In this blog post and the next one I will highlight some components of a game that should be very well defined and polished in order to make a complete game.

What are the core components of a game

When asking others what makes a good game or what defines a game, various aspects are mentioned. The visual aesthetics, audio and music, narrative, innovative features, among others. Although these things do have a part in the complete user experience most of them have been evolving through advancements in technologies, learning new skills, and understanding what things work in a game. Primarily there are a few which are common since games have been made in the 1970s. Among these are building a game around a certain game mechanic, making the game easy to learn and enjoyable, and rewarding the player throughout the progression of the game. There are other aspects that build the core components but I will be going into detail into the three that were previously mentioned.

 

Building around a game mechanic

Most games today are very complex, expansive and immersive. However, when looking closely most of them are centered on at least one base game mechanic. By having a clear focus on what the game revolves around, it is easier to build a game around it that coincides with the mechanic. Ultimately creating a project that is cohesive with its content and how it can be played. As a game designer it is difficult to come up with a completely new and fun mechanic but it can become immensely beneficial towards the project. The object of creating a game mechanic is to create one that is captivating and enjoyable, so that then prototypes can be built with it to test the mechanics. Also when deciding on a game mechanic for a game it is important to think about on how the developers can expand on it, because it will be used continually throughout the game. As such new features, abilities should be introduced to keep the game from becoming a stale and tedious task that the player will stop enjoying.

Some prominent and successful examples of games centering their focus on a game mechanic are:

Angry Birds

(Angry Birds, n.d.)

Where the main mechanic is to slingshot your projectiles towards the different targets in order to progress. The way this mechanic is expanded is through different projectiles with different behaviors and abilities, making multiple levels which also increase in difficulty and adding side objectives.

Portal

(Portal, 2013)

A game that is focused on solving puzzles using a portal gun, among other intractable objects. This mechanic is expanded in a similar way to Angry Birds; multiple levels with increased complexity and introducing new puzzle elements.

In my subsequent blog post I will finish talking about the two remaining core aspects of a game are and a brief conclusion.

 

References

Angry Birds. (n.d.) Appglossy. Retrieved from http://appsglossy.com/angry-birds-2/

Portal. (2013 October 27th). Portal 2 Review. Retrieved from http://fergatroid.com/2013/10/27/portal-2-review/