View my articles on Critical Theory at Critical-Gaming.blogspot.com

A Manifesto of Constructive Design

The game media, in its effort of understanding games as a medium akin to film or prose, has begun to apply a critical perspective towards games. This pursuit, while valuable in enhancing our understanding of games, is bound by only being able to look at what already exists. The purpose of constructive design is to provide a form by which designers can build and discuss new forms of play; first through constructing systems, but then tested through prototyping, both digitally and paper based.

To build better games, we must break down their parts, and then ask how can we improve those parts. For example, in Assassin’s Creed, the player is limited to pressing one button to control combat. Would the game be more immersive if the player controlled his weapons through the analog stick, along the lines of Age of Conan? At constructive design, we encourage throwing everything on the wall, and seeing what sticks.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Making the Rules - Games to play vs. games to be played.

Rockstar North orchestrated GTA 4 to be the most immersive, yet this goal defeats its gameplay design. In comparison to previous grand theft auto games, IV draws a more clearly defined player character in a less forgiving world. Gone are the stars to lose wanted levels, replaced by a system where the goal is to escape action, rather than confront it. In general, the missions are scripted to deliver engaging experiences, but these experiences are at the hands of rockstar's designers, no the players own. One of my own best experiences from grand theft auto was vice city, where I decided to jack a bus and charge it head first into a convoy of army vehicles. I slammed that hummer so hard it literally flew into the sky, off the map. That is the type of magic that you won't see in the new grand theft auto, where Niko is more likely to crash out the front windshield than ram a hummer into the stratosphere.

The experiences that matter in video games are the ones we can reflect on and say, "oh damn, I did this." Whether nailing a warthog carrying our flag with rockets, setting up an elaborate trap in BioShock to kill some splicers, or solving a puzzle in professor layton by drawing a diagram or chart, these were all experiences I had, games in which I created the answer - and thats the real story that I want to tell and be told.

> For more on the topic, read Richard Terrell's "I": Videogame's Greatest Character:
http://critical-gaming.blogspot.com/2008/06/i-videogames-greatest-character.html
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