When we design a video game We have to keep in mind different aspects. From the art, how our game looks, what style it will have, andThe Look’n Feel that we are going to give you. He artistic point of the video game is a very important aspect on which we should focus, since art is often one of the reasons that will make our game really different to the rest of videogames on the market. Or through art we can look for a specific impact on our players. Another important element to take into account when designing our video games are the mechanical. That type of mechanics we are going to use What are we going to do in our mechanics to achieve the same effect that we mentioned before, make it different, special, new?
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What is gameplay?
We can understand the gameplay as the ability of a game to show and run clearly and easily for the player the different interactions of all the elements that make up the videogame experience (the rules that govern the world, the mechanics that define the game, the dynamics that take place within the game.
We could also say it in another way as everything that ends up triggering the player’s user experience. Thus, we can have players who value the gameplay of a game differently depending on whether they like it, find it easy, complicated, etc.
The term gameplay is therefore a somewhat ambiguous term but which, in turn, in a contradictory way, is very clear for the player himself and for his own experience. Therefore, some of the terms that would help us define the concept of gameplay could be: usable, useful, desirable, valuable, accessible, credible.
Analyzing gameplay in video games
To talk about gameplay it is important to talk about the different elements that make up a video game. Roughly speaking, we could divide the structure of a video game into three large blocks:
Game Core: It would be partly game heartwhich makes it different. The narrative, the characters, the story; the user experience, the sound, the visual aspect, the interactivity; the mechanics, the learning curve, the balance, the genre, the rules, the challenges, the rhythm, etc.
Game Engine: Would do reference to the more technical aspect and more related to the software. The graphics engine, the physics engine, AI systems, communication systems, etc.
game interface: Finally, we would have the game user interfacehow andThe player communicates with the game and the game with the player. Physical interface, platform, auditory, visual interface; the interface of the software, the look’n fell, the points of view, etc.
These three layers into which we have divided the concept of a video game must interact with each other, never being one layer isolated from the otherthis is how we find relationships such as: challenges — rules — rewards, or for example platform — game engine — look’n feel.
All the components and all the relationships of the different layers have specific objectives, which we could define as the main objectives of the gameplay:
– Entertain the maximum time possible to the player.
– Make overcoming obstacles a fun challenge.
– player intrinsic reward (as fun can be).
– Offer the player new challenges to acquire new skills.
– challenge player through technology.
– Avoid interruptions of the player.
– Show a clear differentiation between game UI and menu UI.
– show a consistent world.
– Show the challenges clearly.
– Don’t break the rules that have been offered to the player.
– offer reasonable solutions to the challenges of the game.
– Do not create a feeling of being lost in the game.
All these goals that we have just mentioned seek in turn to obtain positive aspects on an emotional level in the player. If we do not take these aspects into account, we can easily cause feelings of frustration, annoyance, confusion, despondency, boredom, distraction. All of them negative emotions in the player experience and very far from the type of emotions that we really want to achieve as they could be: surprise, emotion, entertainment, etc.
Within the gameplay there is a interesting section that is the difficulty section, also closely linked to the player’s ability. These elements are complex elements but by way of introduction it should be noted that the difficulty of a game must be kept within a balance, making the game not very difficult but at the same time not very easy. In addition, it must be taken into account that its difficulty must increase as the game progresses, since the player’s skill and experience will also advance in the same way.
Do you think that the study of the gameplay of our video games is an important field in their design? Leave us your comment
Related course: Higher Course in Design and Development of Videogames with Unity 3D