My name is Andrew James Wells, and I am a sophomore student at the University of Texas at Dallas. I am currently studying game design under the Arts and Technology major in order to eventually join the video game industry, hopefully as an independent studio. To have my own place in the field of video games has always been a dream of mine, however I only recently began to seriously look into the many elements behind game design, mainly the components of mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics as discussed in Salen, K. and Zimmerman, E.'s writings (2003). Being something of an artist, video games (and their analog ancestors) being used as a means of expression fascinates me. Whether it is done through the visuals, the narrative, the mechanics, or most importantly a combination of the above, I believe games have a profound ability to affect their audience and the future of their own industry.
Purpose
The main thing I wish to accomplish with this blog is an exploration of game mechanics, narrative, aesthetics, and overall design. The central focus of my observations is to analyze elements of a game and find useful or notable examples of them that are interesting design-wise and/or have something unique in their delivery of visuals or narrative that is relevant to how the audience reacts to the game. Game design is an inherently cumulative sphere of knowledge with the most popular and functioning mechanics quickly becoming adopted throughout similar games of a genre, but it is my intention to look for instances of good design in other pieces. There are many outliers in the field of gaming, such as cult hits, projects from independent studios, unmarketed games such as those found throughout the internet, and older games that are not commonly known. It is my intention to mainly discuss these sorts of pieces and what value they have to the field of game design.
Salen, K., Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals.
The MIT Press.
This should be a very exciting and enlightening journey! I look forward to learning more about these unconventional and sometimes unknown games and their mechanics/design. It's true that popular mechanics are rapidly adopted by most of the game industry. In fact, I have trouble recalling a first-person shooter that doesn't use Halo's health regen system.
ReplyDeleteVery cool blog. Can't wait for more.
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ReplyDeleteIntriguing! I'm looking forward to reading your future posts. Have you got the chance to check out the Stanley Parable, or at least read about it? It's a unique game with a powerful statement on game design in triple AAA games of today. If you don't have the time to play it, you might want to check out this article about it instead. It's a fascinating read, and completely worth your time.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thegia.com/2013/10/17/the-stanley-parable-design-is-the-law/
Actually, I have played through the Stanley Parable and quite enjoyed it! I do need to go through and observe the rest of its endings, but I do think as a piece it is quite profound. I will certainly read the article as well though, I do find such readings to be quite inspiring.
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