Game analysis

What to analyse?

Some to chose from:

Rationale

As a player, what do I enjoy? Whats fun? What would I change or wish was different? What can be learned from the game?

Without thinking at all about an analysis framework or what ever, just a few play throughs…

Production info

System:
Year:
Designer:

Initial play through

Without thinking at all about an analysis framework or what ever, just a few play throughs…

Game progression, narrative, goals.

puzzle dependency chart/graph

levels, scenes etc.

flags, variables, conditions, states, triggers, dialogue gates, Choices and Consequences,

flow/dependency chart with script bits hanging off it

UI and Menu System

Music/sound

Graphics

Settings

Character movement

Puppeting

Animation

Gameplay

Item collection

Doors and building entry

The party follow you in

Fights

Battle sequences

‘enemies’ are ‘tamed’ rather than killed… – wel, except for ‘starman jr’ who is ‘defeated’

stats

Story/progression

Even through its a there is still the concept of levels/stages – the organisation of the walk throughs should make that very plain:

Level/stage title: Swimming with sharks
Walk through
Items
- item: Town map – location: librarian
ENEMIES
- name: pogo punk – notes: strongest of teh Sharks
BOSSES
- name: Frank – notes: can be beaten with PSI Rockin

Once opened, the various map areas can are then accessible for the duration (except in certain cases?)

Layers of data in the data model – broken down into levels/stages – with common maps etc. So therefore the LEVEL data is the most base of things. it loads the MAP data, which can be variations of the same thing..

This depends on if there is a SINGLE start and end point of each ‘level’

Story points – free to move around (with plenty of nagging from the others when they are with you) – until you trigger next plot point…

Once you return to the house – the story opens right up – e.g. the whole being bound to earth thing and going to 8 sanctuaries etc.

Events

mission 1 – build party – then dissolve party after bringing the dude back

buzz buzz gives you the sound stone

mission 2 – no party – go to ‘Giant Step’ – ‘north west’ of onett…

what’s with the photographer who drops out of space and takes your pic, then leaves?

NPC text –

Locations

Home eventually changes so you can always return and have a steak and a sleep

Items

non-posessable

green payphone costs $1 – black payphones are free…

possessable

Well, it’s hard, because I have played it so many times…

Key reasons I like it are:

the aesthetic
sound design
musi

As soon as you open it up into that opening scene – the music, the sound effects, the narrative that dumps you in the middle of a question. For me, they are all elements that inspire and delight on multiple levels. The graphic palette is rich, but not kiddy, not too warm, not too cold, not too light and not too dark. I think it’s just right. It is a well balanced secondary palette… a 16 bit palette.

The impressive part is how they get so much out of the limitations – that I think is very inspiring

There is a level of symbolism which works on my brain to fill in the detail and engage with it I think

I think it is a very cinematic opening

I think a good way to describe it is with an ‘enhanced’

Game storyboard

Game states

Level design

character

levels

tutorial level

difficulty

sound

juice

story/setting etc.

what it is and how it is conveyed

structure of game

opening state

game state

end state

Mechanics

ADSR

Dynamics

Aesthetics

1. Sensation

Game as sense-pleasure

2. Fantasy

Game as make-believe

3. Narrative

Game as drama

4. Challenge

Game as obstacle course

5. Fellowship

Game as social framework

6. Discovery

Game as uncharted territory

7. Expression

Game as self-discovery

8. Submission

Game as pastime

Game feel

Input—The physical construction of the device through which player intent is expressed to the system and how this changes game feel.

Button	States	Signals	Combination
X	2
Z	2
Up	2
Down	2
Left	2
Right	2

Response—How the system processes, modulates and responds to player input in real time.

Context—The effect of simulated space on game feel. How collision code and level design give meaning to real-time control.

High-level context—The impression of space, speed and motion inherent in the overall conception of the game world
Medium-level context—The immediate space around a character and how the character interacts with objects moving through that space, for example, object avoidance
Low-level context—The intimate, tactile, personal interaction between objects

Polish—Effects that artificially enhance impression of a unique physical reality in the game.

Animation

Visual effects

Sound effects

Cinematic effects

Tactile effects

Animations	Visual Effects	Sound Effects	Cinematic Effects

	Visual Effects
Masses
Velocity
Momentum
Materials
Friction
Gravity
Shape
Elasticity
Plasticity

Metaphor—How the game’s representation and treatment change player expectations about the behavior, movement and interactions of game objects.

Iconic representation

Rules—How arbitrary relationships between abstracted variables in the game change player perception of game objects, define challenges and modify sensations of control.

High-level rules consist of broad sets of goals that focus the player on a particular subset of motions, such as collecting coins. High-level rules can also take the form of health and damage systems.
Mid-level rules are rules for specific objects in the game world that give immediate meaning to an action, such as capturing the flag in a capture-the-flag multiplayer game.
Low-level rules further define the physical properties of individual objects, such as how much damage it takes an avatar to destroy an enemy.

Collision

Camera

Context

Polish

Metaphor

Rules

RESOURCES