GAME DESIGN


Game design is one of my favorite sciences and I'll say that there are some INCREDIBLE feats that can be done with it.

These below design components can be combined or strung together to make games. Only one or two at a time, please! Too much combined stirs up confusion.

Design Components
Object retrieval - An object must be moved from one location to another - Players may need to gain authoratative access to an area, or bypass unauthorized to retrieve/deliver the item.

Trial - A trial is held to determine the truth of the events which occured between players. Players may need to gather or forge evidence or at least alibis in preperation for the event.

Meeting - A meeting is held to determine the next course of actions to be taken or to employ something new. Such as which of the other design components to include in the game being played.

Crafting - Players are required to build something specific. Players may be required to scavenge their own crafting items or to carefully pick from a selection provided to them.

Contest - Players are judged on their craft or state. Whoever's is better wins. Two awards recommended: One for the judge’s Personal Taste and one for all around Best Merit.

Race - Players rush to complete an objective. The first player to achieve it wins.

Too Many Games
A cat with too many toys doesn't play with any of them 'cause it doesn't know which one to play with. Players with too many games to choose from are left with disagreements on who wants to play what games.

For the Omnigames to be entertaining, it is necessary to keep the game selection NARROW. People are less willing to learn one particular type of game when there are 20 variants available to master.

To do so the games created need to be kept GENERIC -- They need to fill their entire scope with purpose and reason, and not with any sort of filler or fluff at all.

Inducing Inspiration
There is only one step to this process:
Keep it real.

When designing inspirations for these games, my best inspiration comes "when i'm all real and stuff". You can utilize the realness, but you can't forcibly induce it. That is, you can work to stay real once you're there but there's no way to suddenly "become real". To learn about your realest self, just go about your day and try to take mental snapshots of your realest moments when they appear. Inspiration will come naturally when you're real.

The majority of the work done on the Omnigames doesn't feel like work. It's more of a passion project, really. The most work I've ever done for the Omnigames was back when I was writing the original Spy Game rulesheet. I was really cracking my head over that.

Obselescense
I'm sad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPHdypbzUU8
I want to solve this. ^

Obselescense. I want to solve it.
In my games, I believe I can design them so that they never truly die.
...Maybe...
They've just got to be generic enough so that people don't go making updates/revisions to the rules.
They've got to be as classic as chess so that nobody goes rolling out a chess 2 and meaning it.

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Tags: Games | Technology | Omnigames | Wow