Comments on: How to EXPLODE Your Game Design Talent! http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/ Explorations in the world of independent game development. Sat, 17 May 2008 01:23:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: covert.c http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-3202 Tue, 06 Feb 2007 03:34:00 +0000 http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-3202 Nicely done. The first design is flawed in that one of the players could simply position themselves atop the other, thus creating a stalemate. Look forward to your next post. :) Nicely done. The first design is flawed in that one of the players could simply position themselves atop the other, thus creating a stalemate.

Look forward to your next post. :)

]]> by: lakibuk http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-1082 Sat, 16 Dec 2006 10:19:02 +0000 http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-1082 "I’ll never have a shortage of designs to develop. And its value to my ongoing development simply can’t be measured." It can be measured: Take a design, make a game out of it and sell it! “I’ll never have a shortage of designs to develop. And its value to my ongoing development simply can’t be measured.”
It can be measured: Take a design, make a game out of it and sell it!

]]> by: Chuck Arellano http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-945 Tue, 05 Dec 2006 02:29:26 +0000 http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-945 I think that you have a very good method of coming up with new game ideas, and I should probably try it myself, considering myself as someone who's not really that creative. I think that the Experimental Gameplay people at CMU used a method similar to yours, choosing a word then working around that theme. What I find very interesting about your concept is that you take this idea further and try to put the word in three different contexts. Thanks for the tips! I think that you have a very good method of coming up with new game ideas, and I should probably try it myself, considering myself as someone who’s not really that creative.

I think that the Experimental Gameplay people at CMU used a method similar to yours, choosing a word then working around that theme.

What I find very interesting about your concept is that you take this idea further and try to put the word in three different contexts.

Thanks for the tips!

]]> by: soniCron http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-905 Sat, 02 Dec 2006 09:06:53 +0000 http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-905 A meta-game is a ruleset separate from, but made available through, the core mechanic. It is one that has its own goals independent of the main goal. For example, the main mechanic in Super Mario World is to navigate each level through to completion. However, during the course of the level, the player can optionally collect 5 Yoshi coins to receive a 1UP. This is an optional task that exists within the context of the main gameplay but is not technically conjoined - a meta-game. Meta-games aren't always made available by the developer. Often, meta-games are created by the player as a means of enhancing pleasure. For example, a player may try to beat each level in under a minute. The developer never intended for the player to perform such a task, but the player applies artificial constraints to his play in an effort to maximize his enjoyment. It is, in my opinion, the developer's responsibility to identify meta-games a player might employ and implement them into the game as a means of officiating the tasks and offering the player even greater reward than just the sense of self-satisfaction. (Of course, it is not always the developer's responsibility, depending on the type of game. Open-ended games thrive on meta-gaming. The Sims, for example, is a platform for which the player can create his own meta-games, and as such it thrives.) A meta-game is a ruleset separate from, but made available through, the core mechanic. It is one that has its own goals independent of the main goal. For example, the main mechanic in Super Mario World is to navigate each level through to completion. However, during the course of the level, the player can optionally collect 5 Yoshi coins to receive a 1UP. This is an optional task that exists within the context of the main gameplay but is not technically conjoined - a meta-game.

Meta-games aren’t always made available by the developer. Often, meta-games are created by the player as a means of enhancing pleasure. For example, a player may try to beat each level in under a minute. The developer never intended for the player to perform such a task, but the player applies artificial constraints to his play in an effort to maximize his enjoyment.

It is, in my opinion, the developer’s responsibility to identify meta-games a player might employ and implement them into the game as a means of officiating the tasks and offering the player even greater reward than just the sense of self-satisfaction.

(Of course, it is not always the developer’s responsibility, depending on the type of game. Open-ended games thrive on meta-gaming. The Sims, for example, is a platform for which the player can create his own meta-games, and as such it thrives.)

]]> by: lakibuk http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-904 Sat, 02 Dec 2006 08:48:04 +0000 http://sonicron.solaristudios.com/2006/12/01/how-to-explode-your-game-design-talent/#comment-904 What are meta-games? What are meta-games?

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