Rules of Play 读书笔记

People love pong. Why?

• it is simple to play: approachable and easy to understand
• every game is unique: open-ended with endless possibilities
• elegant representation: a depiction of another game Table Tennis.
• social: two players, makes a great spectator sport
• fun
• cool

What is this book about

The focus of a game designer is designing game play, conceiving and designing rules and structure that result in an experience for players.

Schemas: Rules, Play, Culture

The Design Process

I don not have a fiexed design process…Finding new ways of working often leads to innovative designs.

Basic Ingredients and Anchor points: Game Mechanics, Game Materials, Theme of the World

Fundamental Design Questions about the Player’s Point of View: Who am I? What am I trying to achieve? What are my main choices? How do I win?

In the early design stages I often close my eyes and look into new worlds, new systems, and new materials, searching for exciting game play. I try to develop an understanding of what I want to feel when I play the game: the thrill, the fun, the choices, the challenges.

// ####### Scripted Game System

Iterative Design

Iterative design is a play-based design process…In an iterative methodology, a rough version of the game is rapidly prototyped as early in the design process as possible. This prototype has none of the aesthetic trappings of the final game, but begins to define its fundamental rules and core mechanics. It is not a visual prototype, but an interactive one.
Iterative design is a cyclic process that alternates between prototyping, playtesting, evaluation, and refinement

…it is not possible to fully anticipate play in advance. It is never possible to completely predict the experience of a game…These questions can never be answered by writing a design document or crafting a set of game rules and materials. They can only be answered by way of play.

Rule of thumb regarding prototyping: a game prototype should be created and playtested, at the absolute latest, 20 percent of the way into a project schedule.

Prototype your game early. Play it throughtout the entire design process. Have as many other people as you possibly can play your game, and observe them playing.

Playtesting

My primary design technique is to create a game first in my mind and play it there over and over again. This can go on for many weeks. When I feed the need for practical playing experience, I finally build the first prototype and play it with my playtest groups.

Once the initial concept is properly elaborated, playtesting becomes the core activity of game development.
The fun and excitement of playing cannot be calculated in an abstract fashion: it must be experienced.
I prepare each of my playtest sessions in great detail — I plan the exact issues I want to monitor and test. During play, I record relevant data about the game flow. Afterwards, I analyze the results and then make necessary or exploratory changes.

More Changes

I like my game designs to begin with elaborate concepts and too many features, and then later streamline the game play, only retaining the best parts of the design.

Meaningful Play

We have only to watch young dogs to see that all the essentials of human play are present in their merry gambols…keep to the rule…pretend…plainly experience tremendous fun and enjoyment.

the goal of successful game design is the creation of meaningful play.

Meaningful Play

1. Meaningful play in a game emerges from the relationship between player action and system outcome; it is the process by which a player takes action within the designed system of a game and the system responds to the action. the meaning of an action in a game resides in the relationship between action and outcome.
2. Meaningful play occurs when the relationships between actions and outcomes in a game are both discernable and integrated into the larger context of the game. Creating meaningful play is the goal of successful game design.