A Romantic Approach to Game Design

A romantic approach to

applied game design Presented at IIDD 2015 Pietro Polsinelli @ppolsinelli

WHAT DO I DO?

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Take a problem, a message that is complex.

You want to inform people

about it.

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To talk to people about it you can use media.

Videogames are one pervasive

media.

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Contrast the idea that games

are “just” about “fun”.

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“fun” is a term that lacks explicative capacity

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Game design is not a single method.

My model is not

rewards / random reinforcement

but …

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Understanding the complex relationship between playing, learning, fun, and simplicity.

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My work is navigating this complexity

trying to respect its nature

while creating simple games.

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Romantic* approach to game design. Non

reductionistic.

* As suggested by © Daniele Giardini

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My idea of game design is as the reign of Goethe, not

Newton

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_Colours 11

APPLIED GAMES:

WORK DONE / IN

PROGRESS

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Games are applied when their subject matter is far from the

entertainment field.

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My method is:

Search (transform) a narrative and turn it into gameplay of some kind.

Narrative, not (just) data or rules.

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Pull out the story from the field specialist.

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Bringing out the narrative is also creating the narrative.

In narrative details you can find

new game design solutions.

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Transformation

Games for

Health

Help people that are evolving

towards a chronic desease by

influencing behavior and

disrupting this evolution.

NDA

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How can technology change my health? By measuring? By competing?

Tending towards a chronic condition,

I’m already in a fight, just don’t need more. But need, need there is.

How can I change the story of my way of living? Medecine is aware of the power of storytelling.

A game can move you, just like a good book or movie.

Customer thinks (s)he knows what “game”

means. This is a problem. 21

What is bizarre is that it is the same doctor that explained me that learning, being informed about this disease influences

the cure.

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Applied game design elicits a dialogue between designer and

customer, both evolving knowledge

#noestimates

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Designing Games for Health

RE-DESIGN

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Category, competition,

avatar, war, reward, levels

Vs.

Inclusive, mentor, path,

story, transformation

A language change. 25

Ian Bogost: gamification is bullshit.

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Redesigned by including negative feedback,

turning avatar to mentor, building an AI.

Transformation

Games for

Social Impact

Sunday, June 21, 2015

… to develop and implement a

game infused e-learning tool

to promote early access to

services with neglect and

abuse for young people on the

move in Europe

Mission. 30

EU project: deal with these matters harmonically and

effectively across EU.

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Pick a mod, just change the labels ...

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Collateral story gets in the way of play.

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Designing Games for Social

Impact

RE-DESIGN

Kids becoming aware and capable of dealing with

situations of neglect and abuse.

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Build up of awareness defines the game mechanics

Not just a secondary narrative

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Game loop: shit happens.

Deal with it and keep your universe together.

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Your identity, your self is complex stuff.

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Game mechanics:

1. Keep up with your daily routines

2. React to situations

3. Solve the secret

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Sunday, June 21, 2015

Profile and story.

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Situation: sleeping out choices

Sunday, June 21, 2015

THE SECRET: A narrative tool.

Why this could work?

Not teaching through secondary narrative. The

experience is the core of the game play.

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Games for a

Sustainable

Future

UNESCO Gaming Challenge: selected with

We Are Muesli and Daniele Giardini 48

So ...

Games are a mature and pervasive media Games can articulate a wide range of non trivial ideas and emotions Good games can’t be done taking shortcuts

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My twitter stream is mostly dedicated to

game design

@ppolsinelli

A blog on game design

designagame.eu

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