Draw from real life
by Solo Hans · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 12/10/2003 (2:24 am) · 16 replies
For a game to succeed it should be drawn from real life experience. You can have a technically perfect game, but if a player can't relate to it in some emotionally meaningful way it's going to fail. In other words, your game has reflect what is uniquely yours. Copying is not an option. You will know you are on the right track when the project seems to take on a life of it's own. You are driven by burning desire to complete it, honing every aspect.
Look into new technologies for game programming. Sometimes this will lead to a creative jump you didn't expect. Look for new ways to implement old ideas. It is amazing what is overlooked because it right in front of our eyes. Most importantly: Don't give up on your idea! Don't let a negative attitude make you a has-been. Let the New Year become the start of the greatest game ever. Yours!
solo.
Look into new technologies for game programming. Sometimes this will lead to a creative jump you didn't expect. Look for new ways to implement old ideas. It is amazing what is overlooked because it right in front of our eyes. Most importantly: Don't give up on your idea! Don't let a negative attitude make you a has-been. Let the New Year become the start of the greatest game ever. Yours!
solo.
About the author
#2
Even in a world with lightsabers and dragons, there's a lot of your own personal biography you can draw on. After all, a TON of J.R.R. Tolkien's wartime experiences and feelings probably made their way into his novels - as well as his linguistic expertise (of course) and other life experiences.
How you apply that to an inherently non-linear experience that gaming SHOULD be... I don't know.
12/11/2003 (3:51 pm)
I wouldn't get quite so emphatic, but there's the old saying in fiction-writing, "Write what you know!"Even in a world with lightsabers and dragons, there's a lot of your own personal biography you can draw on. After all, a TON of J.R.R. Tolkien's wartime experiences and feelings probably made their way into his novels - as well as his linguistic expertise (of course) and other life experiences.
How you apply that to an inherently non-linear experience that gaming SHOULD be... I don't know.
#3
For games with "stories" I agree, but there are some puzzle or nitch games that require a spark of creativity. Drawing on real life is not very important for those games.
Just my 2 cents.
12/11/2003 (5:31 pm)
Did the guy who did Tetris work in a box stacking company?For games with "stories" I agree, but there are some puzzle or nitch games that require a spark of creativity. Drawing on real life is not very important for those games.
Just my 2 cents.
#4
One of the things that I liked about Warcraft III was it's feel. Not talking about UI or art or gameplay, but storywise, it had a great feel to it. It was true to itself, and part of that came from a question the design team asked themselves when drawing up the Orcs(got this from an article somewhere, but I don't remember where): Does the Orc see a bad guy when he looks at himself in the mirror in the morning?
It was that same kind of question Weta Digital asked about the Cave Troll in LOTR, which is why a lot of people feel a little bad about the troll when it finally dies at the end of the battle.
I think, if you want a story that really shines, and no matter how deep or shallow it is, just make it true to itself. Mario Brothers was an excellent example of that, as was Zelda and many of the best games. It doesn't have to be prose or match Tolkein's depth, but it should meet it's own expectations. My 2 cents on that.
12/11/2003 (7:02 pm)
@Jay: I think what made JRR Tolkien's work so great wasn't that it was true to real life, but that it was true to itself. In other words, if an elf picked up LOTR and read it, would it seem true to real life for that elf?One of the things that I liked about Warcraft III was it's feel. Not talking about UI or art or gameplay, but storywise, it had a great feel to it. It was true to itself, and part of that came from a question the design team asked themselves when drawing up the Orcs(got this from an article somewhere, but I don't remember where): Does the Orc see a bad guy when he looks at himself in the mirror in the morning?
It was that same kind of question Weta Digital asked about the Cave Troll in LOTR, which is why a lot of people feel a little bad about the troll when it finally dies at the end of the battle.
I think, if you want a story that really shines, and no matter how deep or shallow it is, just make it true to itself. Mario Brothers was an excellent example of that, as was Zelda and many of the best games. It doesn't have to be prose or match Tolkein's depth, but it should meet it's own expectations. My 2 cents on that.
#5
12/27/2003 (7:44 pm)
When a game has something that most people can relate to it helps people take interest into it. For example hmm... Rainbow Six 3 I dont fight terriosts on a daily basis but I do think about what it would be like. I wonder what those guys go through, and that games puts me in there shoes which is awesome. Thats my 2 cents on it.
#6
That's the sort of the sentiment I tried to express by starting this thread. The people who develop games have to make an emotional investment in their game otherwise the code will do the speaking for them.
The emotions have to be "experienced" to become real for the game. That's not to say that a developer has to experience war to create a game about war, but they do have to endeavor to conduct serious research to make it real for the participants. Perhaps, even involving talking to real veteran's for their point of view.
I really think that new and original gameplay will spawn from this well-spring of emotional soup. This along with new technological advances.
And, I'm sure GarageGames and the TDE will play to this puzzle as well.
Let's all begin this new year boldly with some new and exciting projects. Let's not be deterred by setback that happen throughout the year. The next generation of games will be the best yet!
solo.
12/27/2003 (8:50 pm)
Thanks Brent,That's the sort of the sentiment I tried to express by starting this thread. The people who develop games have to make an emotional investment in their game otherwise the code will do the speaking for them.
The emotions have to be "experienced" to become real for the game. That's not to say that a developer has to experience war to create a game about war, but they do have to endeavor to conduct serious research to make it real for the participants. Perhaps, even involving talking to real veteran's for their point of view.
I really think that new and original gameplay will spawn from this well-spring of emotional soup. This along with new technological advances.
And, I'm sure GarageGames and the TDE will play to this puzzle as well.
Let's all begin this new year boldly with some new and exciting projects. Let's not be deterred by setback that happen throughout the year. The next generation of games will be the best yet!
solo.
#7
I was brainstorming just last week on game ideas when I came across what I thought to be a good one. Was X-mas shopping in Wal-Mart and picked up an interesting looking title. Whammo! So much for that game idea.
I have cooked up another one now, but in style it's almost clonish. I don't care anymore though I am sticking to my guns. I mean just because Command & Conquer was made didn't mean Warcraft should have scrapped their game idea.
12/29/2003 (4:28 pm)
I agree with Solo Hans 100% on what he said. There is another problem out there though. What happens when there is a game you would really love to do. However another game on the market is almost like the one you want to do?I was brainstorming just last week on game ideas when I came across what I thought to be a good one. Was X-mas shopping in Wal-Mart and picked up an interesting looking title. Whammo! So much for that game idea.
I have cooked up another one now, but in style it's almost clonish. I don't care anymore though I am sticking to my guns. I mean just because Command & Conquer was made didn't mean Warcraft should have scrapped their game idea.
#8
Yeah its bad when a game idea of yours is taken by someone else :-(... but then again look at there game most likely its not your idea, just the internal idea. Wait a while and make one with your idea so they don't crash.
12/29/2003 (5:49 pm)
Mmm I think warcraft was made before command & conquer and before both of them was dune 2 by westwood. Dune 1 was an adventure game with some elements of rts.Yeah its bad when a game idea of yours is taken by someone else :-(... but then again look at there game most likely its not your idea, just the internal idea. Wait a while and make one with your idea so they don't crash.
#9
12/30/2003 (1:32 pm)
Sorry I don't keep timelines on games, but for an example it works either way. Of course now that I think about it I should have said Dune II because I played hours and hours of that way back in the olden days lol.
#10
Instead, find ways for it to be better than the game that's similar. Look at what's good and bad about that game - keep the good, toss out the bad.
Just make sure that you give it your own spin to make it a whole new game.
12/30/2003 (4:15 pm)
Just because there's a similar game, doesn't mean that you need to abandon your idea. There's a gazillion RPGs in the world, and alot of them are pretty similar.Instead, find ways for it to be better than the game that's similar. Look at what's good and bad about that game - keep the good, toss out the bad.
Just make sure that you give it your own spin to make it a whole new game.
#11
solo.
12/30/2003 (6:56 pm)
I'm in full agreement with you Steve. I didn't feel your post required a response because what you stated is so obvious, but the obvious is often missed. More than we can appreciate.solo.
#13
Although I had abandoned previous ideas due to the fact beforehand. Then again those ideas weren't really achievable at my level.
01/02/2004 (11:25 am)
What obvious thing did I miss? I simply stated that I had found it hard to come up with a completely original game idea, and that I had decided to finally just stick with what I want to do no matter what.Although I had abandoned previous ideas due to the fact beforehand. Then again those ideas weren't really achievable at my level.
#14
I was referring to Steve's post and I edited my previous post to reflect that.
Stay diligent!
solo.
@Bob
Thanks Bob! I didn't know you visited other forums.
solo.
01/02/2004 (12:11 pm)
Sorry Zen,I was referring to Steve's post and I edited my previous post to reflect that.
Stay diligent!
solo.
@Bob
Thanks Bob! I didn't know you visited other forums.
solo.
#15
01/02/2004 (12:15 pm)
Cool...
#16
Of course, if you don't do some hard work beforehand, dumb luck is a lot harder to come by :)
01/06/2004 (7:29 pm)
Hey, Starcraft is almost exactly like Command & Conquer, and it still sold very well. A lot of success in the world really does come from pure, dumb luck, i.e. being in the right place at the right time, etc.Of course, if you don't do some hard work beforehand, dumb luck is a lot harder to come by :)
Steve Fletcher
But anywhere you can get good ideas without stealling someone else's is fair game.
Problem is that there's lots of things that you don't find in real life, like light sabers and wizards.
Then again, maybe YOU encounter those things in real life, but I sure don't. :)