"Game design is the process of creating and shaping the mechanics, systems, and rules of a game."
The process of brainstorming and coming up with ideas for a game, including writing a game design document.
Game Mechanics: The rules, constraints, and systems that define how players interact with the game.
Game Balance: The process of balancing resources, gameplay mechanics, and level design to ensure that the game is challenging and rewarding.
Game Objectives: The goals the player has to achieve in order to progress through the game or reach the ultimate goal.
Game Storytelling: The process of creating a narrative that motivates the player, provides context, and creates an immersive world.
Game Level Design: Designing levels that test and challenge the player, while still being fun to play.
User Interface (UI) Design: Creating interfaces that are intuitive and provide the necessary information to the player.
3D Modeling and Animation: Creating game assets, such as characters, objects, and environments using 3D software.
Audio Design: Creating audio that complements the game's visuals and enhances the player's experience.
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Creating intelligent non-player characters (NPCs) that behave realistically and challenge the player.
Player Psychology: Understanding how players think, what motivates them, and how they make decisions in order to design games that are engaging.
Game Development Tools: Understanding and using game development tools such as game engines, software development kits (SDKs), and scripting languages.
Game Marketing: The process of promoting and selling games in order to reach a wider audience.
Game monetization: Different ways of earning money through games, such as in-app purchases, ads, and selling the game itself.
Game Design Theory: The study of the underlying principles of game design, such as player engagement, reward systems, and game loops.
Game Genres: Understanding the different types of games such as action, adventure, sports, simulation, and strategy games.
Level Design: Designing the layout and challenges of a specific level or section of a game.
Systems Design: Designing the mechanics and gameplay systems of a game, such as combat, crafting, or economy.
Narrative Design: Creating storylines, characters, dialogue, and lore that builds the game’s world and complements gameplay.
User Interface Design: Designing the visual and interactive interface that players use to navigate and interact with the game.
Game Mechanics Design: Creating the gameplay mechanics that drive the game, such as player progression, difficulty levels, quests, and achievements.
Storyboarding: Crafting images, animations, and graphics to tell the story of the game in a sequential, cinematic way.
Sound Design: Designing the audio cues, music, and dialogue that immerse players in the game’s world.
Character Design: Conceptualizing and creating the art and animations of characters that inhabit the game’s world.
Network Design: Developing the online and multiplayer components that enable players to connect and compete with others.
Environment Design: Designing the environments, landscapes, and architecture that players navigate and explore.
Balance Design: Adjusting the game’s mechanics, progression, and challenge to create a satisfying and enjoyable experience for players.
Quality Assurance: Testing and debugging the game to ensure that it meets design specifications and is playable and bug-free.
Technical Design: Working with engineering teams to develop and optimize the technologies and platforms that support the game.
Marketing and Promotions Design: Developing and executing marketing campaigns and promotional materials that attract and retain players.
User Research and Analytics Design: Analyzing player behavior and feedback to inform design decisions and optimize the game’s features and usability.
"Games can be created for entertainment, education, exercise, or experimental purposes."
"Elements and principles of game design are also applied to other interactions, in the form of gamification."
"Game designer and developer Robert Zubek defines game design by breaking it down into its elements, which he says are the following."
"Gameplay is the interaction between the player and the mechanics and systems."
"Mechanics and systems are the rules and objects in the game."
"Player experience is how users feel when they are playing the game."
"Games such as board games, card games, dice games, casino games, role-playing games, sports, video games, war games, or simulation games benefit from the principles of game design."
"Academically, game design is part of game studies."
"Game theory studies strategic decision making (primarily in non-game situations)."
"Games have historically inspired seminal research in the fields of probability, artificial intelligence, economics, and optimization theory."
"Applying game design to itself is a current research topic in metadesign."