Concept Framework

Description:
Concept Framework is the name I have given to approaches that focus on how best to communicate a game concept and the methods that support this (e.g. guidelines, templates, presentations, or rules).

As a game design tool, a concept framework helps formulate tangible ideas, which allows others to evaluate them easier. A concept framework works best as a tool for the concept phase of the game design process, but can also be used as a way to later evaluate your design during the design and tuning phases to determine how much as changed since the original idea. Because most game development is dependent on a concept being accepted by a publisher, a developer, a producer, a development team, a commissioner, crowd sourcing, etc. it is important to be able to communicate it in the best possible way. Having a framework helps provide some standards in what and how a concept is communicated.

Use:
(1) High vs. Low
A concept framework may focus on helping the designer communicate a high-level (brief) or low-level (detailed) game concept. During the process a designer can move from high-level to low-level with any concept. The advantage of high-level concepts is that you can potentially create several in a short period of time, while low-level concepts require more time cover the details about the game development (e.g. game-play, narrative, tech issues, etc.).

(2) Pitches or Documentation
Some concept frameworks focus on documentation or presentations. In general, the guidelines provided by these approaches provide the essentials for communicating the game concept. Documentation can range from single pitch sentence to 4-5 page concept document.

 

Flowchart

Description:
Flowchart is the name I have chosen to use to describe the use of diagrams composed of elements (e.g. shapes, icons, images, etc.) connected by arrows to document, analyze or communicate the design of a game.

As a game design tool, a flowchart is mostly used during the design phase. Strict and complex flowcharting methods (e.g. UML) make flowcharting inflexible and less compatible with iterative and evolutionary design processes, used correctly a flowchart can be created quickly and offers a visual reference to the flow or structure of a game’s design. In general, a flowchart offers:

• Visual documentation to the game design (e.g. game mechanics, play mechanics, game-play experience, level and mission flow.)
• An analysis of objects and their relationships

Use:
There are several ways you may want to use a flowchart as one of your game design tools.

(1) Picking a Method (Formal vs. Informal)
The advantage of formal flowchart methods (i.e. UML) is that they are detailed and standardized thus making legible and predictable, which is ideal for in-depth analysis and documentation of a game’s design. Informal flowcharts are ideal for quick documentation and analysis, while potentially being less legible.

(2) Determine the Scope
A powerful aspect of a flowchart is that a flowchart can be used to analyze, document and communicate specific aspect of game’s design. For example, a flowchart may be limited to documenting the game mechanics, play mechanics, game architecture, vertical slice, horizontal slice, core-gameplay, etc.

(3) Analysis
When using flowcharts for analysis a game designer should look for inconsistencies and redundant relationships in the design. Something like core game-play should be flowcharted as a closed system where any dead-end should represent game over.

(4) Communication 
If trying to communicate design to visually oriented people, flowcharts offer a simple and technical way to visually communicate a game's design in motion. I recommend the use of flow charts a standard aspect of any game design document, which helps make it more legible to wider range of readers.

Prototyping for Game Design

Description:
Prototyping is the name I use to describe a set of methods that use various means (paper & pencil, software, etc.) to model game mechanics and balance the play mechanics. As a game design tool, prototyping is best used during the design phase (or the phase where the design needs elaboration). Waiting long periods of time without a means to evaluate the game-play experience and the inability to rapidly make changes makes an iterative design process slow and cumbersome, prototyping offers the designer a way to create aspects of the game or a working model of the game.

The main characteristics of prototyping are:

• A playable version of the game or an aspect of the game
• A way to communicate the game mechanics and play mechanics
• A way to evaluate (e.g. play-testing) the game-play experience
• Allows for quick changes (iterations) to the design

Use:

(1) Methods
There are several methods a designer can choose from to prototype his/her game design. The software method is prototyping your game's design by building it with software or supporting the prototype with software. The software method can be used to prototype both digital and analog game design. The paper method uses pieces from analog games, along with craft and office supplies to build prototypes. The physical method is a kind prototype created through acting, playing, props or pretending.

(2) Time & Cost
The most significant difference between the methods is time, which for many also translates to money. Generally speaking, the software method takes the most amount of time and has the least amount of flexibility. Physical prototyping offers the greatest amount of flexibility and costs the least amount of time.


(2) Fidelity Issues
Software prototyping for digital games has an advantage of  higher fidelity to the eventual game, but when used for analog games has no fidelity. It can however be used as a method to simulate play and scenarios. Paper prototyping offers extremely high fidelity for analog games (e.g. board games, card games, etc.), but offers digital game less fidelity and requires "translation" from analog to digital. Physical prototypes often have low fidelity because the mechanics are not as explicit like in other methods.

(3) Scope
Prototyping is used to make current design ideas explicit so that they can be evaluated and easily iterated upon, which can be more effective if you define the scope before hand. The broader the scope of the prototype the longer it will take to create, and depending on the complexity of your game can also make balancing more difficult. Concepts like vertical slice, horizontal slice, core, progression, meta, individual game mechanics and play mechanics, are possible scopes for a prototype. Software prototypes tend to be best when dealing with limited scopes (e.g. core game mechanics). Pitfalls of software prototyping is that the scope is actually concerned with technology issues and not the game's design. Physical and paper prototypes can be tailored to any scope, the paper method tends to be better at formalizing the design.

(4) Communication
Prototyping is one of the best ways to communicate a game's design, because your development team can play and experience the game's design.

(5) Evaluation
Having a prototype allows the game designer to use evaluation design tools (e.g. play-testing) earlier in the development process.


Methods:

 

Game Design Documentation

Description:
Game Design Documentation is the name I have given to written material that describes the design of a game and the methods that support this endeavor, i.e. guidelines (the does and don’t), templates (outlines and structures) or rules (what the content should contain).

As a game design tool, documentation is a way the design can become tangible (something others can evaluate), communicated, and referenced. Documentation is mostly used to support the design and tuning phases of the game design process. Design documentation (a concept borrowed from film production) is probably the first game design tool to make design tangible besides seeing the game up and running, and is sometimes seen (dangerously so) the primary contribution of game designer. Currently, there is a lot of contention concerning the use of game design documentation.

Note: Documentation concerning story, technology, and art should be considered development/project documentation 

Use:
The following are concepts that can help you use this tool effectively.

(1) Communication in Documentation

A game design document can be more than text. Documentation can also include design tools like flowcharts, mock-ups, design analyses and matrices, which can help enhance quality of documentation.

(2) Size
A game design document can be a single page or more than hundred pages (especially if you include tech, art and story documentation). One way to handle the size of a design document is to use a wiki or blog, while another approach is to create 'design chunks' where the document can be split into relevant pieces that can distributed separate from each other.

(3) The Designer's Notebook
In this approach the document is used as a reference for the designer, and is a way of keeping track of design decisions and new ideas for features. It is usually written after prototypes (physical or digital) of the game have been created. Because the notebook is the designer's responsibility and a source for directing the design it isn't a binding document and features can be cut when necessary.

Having documentation is a way to keep oneself honest, and prevents trying to implement spontaneous ideas (good or bad) that jump into one's head while game is in midst of being created (e.g. programming, standing behind the programmer, etc.).

(4) The Book of Stupid
This is the approach of creating detailed documentation before any kind of prototype or version of the game is made. Using this approach is only recommended if you are dependent on a designer who will not be around in the near future, and only then the documentation is only useful as reference. Basing all your design and development on this form of documentation is not recommended.

In the waterfall method of game development the game design document was created first. This upfront approach required the designer to try and imagine everything about the game possible in a written document. It is not surprising that they became known as bibles and tomes, as these often became the sole contributor to deciding the design and only after a game was built and played did faults in the design become apparent.

Links about Game Design Documentation


Books with information about Game Design Documentation

Postmortem

Description:
Postmortem is the name I have given to a set of methods that encourages reflection about a game's design (and development) after the game has been completed. The methods are usually templates and/or guidelines for reflecting upon the game design and development process. A postmortem is a valuable way to document lessons learned, and while it does not influence the game design it is based on it can offer the chance to influence future designs.

Use:
Postmortems are meant to gather reflections, and therefore typically ask:

-    What went wrong?
-    What went right?
-    What can we learn from the experience?


Making a postmortem template allows you to create well structured report without all the effort of starting from scratch. While finding a good set of guidelines to creating a postmortem can make the information in the postmortem that much sharper.

Making a postmortem accessible for future projects may require different approaches to formulating the report. For example, in place of a written report, a list of lessons learned may be more accessible as reference material for future designs.

Literature:
Game Architecture and Design: Learn the Best Practices for Game Design and Programming

Concept Documentation

Description:
Concept documentation is the name given to a set of methods that support the written documentation and structure of a game concept. 

Methods:

Visualizations

Description: 
Visualization is the term I use to describeillustrations, collages, sketches or images used to communicate game design (note: not narrative or visual style), and also includes any templates or guidelines used help create them.

As a game design tool, visualization is used to create tangible design (something others can evaluate), which allows the designer to communicate more intuitively or providing a visual reference to design ideas . These techniques are derived from other creative fields (i.e. animation, film, new media, graphic design, etc.) and have been adapted to game design. Visualization is usually used to support the design and tuning phases of game design process. Visualization can be used  as an addition to other game design tools (i.e. game design documentation), or offer an alternative tool for designers that are more visually oriented. Several visualization methods have been criticized as being techniques derived from linear and static media, and are thought to be unsuitable for describing game mechanics and play mechanics. A typical pitfall in using this tool is emphasis on narrative and visual style, while failing to describe the essential game design elements.

Use:
(1) Visual vs. Textual
It is a question of knowing who will be the audience (e.g. the development team) of the text or visuals. Some audiences will demand in-depth description that visuals do not typically achieve, while other audiences will praise the use of visuals as being simple and to the point. A good combination between text and visualization is probably the best way of solving the issue.

(2) Visually Oriented Game Designers
Using visualization techniques to communicate game design can be an alternative for game designers that are more visually oriented and allergic to writing. Visualization can communicate intuitively and implicitly, where written language cannot. To accomplish this the designer needs to be able separate game design and game art issues.

(3) Mood Board-Collage
The mood board-collage is typically used for determining the game art direction. Used for game design it can be used as way to provide an impression of the game play-experience.

(4) Diagram Mock-up
The diagram mock-up is usually a kind of screen shot combined with call-outs and other diagram elements to describe how things move and interact during game-play.

(5) Storyboard
The storyboard which is more often associated with explaining narrative, can also be used to explain the game's design by providing a walk-through of the game mechanics.

Links about visualization



Books with information about visualization