Thoughts and Notes on Reading about Game Design

After spending some time looking over some the articles and websites about game design, I can safely say that these where really interesting, without a doubt. While some where actual speeches like "Don't be a Vidiot" by Greg Costikyan link Here, About how game designers can learn from non-electronic games by looking at how the rules and how the game is presented. Stuff like this is really interesting as it can give us pointers on what and what not to do.

Life is a game, This is your strategy guide
by Oliver Emberton
Link Here

One I found interesting was called "Pull the plug: In defense of non-digital teaching and learning" Link Here as it was about how new game developers/ students should use non-electrical games to teach ourselves about how we can build a game from a simple concept; Like a pack of cards, there isn't a game specifically there until rules are introduced and messing with these rules can lead to a prototype of a game. Another is how to quickly modify the prototypes to see if they are more enjoyable or are different in how the play and work. These lessons are really out there in where they come form and how they can apply in working on digital game.

Another one I found to be really well made and done are these little lecture/flash games as they clearly show what the lesson is about as well as showing to us what that might be; For example in the first game of the four part series(Understanding Games Link Here) it teaches us how with simple graphical changes, our minds change to match that certain matter. In this they talk about a classic game, Pong, and how with simple changes to the graphics or with a change to the rules the game can change the match from normal pong to actual ping pong and then to squash and ice hockey. This is superbly done and I can feel like these will come in handy in the future.