Solving the Design Puzzle From Management to Execution

Solving the Design PuzzleFrom Management to Execution

Alexandre Mandrykagamewhispering.com

Who’s this guy?

Born in ParisTrained in biologyWorked for 5 years in France

Moved to Canada in 2005Studio level positions at Ubisoft and Relic

The Thesis

We are playing a huge stakes game without mastering one of its core pillars

Design?

• Each discipline executes on the vision

• Design is just one of them ...

• Different roles can be held by same people

• But beware!

Vision

Game

Features Features

Coding Design

Features

Art

Creative direction

Design(different types)

Invention of Cinema Sons of a photographic plate makerInventors and engineers

Inspired by Thomas Edison

Created a camera/projector“Le cinematographe” (1894)

Louis and Auguste Lumiere

Reverse angle shots (1911)

First celluloid film (1888)

Film continuity

Scope effect

Gradually developing a vocabularyand a grammar

About 25 years to get there

Media evolution

?

The essence of the video game medium is still being to be explored

How did Movies gained specificity?

• Shared expertise with literature and theater

• But also specific technical area– Lighting– Photography– Cinematography

• Academic study• Only a mastered technique can

be expressive

What is the path for games?

• Shared expertise with literature cinema and digital arts

• But also specific technical area– 3D– Engineering– Programming– Design

• Academic study for most• Except design ...

“Every story has been told”

Stanley Kubrick Joseph Campbell

Tristan and Isolde

XIIth century

Lancelot and Guinevere

In games No unnecessary risk

Different consideration in stories

AgonConfrontationBe the bestBe in controlSeek challengeVictory

AleaAccept fateRelinquish controlEmbrace chancePassivityHope

MimicryImaginationPlay a roleExplore a consistentinventionMake believe

IlinxDestroy the stability of perceptionVertigoOn the brink of loosing controlExplore your limits

All of these require action

Four core game pleasure types

Roger Caillois

Movies-Games comparison

Movies• Technical birth• Slow maturation• Allowed theorization• Close from literature• Empathy is the vector

Video games• Technical birth• Ultra quick growth• Limited academic support• Singular medium• Interactivity is the vector

En Pathos

In Feeling

Passive medium Active medium

MANAGING DESIGNERS

MotivationCareer ProgressionCreative Management

My understanding of management

EvaluateTrainMotivateAssign tasksTeamwork

Creative workNeed to feel safe to take risks

Competency

Autonomy

Purpose

Intrinsic needs

(Works for games too)

About skills

What are the skills of a designer?

• No shared understanding• No one gets it– Not your family– Not your boss– Not yourself, at least not me

Competency

What academia offers

You enjoy driving cars?

Become a mechanical

engineer and do what you

love!

Design skills – Game Design• System design: AI, economy, game rules Logic, mathematics, probabilities

• Interaction design: Controls, interfaces, feedback

Ergonomics, biomechanics, cybernetics

• Motivation design: Learning, reward, difficulty Psychology, learning theory, motivation theory

Design skills – Level Design• Gameplay implementation: Challenge

creation, obstacles meet abilities Analysis of game’s core challenge

• Environment creation: Building spaces to naturally draw the player through

3D engines and tools, architecture, landscaping

• Theatrics: Environmental storytelling, mood setting

Staging, cinematography techniques

Design skills – Narrative Design• Writing: Dialogue/screenplay, prose Literature, creative writing

• Narrative Interface Design: Designing methods to convey story to the player

Media studies, media psychology, communication

• Player-Centric Plotting: Engaging the player as protagonist - Don’t tell, don’t show, let me play it!

Psychology? Literature theory?+ Method Acting

How to select schools• Focus on theoretical training • Be wary of making full games

Production focus or implementation

Vision

Game

Coding DesignArt

Pr. Moriartyand his Perlenspiel

Not design

design

• Media and their users• Communication, design and aesthetic• Interfaces and scriptwriting• Architecture and urbanism• ...

Academic background in games

• Free to play monetisation – Analysts & Economists Establishing a better metric that “Fun”

Ph.D.combinatorial mathematics

Dr Eyjolfur GudmundssonLead Economist at CCP

Amy Jo Kimbehavioral neuroscience Ph.D.

Creativity

• Being creative?

Autonomy

Artists Programmers Designers Managers

NOT

Creativity is aimed downwardsFind the most adapted solution to problems

Tale of a micromanaging structure

• “Why do you like him as a lead designer?”• “Because he’s fast”• “But would you want your lead programmer

to be fast?”• “Hmmmmm …” Design was considered as implementation

onlyLead Game Designer

FunctionFunction

Creative Process

• Needed for each discipline• Different steps require

different skills and level of experience

• You want expertise at each level

• Respect each level as a black box

Autonomy black box

Intention

Function

Solution

Feature

Functional requirement

Analysis

Implementation

A mix of things

• Required for Creativity Self-esteem Respect of others Respect from other

• Establish the design specialties• Establish the related skills• Responsibilities / Black box• Ensure proper processes and collaboration

Purpose

Malsow’s hierarchy of needs

Last word on creative management

• “Think out of the box”

• So go watch:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Ideas 4 4 4 4 8

David Rock

UNDERSTANDING DESIGNEradicate the Fun

The ‘fun’

• This is design’s metric• It’s totally broken• It doesn’t fly with other disciplines• We’re confused between the fun of playing

and the fun of creating games• It is vague, inefficient and so risky to use!

Designing with the ‘coolness’ principle

Idea

IdeaIdea

IdeaIdeaCool

Cool

Cool

Cool

Idea

Cool

Cool

We have it!

CoolSwell

LOL

Fun

U MAD BRO?

LOLLOL

LOL

Backlog

Make the game more exciting for fans

Functional requirement

More goals More speed Maintain skill

Game VS Toy

Rules, what you can, or can’t doWinning/Loosing conditions

Nothing is forbiddenEverything is allowed

Þ Investigate the relationship between rules and player strategies

Rules VS Player strategies

No Rules Þ Dominant strategies

Ground pound

Knock out punch

Submission

Limit player efficiency to allow different styles to be viable

The intention:Boxing is “the noble art”

2 kinds of rules

Touchdown: When any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player inbounds, breaks the plane of the opponent’s goal line, provided it is not a touchback.

Direct rules – How to win (Optimal strategy) Indirect rules – Limit unwanted dominantstrategies

Upkeep system

Rested XP

What if there’s no offside?

What is the effect on optimal strategy?

Offside

Because we want midfield play to be relevant

What is the effect of Offside?

Þ Makes Hockey a contact sport

Sum of 4 runs

Intended experiencePrecisionThe most regular winsControlled risk

Intended experienceFearlessThe most outrageous wins

Best of 2 runs

Halo’s 30 seconds of fun

accuracyEngagement Enemy killed

Out of ammo

Player ChoiceReload

Grenade

Melee

average

good

Understanding design

• “The fun” is a lie• Design is a second order problem• You don’t control the player• Based on intention– Encourage the behaviors you want– Discourage those you don’t

ÞThink in terms of optimal strategy

Last word

• Yale graduate in literature

• Looks like Robert Redford

• Acting method can help us

• Not for storytelling

• But for gameplayJeffrey Yohalem

MERCI !!!

Alexandre [email protected]

gamewhispering.com