Game Design
Lost Garden has an article on risk/reward systems in game design theory as applied to the Gameboy DS title "Nintendogs." "If you dig into the game mechanics at an abstract level, it has surprisingly more in common with a RPG than most virtual pet games. Yet hardcore gamers make a snap judgement and instantly assume it must be a Tamagotchi-style game. ... The theoretical designer realizes that a powerup is a powerup whether you call it a 'Quad Damage' or a 'Doggy Brush'."
Similarly, chess can be played with Staunton pieces, or with Civil War soldiers, or cartoon characters; it will still be the exact same game. The Shogi enthusiasts at Marcon strongly disagreed with this when I told them about my Shogi set, but that's because when they say the "game" of Shogi they are referring to a heritage, and a community of people. Strip away whatever differences they would experience between my intuitively-grasped pie-chart graphics and the original Japanese writing and what remains will be the definition of the word "game" used by most of the Chessvariants.com community. There is a difference between the game mechanics and the window-dressing applied to it. A real-time-strategy computer game would be the same "game" even if you take all the soldier illustrations out and replace them with ants, or dinosaurs, or Care Bears, just so long as nothing changes but the graphics.
I've kept that in mind because has promised to get me the only thing on my birthday wish list this week: Gameboy DS with "Kirby's Canvas Curse," an innovative platform game which is played by drawing attack paths (OK, they are rainbows, but I will call them "attack paths"), sheilds, bridges, etc. on the screen with a stylus.
An action-platformer game.
Which is operated by drawing. *boggles*
It's like the invention of sliced bread, or the internet.
Also I recently finished last year's birthday present, Shigeru Miyamoto's creative tour-de-force "Pikmin 2" for Gamecube. I have a question about both these games. Why is it that the window-dressing of the only games with ingeniously innovative high-concept game mechanics tends to be so saccharine and infantile, as shown in the recent Penny Arcade webcomic? Why are games with an adult artistic style so derivative? As Tycho lamented, "I am a grown man who draws rainbows."
They're attack paths, dammit.
Comments
mjwise on Jun. 14, 2005 2:34 PM
I think Miyamoto's tradition of packaging innovative game concepts with child-like graphics started on the SNES with Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. It is probably the best 2D platformer ever made but a lot of people were turned off by the graphical presentation, I think (which I thought was actually quite excellent).
stormgren on Jun. 14, 2005 3:21 PM
Whatever you do, don't play "Katamari Damacy" for the PS/2.
Mindbogglingly simple concept, more addictive than heroin.
paranthropus on Jun. 14, 2005 3:24 PM
Why is it that the window-dressing of the only games with ingeniously innovative high-concept game mechanics tends to be so saccharine and infantile, as shown in the recent Penny Arcade webcomic? Why are games with an adult artistic style so derivative? As Tycho lamented, "I am a grown man who draws rainbows."
Because by the time most people become adults, particularly if they are of the male persuasion, our creative impulses have been socialized out of us. Most adults express their identity by associating with an established brand, such as "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings" or even "Christianity". These established brands are safe. Men who identify themselves with them can express their creativity in a controlled environment and therefore not risk being stigmatized. A man can safely play some derivative game so long as it is based on a hit movie, pro sports, or an established title like "Grand Theft Auto". Within these confines it is, of course, possible for game designers to allow a certain amount of creativity. Don't get caught drawing rainbows, though. You might get labeled as one of those creative types.
matt-arnold on Jun. 14, 2005 4:13 PM
Speaking of creativity, this post about game design has got me thinking again about that three-dimensional chess variant I designed which I've wanted to build for a long time. How would my birthday present be better spent? On an addictive video game? Or silicone mold rubber so I can cast my own creative outlets, such as the chess game-- not to mention the 18" clay maquette I made recently? Which would I get more enjoyment from? Gameboy DS only has one game that interests me. I'm really conflicted now.
paranthropus on Jun. 14, 2005 4:55 PM
Is that a rhetorical question?
You won't have much to show for all the hours spent drawing rainbows.Video games are a fun pastime, of course, but sculpting and casting will give you something tangible that you can (hopefully) be proud of.
matt-arnold on Jun. 14, 2005 5:46 PM
"Hopefully," nothing. I'm already proud of my latest sculpture. If I had a camera it would be online already.
paranthropus on Jun. 14, 2005 3:33 PM
More to your point, I suppose it could be that as adults we have accustomed ourselves to repetitive tasks. It's no surprise that adult-themed games are so mechanically similar. We've been trained that way, and most adults will grow impatient when presented with a new "interface".
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