Game Designer’s Creative Secrets | Design Patterns
<p>DISCLAIMER: this article is just an introduction to Design Patterns in Game Design as part of my study behind games creativity.</p>
<h1>Your game is a genre by itself</h1>
<p>When we think of games like Mario and Super Meat Boy, it’s natural to identify them as belonging to the ‘2D platformer’ genre. However, this classification only scratches the surface of the complexities underlying these iconic titles.</p>
<p>According to the writer and game designer Raph Koster, games transcend the boundaries defined by their genres by taking on their identities. With this in mind, Raph has come to the conclusion that games are, in fact, just sets of small mechanics in harmony, and he has since encouraged game designers to abstract their mechanics to their most basic principles. Returning to the previous example, how would you define Mario and Super Meat Boy without relying solely on the ‘2D platformer’ standards? You could classify them based on their mechanics, such as the presence of collectibles and double jumps, for instance, or with elements of speed-running in the case of Super Meat Boy.</p>
<p>The reality is that being creative has little correlation with being innovative. In an interview with Marnix, Creative Director at BiteMe Games, he states:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>“An innovative game is one that brings something to the table that hasn’t been seen before… while a creative game can simply be a new way of presenting something, be it through art style, for example.” — Marnix</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Creative games tend to be easier and cheaper to produce due to their nature of adding value to something that already has inherent value, thus reducing the risks of the project failing upon release.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/@vinicius.antonio0712/game-designers-creative-secrets-design-patterns-bbc2568b966f"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>