Game Design Go with Your Gut... Or Not?
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The document discusses how game designers can make effective decisions when developing games. It notes that the game industry is unpredictable and designers do not have a guaranteed formula for success. It recommends that designers use a combination of their intuition ("gut"), data analysis, and testing to guide their decisions. Designers should leverage their experience, gather player data and behavior metrics, and encourage testing of different design theories with prototypes and experiments. By considering multiple perspectives and validating ideas through a fast iterative process, designers can make better informed choices despite the uncertain nature of game development.
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Game Design Go with Your Gut... Or Not?
- 1. Game Design: Go With Your Gut… Or Not? Luna Javier Co-Founder and Creative Director Altitude Games Inc.
- 2. Games are a hit-driven industry
- 3. Game designers are the directors
- 4. We are expected to know what’s best for the game But the truth is...
- 5. We don’t know what we’re doing
- 7. There is no guaranteed formula for success
- 8. Designers are captains lost at sea Which way is land, captain? It’s THAT way!
- 9. If the industry is unpredictable... How should designers make decisions?
- 10. 1. Gut “It’s THAT way!”
- 11. Gut comes from experience Experience Experience == past
- 12. How to have a better gut Play games Read articles Go to conferences
- 13. But gut is not enough
- 14. 2. Data
- 15. Data gives you a clearer picture
- 16. Work closely with your data analysts 1. Ask questions What do you need to know? 2. Get info Player data and behavior 3. Replay your game Pretend to be the player
- 17. But gut + data are not enough
- 18. 3. Testing
- 19. Everyone’s idea is equal
- 20. You can’t prove any idea without testing
- 21. Encourage designers to test their theories 1. Prototype Using any tool available 2. Playtest Team, company, friends, etc 3. A/B test TestNet, PickFu, Google, FB, etc
- 22. How to make better design decisions Gut Theory Data Information Testing Validation
- 23. Tip #1: Listen to everyone ...but you still make the call
- 24. Tip #2: Do it fast
- 25. Luna Javier THANK YOU! Co-Founder and Creative Director Altitude Games Inc. luna@altitude-games.com
Notas del editor
- Hello! I'm Luna from Altitude I'll be talking about game design, specifically how we designers make decisions If we should go with our gut or take a more practical approach I’ll give tips on how to make better decisions for your games Will help non-designers as well
- Hit-driven industry like movies Hard to make money unless you’re a big studio http://schmoesknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/films.jpg
- Takes a village to make a game or movie Designer is director Their creative vision but also Blamed for success or failure http://1vzs2y1lx6fm2qdaaj2t2iq2uh.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ar122134846167999.jpg
- Team consults with designer for everything: new feature, UI, pricing Expected to know what’s best for the game, what the player wants Truth is (don’t hate me)... http://houseflippingschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/how-to-flip-a-house-for-profit-magic-formula.jpg
- We don’t really know what we’re doing! Don't feel bad, because http://theawesomedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing-dog-feat-1-620x400.jpg
- Nobody really does We’re all doing our best If we already knew how to succeed, we’d all be rich and we wouldn’t be here, trying to figure it out at conferences http://theawesomedaily.com/i-have-no-idea-what-im-doing/
- There is no guaranteed formula for success Can have big IP and big budget But still terrible movie / game
- Designers are more like captains at sea, land nowhere in sight The crew asks you, Captain, which way should we go? The designer’s job is to say: we go THIS way But you don't really know where land is How do you make an educated guess in the middle of the ocean?
- If we can’t guarantee success and the industry is so unpredictable How do we make good design decisions? https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jTQurAEmt64/maxresdefault.jpg
- First thing we do is go with our gut When someone suggests something and you immediately say, “NO that’s a bad idea” The player won’t like that, that won’t work, etc You just KNOW Source: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sfYjVz3zXdo/TSar-ZZXSbI/AAAAAAAAAgk/S3r_bYrRUIo/s1600/brush-with-greatness2.png
- Gut comes from experience But experience is based on past events Industry changes so fast For example, making a runner was a good idea a few years ago but by the time you release it, it might be too late!
- You can update your gut Stay current http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/simpsons-treehouse-of-horror/images/7/75/Homer_eating.png/revision/latest?cb=20141212201705
- But gut is not enough Gut is still based on everyone’s past experience Still just an opinion http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2007/07_02/homerDM2507_228x356.jpg
- How many people actually know who this is? Data gives you a clearer picture of what’s actually happening Data can prove your theory (or disprove it) http://www.trekmate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Data-star-trek-the-next-generation-31159191-1024-768.png
- Data shows you the present It gives you a clearer picture of what’s actually happening Track your player behavior, what they’re actually doing If you learn one thing from me today - start tracking!
- You have to work closely with your data analysts Ask them questions. What do you need to know? E.g. “I need to know which level they stop at the end of Day 1” Get the info using player data and behavior. They calculate how many sessions players do in a day, which level they’re most likely to end their Day 1 on With that info, you replay your game pretending to be the player https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/20/c2/03/20c2039561b057dd5975b565247c3a94.jpg
- It’s still a theory, but you can’t prove it yet http://images.popmatters.com/misc_art/s/st-datab4-s650-1.jpg
- This is the best way to make a design decision http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/facebook/000/155/144/6ca67b8f-37dd-40ef-9feb-02bed851c09a.jpg
- People can argue forever trying to prove their idea is the best one (designers especially) But on paper, everyone’s ideas are equal. Good or bad My job is to come in and stop debates by asking, “Have you tested it?” http://mediacdn.snorgcontent.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/1800x/6b9ffbf72458f4fd2d3cb995d92e8889/m/e/mexicanstandoffhood_fullpic.jpg
- Example: Someone suggested a different control scheme Drag skill to enemy instead of tapping skill button Nothing inherently wrong with this idea. In fact, each side could cite games that used that control scheme So we did a quick/dirty test in build and saw it was terrible because it was in portrait Dragging icon goes over player’s heads, was really far Unlike other games in landscape where dragging from the bottom to enemy was the shortest distance Couldn't have known without testing
- Honestly I settle any debate by saying “let’s test it” Can prototype: Unity, Balsamiq, pen and paper, Powerpoint, Flash, whatever Playtest: In team, whole company, random people A/B: Use a service. Look at these icons for Zodiac Pop. Aliens with balls won! Lighter color, Zodiac background
- You have a theory, supported by data, now you test it It’s a combination of all three things to make the best educated guess Some tips to make this process better…
- Process useless if you don't listen to other people Pixar has a Braintrust: Honest, constructive feedback Read reviews, YouTubers, feedback button in game But you still make the call. People are usually right about the problem but wrong about the solution (Neil Gaiman) Filter out the noise, and use gut+data+testing to choose the best solution Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/resources/images/article_assets/hbr/0809/R0809D_B.gif
- The trick is speed Nothing worse than sitting on something for weeks Remember, you're lost at sea Do the cycle as fast as you can so you can react quickly, turn around, eliminate that possibility http://www.cartoonbucket.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Road-Runner-Running-With-Speedy-Gonzales.jpg