is one of those few games. So thanks for being
so fanatic about it, because you and a couple other people broke me
down to say "alright, I'll give it a try".
But here's my quick list on why I enjoy it so much, and it falls in
line with everything I want to focus on when designing.
simplistic design - games are nothing but a system of goals/rewards.
Just like movies, games should be able to be broken down into a
sentence. The player should be able to figure out what they are
supposed to do. With Pacman, it's "eat stuff". With Katamari, it's
"get bigger". Too many games convolute this focus, and while hardcore
gamers are used to dealing with that, normal consumers just throw up
their hands and say "games are too complicated"
simplistic controls - simplistic and intuitive controls are a very key
element. Anything in a game that takes you out of the game and makes
you focus on your world just causes conflict and confusion. I know a
lot of people who say they don't play games because there are too many
buttons. Nobody should be forced to realize they are bad at a game
because they couldn't get their hands to press the right buttons.
no violence - games are about conflict. Basically, you have a goal, a
reward for achieving that goal, and something placed in front of you
that conflicts with you achieving that goal. In Pacman it was the
ghosts and your limited amount of lives. In Katamari, it's time and
the ability of things to make your ball smaller. Too many games think
that violence is the necessary force of conflict, and confuse the
issue of what they are really trying to do, instead taking the easy,
instead of the innovative, way out.
Again, I'm not saying games with violence are bad, just how some of
the most violent stories are the most deeply engaging (MacBeth,
Hamlet, Lord of the Rings). The trick is to realize that violence is
a means to an end, a way to bring about conflict, not the sole source
of conflict itself.
engaging music - we have 5 senses. I don't see any innovations coming
with taste and smell in entertainment media (although an Iron Chef
game where the food is made? interesting concept). Books utilize 1
(sight), Music utilizes 1 (sound), and the dramatic arts (theatre,
film) utilizes 2 (sight, sound). Games provide a third (touch), which
is one reason why controls should map as closely to the in-game action
as possible. However, it seems too much like only 1 sense (visuals)
are really focused on in game development, with sound thrown in as an
afterthough, and touch relying to typical conventions.
This is why I get very excited when a game focuses on sound. I
finally read the KD postmortem, and it made me very happy to see that
he designed a lot of things with sound in mind. Believe it or not,
the soundtrack is actually made me want to play the game! Someone had
it shared at work.
low poly - KD shows that you don't have to be high-poly to be
interesting, but that your visual must serve to present the "feel" and
"look" of the game. Too many games don't recognize the Uncanny Valley
theme, trying to go for realistic visuals that look flat, rather than
focusing rather on how their visuals enhance the environment and play.
story - too many games with a unique and innovative design, don't even
try to go with story. I'm not saying story is necessary, but I think
it's a bit of a cop out to say "we'll just let the mechanic carry it."
A good story (or rather story elements such as character,
environment, etc.) give the player a good grounding in the game, and a
sense of motivation and urgency. It's not just a "game", they care
what happens. And that's the power of art, getting people to care,
evoking their emotions.
yeah, I know, long email, but when I find something like this that
just gets it "right", it just gives me so much to talk about.
I was reading your post about the Urbz. I think you're right. It's
not the best game, but a good example of a type of direction that I
think more people should try to think about. There are some design
and balance issues (the showers, the first level is very hard and has
a difficult learning curve, lack of accessible clues for missions),
but I think overall, it's a direction that can be refined. It's a
good example of a mission "be popular" that turns as a goal, and the
conflicts that you have with others are more relational and social
conflicts than mindless violence. It shows that social interaction
CAN serve the purpose of a game.
I didn't really get very far with Riddick, because I think the sewer
level was overscaled and the level layout was confusing. But
otherwise, the use of likeness and voice acting is a big deal, it
creates a sense of connection with the player. Suspension of
disbelief is such a precious precious precious commodity in art. It
has to be protected as much as it can.
Ok, definitely long email, but I think I'm going to post it on my blog
because I definitely think I said a lot of good stuff. Thanks for
pointing in the right direction of things and listening to what I have
to say. It's nice to know that there's someone out there who actually
thinks that this stuff is valuable.
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------//
The short of it? Katamari Damacy uses everything I've been raving about for two years now, and is the direction, along with the Urbz and others, that I would like to go with if I ever have the opportunity to design someday.
http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/blog/index.php?m=20050118
The game stuff is down towards the end of the post.
Anyways, earlier this week, I played Katamari Damacy for the first time and then borrowed the Game Developer mag issue from a coworker. So a lot of this stuff is definitely floating in my head right now (that and crazy programming stuff), so wrote Robin an email. I'll just post it so you guys can read it too.
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------//
It's funny how everything all comes together.
So I finally caved into the hype surrounding Katamari Damacy and gave
it a go. And it's just interesting how it ties into the advice you
gave me back in April.
Basically the game reminds me of why exactly I'm not a gamer. I'm not
a gamer because very few games come to the level of quality that I
demand. And the unfortunate thing is, that this sound odd when I
say that game like Katamari Damacy comes to that level of quality,
while more complex, graphically intense, intricately designed games
just don't get to me.
But that exterior contradiction only comes through when one doesn't
truly understand games. When they just don't "get it". Games are not
made of polygons, powerups, realistic lighting effects, or simulation
style controls. Games have one purpose - entertain the player. This
is the pure purpose of a game, and what sets a great game apart is
when the designer envisions a solid design, and strives to build
everything else around it. That is when a game becomes more than the
sum of the parts.
So I remember how you basically said that even though I might be a
gamer, there are probably games that give me hope, even if they are
once a year. Katamari is one of those few games. So thanks for being
so fanatic about it, because you and a couple other people broke me
down to say "alright, I'll give it a try".
But here's my quick list on why I enjoy it so much, and it falls in
line with everything I want to focus on when designing.
simplistic design - games are nothing but a system of goals/rewards.
Just like movies, games should be able to be broken down into a
sentence. The player should be able to figure out what they are
supposed to do. With Pacman, it's "eat stuff". With Katamari, it's
"get bigger". Too many games convolute this focus, and while hardcore
gamers are used to dealing with that, normal consumers just throw up
their hands and say "games are too complicated"
simplistic controls - simplistic and intuitive controls are a very key
element. Anything in a game that takes you out of the game and makes
you focus on your world just causes conflict and confusion. I know a
lot of people who say they don't play games because there are too many
buttons. Nobody should be forced to realize they are bad at a game
because they couldn't get their hands to press the right buttons.
no violence - games are about conflict. Basically, you have a goal, a
reward for achieving that goal, and something placed in front of you
that conflicts with you achieving that goal. In Pacman it was the
ghosts and your limited amount of lives. In Katamari, it's time and
the ability of things to make your ball smaller. Too many games think
that violence is the necessary force of conflict, and confuse the
issue of what they are really trying to do, instead taking the easy,
instead of the innovative, way out.
Again, I'm not saying games with violence are bad, just how some of
the most violent stories are the most deeply engaging (MacBeth,
Hamlet, Lord of the Rings). The trick is to realize that violence is
a means to an end, a way to bring about conflict, not the sole source
of conflict itself.
engaging music - we have 5 senses. I don't see any innovations coming
with taste and smell in entertainment media (although an Iron Chef
game where the food is made? interesting concept). Books utilize 1
(sight), Music utilizes 1 (sound), and the dramatic arts (theatre,
film) utilizes 2 (sight, sound). Games provide a third (touch), which
is one reason why controls should map as closely to the in-game action
as possible. However, it seems too much like only 1 sense (visuals)
are really focused on in game development, with sound thrown in as an
afterthough, and touch relying to typical conventions.
This is why I get very excited when a game focuses on sound. I
finally read the KD postmortem, and it made me very happy to see that
he designed a lot of things with sound in mind. Believe it or not,
the soundtrack is actually made me want to play the game! Someone had
it shared at work.
low poly - KD shows that you don't have to be high-poly to be
interesting, but that your visual must serve to present the "feel" and
"look" of the game. Too many games don't recognize the Uncanny Valley
theme, trying to go for realistic visuals that look flat, rather than
focusing rather on how their visuals enhance the environment and play.
story - too many games with a unique and innovative design, don't even
try to go with story. I'm not saying story is necessary, but I think
it's a bit of a cop out to say "we'll just let the mechanic carry it."
A good story (or rather story elements such as character,
environment, etc.) give the player a good grounding in the game, and a
sense of motivation and urgency. It's not just a "game", they care
what happens. And that's the power of art, getting people to care,
evoking their emotions.
yeah, I know, long email, but when I find something like this that
just gets it "right", it just gives me so much to talk about.
I was reading your post about the Urbz. I think you're right. It's
not the best game, but a good example of a type of direction that I
think more people should try to think about. There are some design
and balance issues (the showers, the first level is very hard and has
a difficult learning curve, lack of accessible clues for missions),
but I think overall, it's a direction that can be refined. It's a
good example of a mission "be popular" that turns as a goal, and the
conflicts that you have with others are more relational and social
conflicts than mindless violence. It shows that social interaction
CAN serve the purpose of a game.
I didn't really get very far with Riddick, because I think the sewer
level was overscaled and the level layout was confusing. But
otherwise, the use of likeness and voice acting is a big deal, it
creates a sense of connection with the player. Suspension of
disbelief is such a precious precious precious commodity in art. It
has to be protected as much as it can.
Ok, definitely long email, but I think I'm going to post it on my blog
because I definitely think I said a lot of good stuff. Thanks for
pointing in the right direction of things and listening to what I have
to say. It's nice to know that there's someone out there who actually
thinks that this stuff is valuable.
//-----------------------------------------------------------------------//
The short of it? Katamari Damacy uses everything I've been raving about for two years now, and is the direction, along with the Urbz and others, that I would like to go with if I ever have the opportunity to design someday.
posted by Lucas @ 2:56 PM
0 comments
