Game prototyping 101
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This document discusses game prototyping. It explains that prototypes are either code-based or content-based. Content prototypes using artwork and storyboards are best early on when the concept is unclear and open to changes, while code prototypes are needed later to test specific mechanics through interaction. Prototypes are not meant to be polished or address multiple issues, but rather answer focused questions cheaply to reduce risks and clarify the game design before full production. The talk encourages using prototypes to decompose ideas, experimentally test assumptions, and establish shared understanding within a development team.
Game prototyping 101
- 1. Game Prototyping 101 NASSCOM Gaming Forum- Pune Meetup April 13 , 2013 Rudrasen Sitoleh Founder, CEO 7 Levels Studios We make casual games for self-help,personal and spiritual growth.
- 2. Agenda ● What is a game prototype? ● Code Vs Content prototypes ● When to use Content prototypes? ● When do I prototype in code? ● What prototypes are not. ● What to accomplish with prototypes ● Questions
- 3. What is a game prototype? ● A piece of code or art built quickly in a cheap manner that answers a specific question about your game. ● Ensure that our creative ideas actually work in the manner we envision them. ● Usually made during the preproduction stage. ● Reduce risks and narrow down on the fun. ● Above all to make better games.
- 4. Code Vs Content prototype Code Content Interactive Static functional emotional Game code, Scripts Artwork, storyboards , drawings
- 5. When to use content prototype? ● You are at a conceptual level and open to multiple approaches ● Want to capture the central idea ● What to play with many inputs and suggestions ● Feeback can be taken visually via mockups, screens and artwork.
- 6. When do I prototype in code? ● You have isolated a key mechanic and you need to test it. ● You understand the problem and have a mental model of the game. ● You can only know via actual interaction and play-testing with others. ● “Only spend code where you need to develop understanding; throw content at the rest.”
- 7. What prototypes are not ● Robust or Elegant or Optimized ● Intricate or detailed or polished ● Multifaceted (solution to multiple questions) ● Not a demo or vertical slice
- 8. What to accomplish ● Decompose your game idea into various pieces ● Get a clear understanding of what you are building via one or more prototypes ● Answer specific questions i.e. Are able to setup a falsifiable experiment? ● Fail early and in a cheap manner ● Establish clarity and direction in your game team as to what you are building.
- 9. Questions?
- 10. Questions?