“Good remakes of good games that anyone can play, regardless of their ability” (http://retroremakes.com/comp2006/). In order to remake an existing game as the competition asked developers to do, the developers had to have an organized and detailed outline on all aspects of the game in order to see how to change the control while keeping the game playable. Competitions like this one, and others that ask designers to create games within a week, can be beneficial because they enforce artificial constraints—as many classes do—that help define the overall project scope. While artificially created constraints can be beneficial, all projects already contain certain constraints. The challenge for game design is being aware of and organizing those constraints in relation to the project at hand. Video Game Design Pro aids in listing the constraints, with details, to help organize the project development by listing the normal constraints on game design. Clearly, some game designers are using wikis, blogs, and other methods for content management. However, the most useful systems should contain the existing constraints for game design as well as a sense of how those constraints may change.

 

 

 

 

10/7/2006

10/14/2006

Game Industry Growth and Coordination

As gaming continues to grow as a mass media form, with tie-ins to other products and as an influence on other products like the game-like aspects of the films Final Destination and Stay Alive, more non-gamers and non-game designers need to know more about games.

 

The Corpament’s Video Game Design Pro allows non-gamers and gamers alike access to a better sense of how games are designed. Because Video Game Design Pro operates as a game-specific content management system, with questions and explanations of each component of game design, Video Game Design Pro aids by visually explaining the different components of game design and their relationship to each other.