Gaming Manifesto

I just finished watching AngryJoe's review of Quantum Break, by Remedy.

I'm not going to talk about Quantum Break here, if you want to know more, got to AngryJoe's channel and watch it yourself. It's entertaining and funny, and well worth half an hour in my opinion. If you've been considering buying the game, you should definitely watch the review.

Anyway, it got me thinking, and I thought I'd talk a little bit about game design instead. Disclaimer: I am not a game designer, I am a gamer. Therefore this is completely from the viewpoint of a consumer not a producer.

The basic gameplay must be good

Whatever game you are making has to be worth playing at it's most basic core. Example: Grand Theft Auto is about cars, so driving them has to be fun. It doesn't matter how much extra fluff you put in the game, if the driving mechanic is garbage. Luckily GTA 5 is a great game and the cars are fun. If the basics are off, the game is off, no matter what.

There is no substitute for level design

Something that is sadly rare these days, good level design is crucial to most games. Sure, a football game doesn't need level design as it's a field, but most others do. Boring layouts and overuse of the same configurations kills the mood quickly. Levels should be interesting to explore, they should challenge us and make us think outside the box. Even back in the day when corridor shooters a la Doom 1 were the norm, the levels were varied and atmospheric. Do not rinse and repeat.

There is no substitute for quality

Here's a shocker: No matter how good the graphics are, they don't matter at all if the game is boring. Games aren't movies, they must be fun to play. Not that special effects can save bad films either, it's just that in games you drive the action, you do he work and if it's a chore, the game fails. The story has to be well written and the characters likeable/hateful as required. You wouldn't read a book if you care nothing for the characters, the same goes for games. Fancy graphics can't cover up these issues.

Powers and Abilities must be consistent

This is what prompted me to write this. In Quantum Break you can rewind time to go back to a point where a locked door is unlocked, so that you can walk through. Except when you can't for no reason whatsoever. If you give the players powers, assume they are going to use them. If that becomes problematic when designing levels, don't put the power in the game to begin with. Or put limitations on how the power works, like This power only works during the day for this reason. That way you can make sure that your level works. Also, when inventing cool abilities for your game, don't forget to put in why something doesn't work all of a sudden.

Example: Dishonored. You get lots of cool powers in this game. One, Windblast, can smash open doors, but not reinforced doors. This may seem like quibbling, but keep in mind you also can't blow down walls. This remains consistent throughout the game. I never felt like the game cheated in Dishonored, not even once.

Anyway, this was part 1 of my “gaming manifesto”. I'll probably do more next time, so until then, have a great week!