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Video Game Design Composition
Purpose and Goal
For each level of the game, there should be a primary goal as well as smaller
goals. The main character needs a purpose for being in that scene. It may be to find
a mentor or acquire a new skill. The reason for playing the level is the purpose.
What the player is to achieve in completing the level is the goal of the level.
The tasks to be completed on each level need to be nontrivial.
Nontrivial
tasks
are those with purpose, like finding a potion to defeat an enemy. All tasks
a player must complete should be nontrivial.
Trivial tasks
are those that have
no point or purpose and do not move the game story forward. A player should
never have to complete trivial tasks.
Dramatic Action
Recall that dramatic tension is a feeling of anxiety or anticipation related to the
story being told. The
dramatic action
of the story is how the character reacts when
faced with immediate conflicts or obstacles. Each level must have its own dramatic
action. Along the journey needed to resolve the main conflict, the character encounters
other minor conflicts and actions on each level to help move the story along.
Imagine an RPG where you go to rescue the princess, walk through a forest,
knock on the castle door, the princess answers, and you ride away together.
There is no dramatic action. There are no armies or dragons to defeat. There
are no hidden traps or pitfalls. There are no keys, tokens, potions or amulets to
acquire to open the door. There are no skills or experiences to build. Playing a
level like this would be a trivial task.
On the other hand, imagine a racing game where the player must avoid
crashes, restart the race after a crash, make pit stops, or even collect tokens.
Each of these helps continue the action and give the player a reason to keep
going. Completing a level like this is a nontrivial task.
Conflict and Dramatic Tension
Each level must have conflict and dramatic tension. In a scene from the movie
Jaws, the dunt-dunt…dunt-dunt soundtrack provides dramatic tension. What is
about to happen? The shark may be coming. The action is yet to be determined.
There is dramatic tension because the viewer does not know what is going to
happen. Will the shark surface? Will the person survive? Will they swim to the boat
before the shark gets there? Move to the edge of your seat and wait for the action.
In the same way, each level in the game must have dramatic tension. A level
that has something lurking in the shadows will help develop a sense of conflict
and dramatic tension. A set of eyes that show through the trees in the forest or the
noise of leaves rustling off-screen may suggest the presence of a beast. Is it going
to see you? Is it a big beast? Is it a friendly beast like Shrek? All of these things run
through the player’s mind to build conflict and dramatic tension. Elements like
dramatic action, conflict, and dramatic tension are what make a game exciting.
Consider a video game with a story. How
are the five essential elements of a level
applied to the game? Were the designers
successful in applying the elements? Write
a one-page paper describing your position.
UP!
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