Game design looks like fun

On with the show

Now that I have accepted that Nick really wants to be a game developer, I have been ordering books and we have been going over the basics. Nick and I have wonderful conversations about some of his ideas and are really having a lot of fun developing them.

Game Development Essentials

There's a game design book series, called Game Development Essentials, that is really popular with Amazon readers and has a lot of interesting titles. I ordered the book Game Story & Character Development and have been finding the text very interesting.



It's really a great book on story and character development in general, discussing the history of storytelling, different character types, story structure, plot twists, conflict and the essentials that go into a good story. It also discusses character psychology, character growth, and things that general writers need to know.

Of course it includes different ways to tell the story within the confines of the gaming atmosphere because that is the point of the book. But in general I felt it did a better job of teaching story and character development than other books I've found on creative writing. So I was really happy with it.

Developing game ideas together

The real fun I am having is seeing how Nick's creative mind comes to life when we talk about his ideas. We talk about the future of gaming and how it can be used in many ways: not just for fun, but for other areas of life like exercise (like the Wii Fit Plus or now the Xbox 360 with Kinect), or education.

I bought him a multiplication game when he was younger that he still likes because it was actually fun. It's called Timez Attack. The makers didn't just have players do flash-card style multiplication, but they made it a real game with real challenges (jumping onto moving platforms, crossing narrow bridges, working their way through a castle or other maze-like area, etc.). They have recently come out with a division game that I'm just going to have to get. It's a really fun way to help kids memorize basic math facts.

Anyway, the point I'm making is that there's a whole untapped market that game developers haven't really hit the mark on yet when it comes to making educational games. There's educational software, but it's not as engaging. Nick and I talk about the possibilities all the time. He thinks it would be great to learn history (a subject he dislikes), science or other subjects in a video game format. There are some game developers out there that are beginning to realize the potential, but of the games we've seen, they still need to work on their delivery.

When Nick and I talk about the existing games and what they could do to make it more fun, his mind goes into hyperdrive and he comes up with all kinds of ways to make a history game come to life. He believes if a game could be made where the player has to search for clues or work out puzzles and make it through levels and challenges, then kids would have fun with it and not even realize they are learning. All I need to do now is keep teaching the basics of game design and hopefully he will remember these conversations when he's actually creating games. From a marketing standpoint, there's a huge audience out there waiting for them. Not just parents like me whose children learn best through multi-sensory methods, but schools who are trying to accommodate students who need more engaging educational materials. It would be especially wonderful for dyslexic students who easily retain information when it is delivered in a more interactive way.

Other possibilities for gaming

Some of the other ideas we've come up with for gaming include vacations at home with your own holodeck-type room added to the house. Nick also came up with the idea of a virtual reality helmet that doesn't put you in the game but makes the world around you part of the game. That way you can move around without worrying about tripping over the dog.

It's good to think about the kinds of obstacles people might have. Truthfully, that's how a game developer needs to think. So we're halfway there! Now if only they had a game to teach game design. I'd buy it.