wanna be a GAME DESIGNER!
by Alexandre Ribeiro de Sa · 11/26/2008 (12:35 pm) · 8 comments
Hello again... Second post... :D
Ok, last month I'm was in Belo Horizont for SBGames (Something like a brazilian IGDC) watching a talk of Bertrand Chaverot from Ubisoft Brasil about game industry, and some guy in the crowd asked "There a good book to learn game designer?!"... Ok... A book to learn game designer!? What do you thing game design is, a school math test where there a magic solution for everything!?
The answer is NO!!! There NO magic trick to become a great game designer...
To become a game designer first, you must read all kinds of books, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Marvel, books of biology is also a good too to!
Watch every movies and cartoon ever!
You can start with the recent successes and seek to understand what makes him a success, here is a good example... A great part of musical movies really, relly, really sux, them Disney did High School Musical, now THERE 3 MOVIES!!! WHOW! WAIT! TWO MOVIES FOR TV AND ONE TO CINEMA!? Ok, there something diferent here!
Another good example is LazyTown, ok, why LazyTown is so good?! Answer is, 100 countries and lots translations, lots of toys, DVDs and was nominated to one reward! Ok, who can say this is a bad serie?!
And Pokemon is the same as LazyTown...
About movieas, a few years ago was very hard to see a kid reading a book without pictures... Them BANG! Harry Potter was born!
About Lord of the Rings, Who plays Warcraft can see great similarities with LOTR! In my studio there all LOTR books with Marvel comics and many others, not just C++ and DX or OGL books...
And the history or biology books? Already played Pikimin or Medal of Honor?! ;)
Ok, how can become a great game designer?! Answer, open your mind!
Just to finish, comment the post, visit my blog and smell you later... ;)
themonkeytail.blogspot.com/
Ok, last month I'm was in Belo Horizont for SBGames (Something like a brazilian IGDC) watching a talk of Bertrand Chaverot from Ubisoft Brasil about game industry, and some guy in the crowd asked "There a good book to learn game designer?!"... Ok... A book to learn game designer!? What do you thing game design is, a school math test where there a magic solution for everything!?
The answer is NO!!! There NO magic trick to become a great game designer...
To become a game designer first, you must read all kinds of books, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Marvel, books of biology is also a good too to!
Watch every movies and cartoon ever!
You can start with the recent successes and seek to understand what makes him a success, here is a good example... A great part of musical movies really, relly, really sux, them Disney did High School Musical, now THERE 3 MOVIES!!! WHOW! WAIT! TWO MOVIES FOR TV AND ONE TO CINEMA!? Ok, there something diferent here!
Another good example is LazyTown, ok, why LazyTown is so good?! Answer is, 100 countries and lots translations, lots of toys, DVDs and was nominated to one reward! Ok, who can say this is a bad serie?!
And Pokemon is the same as LazyTown...
About movieas, a few years ago was very hard to see a kid reading a book without pictures... Them BANG! Harry Potter was born!
About Lord of the Rings, Who plays Warcraft can see great similarities with LOTR! In my studio there all LOTR books with Marvel comics and many others, not just C++ and DX or OGL books...
And the history or biology books? Already played Pikimin or Medal of Honor?! ;)
Ok, how can become a great game designer?! Answer, open your mind!
Just to finish, comment the post, visit my blog and smell you later... ;)
themonkeytail.blogspot.com/
About the author
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#2
Not sure about reading all of that "first", but you're right that it helps to have a knowledge across a wide variety of fields. Sometimes, you need to read a bit of psychology or philosophy to get your game designs translated into games that are fun.
Lazy Town characters scare me to death, and the guy in the show looks like he should be on an FBI wanted poster in the post office. But that's not a statement on the show's success ;)
11/26/2008 (12:47 pm)
Quote:To become a game designer first, you must read all kinds of books, Harry Potter, Lord of The Rings, Marvel, books of biology is also a good too to!
Not sure about reading all of that "first", but you're right that it helps to have a knowledge across a wide variety of fields. Sometimes, you need to read a bit of psychology or philosophy to get your game designs translated into games that are fun.
Quote:Another good example is LazyTown, ok, why LazyTown is so good?! Answer is, 100 countries and lots translations, lots of toys, DVDs and was nominated to one reward! Ok, who can say this is a bad serie?!
Lazy Town characters scare me to death, and the guy in the show looks like he should be on an FBI wanted poster in the post office. But that's not a statement on the show's success ;)
#3
Now has been corrected :)
Ted, you are right, that part of my post was disappeared xD
Psychology and philosophy is a great part in games today, a good example is Final Fantasy!
About LazyTown charactersm they scares me too... Hehehehe... :p
Michael, the idea of the post is just say, there no magic trick to become a game designer, you just need to open your mind to everything...
Like Miyamoto, when he was a kid he played in the caves near his home... Maybe it was the reference to Mario or Zelda...
11/26/2008 (1:03 pm)
Ok... Sorry everyone, something happened and half the post disappeared... -_-'Now has been corrected :)
Ted, you are right, that part of my post was disappeared xD
Psychology and philosophy is a great part in games today, a good example is Final Fantasy!
About LazyTown charactersm they scares me too... Hehehehe... :p
Michael, the idea of the post is just say, there no magic trick to become a game designer, you just need to open your mind to everything...
Like Miyamoto, when he was a kid he played in the caves near his home... Maybe it was the reference to Mario or Zelda...
#4
11/26/2008 (1:05 pm)
Lazy Town is like ugly people making out in public. No matter how hard it is to watch, you just... can't... look... away... 
#5
If you look at your wife and wonder how many Polygons it would take to re-model her.
You might be a Game Developer...
If you wonder who does Tammy Fay Bakers' Textures.
You might be a Game Developer...
If you walk from one room to another and say "Zoning"
You might be a Game Developer...
If the you think the steel plates in the roads of NYC could be blended more with the terrain.
You might be a Game Developer...
If you refer to your mother in-law as a "mob"
11/26/2008 (4:29 pm)
You might be a Game Designer...If you look at your wife and wonder how many Polygons it would take to re-model her.
You might be a Game Developer...
If you wonder who does Tammy Fay Bakers' Textures.
You might be a Game Developer...
If you walk from one room to another and say "Zoning"
You might be a Game Developer...
If the you think the steel plates in the roads of NYC could be blended more with the terrain.
You might be a Game Developer...
If you refer to your mother in-law as a "mob"
#6
So in summary, if you want to make games, especially as an indie. Geek it up and buy some pen and paper RPG books (preferrably from a few different companies so you get a better idea of how different system work). If you don't, you honestly should not call yourself a game developer nevermind a game designer.
11/26/2008 (9:01 pm)
IMHO one lost art of proper Game Design is playing pen and paper RPGs (computer RPGs do not count). While they may seem old school and antiquated, there is a ton of information that a person can pull from these books which will help you be a better game designer. Be a player, become a GM, think up small adventures, think up grand adventures, work withing an estiablished world and then create your own. All of this will is will give you very crucial skills with regards to designing a game.So in summary, if you want to make games, especially as an indie. Geek it up and buy some pen and paper RPG books (preferrably from a few different companies so you get a better idea of how different system work). If you don't, you honestly should not call yourself a game developer nevermind a game designer.
#7
Right, but this one gets close enough:
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Architecture-Design-Practices-Programming/dp/1576104257
I have it and I'm loving it. Seriously, don't know how I'd live till now without it.
BTW, estou no Rio de Janeiro.
EDIT: wish I went to SBGames this year. I read the ABRAGAMES newsletter, must have been awesome.
11/27/2008 (4:47 pm)
Quote:Ok... A book to learn game designer!? What do you thing game design is, a school math test where there a magic solution for everything!?
Right, but this one gets close enough:
http://www.amazon.com/Game-Architecture-Design-Practices-Programming/dp/1576104257
I have it and I'm loving it. Seriously, don't know how I'd live till now without it.
BTW, estou no Rio de Janeiro.
EDIT: wish I went to SBGames this year. I read the ABRAGAMES newsletter, must have been awesome.
#8
Is very good to develop your creativity!
Adib, the SB in BH was great, in Recife was better ;)
So... Next year (2009) SBGames will be in Rio!
To all game development comunity who don't know, SBGames is a growing up conference here in Brazil...
If you like to talk about games and visit Rio de Janeiro, here a invite ;)
wwwusers.rdc.puc-rio.br/sbgames/
Just a small note... Brian Wilson, your comment was awesome hahahaha!!! :D
11/27/2008 (6:29 pm)
Logan, old school games is a great choice too!Is very good to develop your creativity!
Adib, the SB in BH was great, in Recife was better ;)
So... Next year (2009) SBGames will be in Rio!
To all game development comunity who don't know, SBGames is a growing up conference here in Brazil...
If you like to talk about games and visit Rio de Janeiro, here a invite ;)
wwwusers.rdc.puc-rio.br/sbgames/
Just a small note... Brian Wilson, your comment was awesome hahahaha!!! :D
Community Manager Michael Perry
ZombieShortbus
Game Design is not a laid back, happy go lucky job. A good friend of mine landed a job as a lead game designer for an upcoming Wii title. I thought my job was tough...her work load was nuts and the crap she had to put up with was unbelievable.
Btw, Lazy Town Rocks!!!!!