Video Game Design: Run or Shoot?

Whatever you choose, remember to scream!

   

When designing a Game one of the most common priorities is making sure everything, from visuals to Gameplay mechanics, is as smooth and polished as possible, this is done to make sure they are not an obstacle to the player and his/her Gaming experience.
 
At first it seems like a logical thought, if the player has to struggle with things like the HUD (Heads up display), the Inventory system or character movement, then he will spend less time playing and more time fighting against those elements, but the problem is that most people tend to quickly discard things that feel "Wrong" or "Clunky" without considering all aspects to that element.

  

As we've discussed previously in other articles (Here, and Here), all elements inside the Game have a direct impact on that Game's universe, it's feel, flow and identity, and as such all aspects and qualities of that element, be them "Good" or "Bad", have an impact too, case in point: "Run or Shoot?"

Video Game Design: The Invisibility Manifesto

Invisibility pictures: unsurprisingly HARD TO FIND.

And with that INCREDIBLE Invisibility joke (First of many more to come)  i welcome you to the second Unplugged Controllers article on Video Game Design, "The Invisibility Manifesto". 

 

Last time, we looked at how Core and Individual Mechanics can shape a game's Identity using the Super Mario and God of War games as an example of this; Today we are taking a deeper look into Gameplay mechanics, mainly focusing on how to add meaningful variety and how this can change the flow of the game. There's a lot to cover, and not a whole lot of time, so let's dive right in.

Video Game Design: Super Mario or God of War

No, not like that, although...

One of the many great things about teaching Video Game Design (Besides, you know, EVERYTHING) is that i get to use such ridiculous crossovers like the one you see above while trying to explain something.
 

The "Super Mario or God of War" spectrum is a tool I've found to be incredibly useful when explaining Gameplay mechanics and how they shape the overall experience and, more importantly, Identity of the game, and I've decided to share this tool with you guys. So, without further ado, this is the first of many articles on Video Game design, i give you "Super Mario or God of War".