Friday, May 8, 2009

Inspiring Game Development Article

How to Prototype a Game in Under 7 Days:
Tips and Tricks from 4 Grad Students Who Made Over 50 Games in 1 Semester


http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051026/gabler_01.shtml

Quote from the article:
"
Handy Cut-Out List!
Setup: Rapid is a State of Mind
  • Embrace the Possibility of Failure - it Encourages Creative Risk Taking
  • Enforce Short Development Cycles (More Time != More Quality)
  • Constrain Creativity to Make You Want it Even More
  • Gather a Kickass Team and an Objective Advisor – Mindset is as Important as Talent
  • Develop in Parallel for Maximum Splatter
Design: Creativity and the Myth of Brainstorming
  • Formal Brainstorming Has a 0% Success Rate
  • Gather Concept Art and Music to Create an Emotional Target
  • Simulate in Your Head – Pre-Prototype the Prototype
Development: Nobody Knows How You Made it, and Nobody Cares
  • Build the Toy First
  • If You Can Get Away With it, Fake it
  • Cut Your Losses and "Learn When to Shoot Your Baby in the Crib"
  • Heavy Theming Will Not Salvage Bad Design (or "You Can't Polish a Turd")
  • But Overall Aesthetic Matters! Apply a Healthy Spread of Art, Sound, and Music
  • Nobody Cares About Your Great Engineering
General Gameplay: Sensual Lessons in Juicy Fun
  • Complexity is Not Necessary for Fun
  • Create a Sense of Ownership to Keep 'em Crawling Back for More
  • "Experimental" Does Not Mean "Complex"
  • Build Toward a Well Defined Goal
  • Make it Juicy!
"