"Filter # 1: Artistic Impulse :This is the most personal of the filters. You, as the designer, basically ask yourself whether the game “ feels right ” to you, and if it does, it passes the test. If it doesn’t, something needs to change. Your gut feelings are important. They won’t always be right, but the other filters will balance that out.
Key Question : “ Does this game feel right? ”
Filter # 2: Demographics :Your game is likely to have an intended audience. This might be an age bracket, or a gender, or some other distinct audience (e.g., “ golf enthusiasts ” ). You have to consider whether your design is right for the demographic you are targeting. Demographics will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 8.
Key Question : “ Will the intended audience like this game enough? ”
Filter # 3: Experience Design :To apply this filter, take into account everything you know about creating a good experience, including aesthetics, interest curves, resonant theme, game balancing, and many more. Many of the lenses in this book are about experience design — to pass this filter, your game must stand up to the scrutiny of many lenses.
Key Question : “ Is this a well-designed game? ”
Filter # 4: Innovation : If you are designing a new game, by definition there needs to be something new about it, something players haven’t seen before. Whether your game is novel enough is a subjective question, but a very important one.
Key Question : “ Is this game novel enough? ”
Filter # 5: Business and Marketing :The games business is a business, and designers who want their games to sell must consider the realities of this and integrate them into their game’s design. This involves many questions. Are the theme and story going to be appealing to consumers? Is the game so easily explainable that one can understand what it is about just by looking at the box? What are the expectations consumers are going to have about this game based on the genre? How do the features of this game compare to other similar games in the marketplace? Will the cost of producing this game be so high as to make it unprofitable? Will retailers be willing to sell this game? The answers to these and many other questions are going to have an impact on your design. Ironically, the innovative idea that drove the initial design may prove to be completely untenable when viewed through this filter. This will be discussed in detail in Chapter 29.
Key Question : “ Will this game sell? ”
Filter # 6: Engineering : Until you have built it, a game idea is just an idea, and ideas are not necessarily bound by the constraints of what is possible or practical. To pass this filter, you have to answer the question “ How are we going to build this? ” The answer may be that the limits of technology do not permit the idea as originally envisioned to be constructed. Novice designers often grow frustrated with the limits that engineering imposes on their designs. However, the engineering filter can just as often grow a game in new directions, because in the process of applying this filter, you may realize that engineering makes possible features for your game that did not initially occur to you. The ideas that appear during the application of this filter can be particularly valuable, since you can be certain that they are practical. More issues of engineering and technology will be discussed in Chapter 26.
Key Question : “ Is it technically possible to build this game? ”
Filter # 7: Social/Community : Sometimes, it is not enough for a game to be fun. Some of the design goals may require a strong social component, or the formation of a thriving community around your game. The design of your game will have a strong impact on these things. This will be discussed in detail in Chapters 21 and 22.
Key Question : “ Does this gamemeet our social and community goals? ”
Filter # 8: Playtesting : Once the game has been developed to the point that it is playable, you must apply the playtesting filter, which is arguably the most important of all the filters. It is one thing to imagine what playing a game will be like, and quite another to actually play it, and yet another to see it played by your target audience. You will want to get your game to a playable stage as soon as possible, because when you actually see your game in action, important changes that must be made will become obvious. In addition to modifying the game itself, the application of this filter often changes and tunes the other filters as you start to learn more about your game mechanics and the psychology of your intended audience. Playtesting will be discussed in detail in Chapter 25.
Key Question : “ Do the playtesters enjoy the game enough? ”
For the most part, I believe Jesse constructs a concise set of guidelines for game designers to consider when thinking of an idea for a game. I believe that most of these filters plays an important role in determining if a game is able to be made. I feel that filter #6 is perhaps the most important. You may have thought of the best idea for a game. However, the game idea is worth nothing if you are not able to impliment it.
I'll post more interesting quotes and passages as I read.
Definitely. I think for our current level. We need to focus on very simple gameplay done very well. I believe Shigeru Miyamoto designed Mario 64 and when he did, he made sure the movement felt fun before doing anything else. I think you have to make core gameplay element solid instead of having multiple unrealized gameplay elements.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things about independent games (not always independent) is when they have a very thoroughly explored game mechanic and they reuse and repurpose it for various gameplay reasons. On the other hand, Skyrim is very shallow in terms of the gameplay. The combat is bland which is, arguably, the core gameplay. And it quickly gets old when the core gameplay does not engage you.