CREASAUR INSIGHTS: GAME DESIGN

THE FRAMEWORK OF A GAME IS DEFINED BY ITS GAME DESIGN – ÖYKÜN SHARES SOME ESSENTIALS WITH YOU.

Creating a game consists in a lot of work, and keeping everything on the rails is another story yet. Game designers are here to write that story – our game designer Öykün details this field for you.

“A game designer needs to have a deep knowledge of all the angles of game development but doesn’t necessarily have to go professional him-/herself at all of them.”

Design with a system

Game design can be defined as the brain of the process. Everything starts with the game designer, and he or she controls the flow afterwards as the project is being shaped. But how’s the process itself working?

Being an analyzer is a must. Keep your phone full of ever-changing games. At this point, Öykün advises to not only play the games but to fully examine the games. Many people believe that as many games they play, the more knowledgeable they become, which isn’t the case. A game contains many things that are not seen immediately in the foreground. Think about what has been done in the game economy, why is that button placed exactly there, why have these mechanics been used, etc. Criticize the design from all angles.

Nurture the researcher side of yourself. Search for academic articles; game design is a broad field, so read everything that feels related to you. Also, read and view other game designers’ experiences. If you want to enroll in extra courses, go for it because every extra experience is enhancing you, your perspective and your inspiration.

Read, play, analyze and repeat to establish a genius game idea. When you have one, prepare a game design document, decide on the economy and on the data types to be focused on, and share it with the team!

A game designer’s work hasn’t ended yet at this stage, though, be involved in the whole process, maintain the workflow, give continuous feedbacks. After the launch of the game, stay tuned for further updates and modifications.