Casual Game DesignDesigning games everyone can enjoy

In my article on rewards, I write that a game must offer a worthwhile experience. I deliberately chose this phrasing over the more ubiquitous ‘games should be fun’. Fun isn’t necessarily the name of the game. Read the entire entry »

(16 votes, average: 3.94 out of 5)

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It’s quite obvious that a player can’t enjoy your game, if she doesn’t know how to play it. Most game designers recognize this problem and take steps to remedy it, but in my opinion, they often go too far. Read the entire entry »

(14 votes, average: 4.07 out of 5)

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This weekend I picked up a copy of Aquanox 2 from the bargain bin. The game is set under water and you captain a small vessel and the main gameplay involves shooting at various enemies. The first mission in the game has what I consider a significant design flaw.

No matter what you do, you can’t win the first mission in the game. Your objective is to take someone out, but he flees before you can do what you’re supposed to do. At this point, the game tells you that you have failed your objective and let’s you continue on your way. I thought I just had to get to grips with the controls, so I tried again - Aquanox let’s you replay your last mission whenever you want to - but the result was the same. As it turns out, you simply can’t reach your first objective, no matter how often you try.

If you ask me, it’s not a very smart idea to start the player of with a forced failure. The first part should be about learning the ropes of the game, especially in a game that can be tricky to control, like Aquanox. Starting out with a mission that is doomed to fail doesn’t really create the ideal learning experience. Chances are the player will feel frustrated with the game. Even if she doesn’t quit right away, it may shape her opinion about the game and she’ll be harsher in her judgement when she encounters small problems that she otherwise might be able to forgive.

In the case of Aquanox, the problem could have been solved in several ways. The easiest would’ve been to change the mission objective. Instead of destroy the enemy it could be changed to chase off the enemy, because that is exactly what you’ll end up doing. Even if you don’t want to change the mission objective, you might still consider telling the player that she succeeded at her mission, even if the enemy wasn’t destroyed. That at least tells the player she is starting off on the right track.

(14 votes, average: 4.07 out of 5)

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In light of the game design contest over at Jay Is Games, I thought I’d write something about the competition’s theme: replay. Since my skills with Flash are close to non-existent, I won’t be entering the contest myself, but hopefully this article will help some of you who do have a go at the prizes. Read the entire entry »

(9 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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There’s a Flash Game Design competition over at Jay Is Games, so if you’re skilled in Flash and you like to show the world what you are capable of: this is your chance.

Here’s the scoop: you, casual gamer / game designer / Flash whiz, design a game in Flash (version 8, AS 2.0 or version 9, AS 3.0) that incorporates our theme (see below). It doesn’t have to be complex nor large in scope, in fact since you will have only 4 weeks to complete your design, simple ideas are probably the way to go.

Here’s the catch. Your game design must incorporate this theme: “replay”.

You can win some real prizes, too.

• 1st place:
  • $1,000 (courtesy of ArcadeTown)
  • (1) Flash CS3 Professional license (courtesy of Adobe)
• 2nd place:
  • $500 (courtesy of ArcadeTown)
  • (1) Flash CS3 Professional license (courtesy of Adobe)
• Audience award:
  • as before, determined by JIG community popular vote and worth at least $200 (courtesy of ArcadeTown)

Be sure to read all the rules and instructions if you are interested in participating.

(6 votes, average: 3.33 out of 5)

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You’ve created a game full of levels, exciting game modes and whatnot. It would be a shame if the player only got to see a part of it, wouldn’t it? Fortunately, there are some things you can do to encourage the player to explore your game. Basically, you want to reward the player for playing a part of the game she would normally ignore. Read the entire entry »

(11 votes, average: 4.18 out of 5)

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