Game development methodology

1. DESIGN METHODOLOGY FOR EDUCATIONAL
GAMES, BASED ON INTERACTIVE
SCREENPLAYS
Mahdi Esmailoghli
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2. –Conference : Cosecivi 2015, At Barcelona
“University of Granada, Spain”
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3. EVERY GAME HAS…
• High interactivity
• Fun
• Rules
• Competitive elements
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4. SERIOUS GAMES
• Additional to what
belongs to every game,
it is aimed to Training
(education, public policy,
health, communication,
…)
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5. ADVANTAGE OF VIDEO
GAMES
•Reduce reaction time
•Improve hand-eye coordination
•increase self-esteem
•Improve spacial conception
•Encourage interactive learning
•Motivate learning through challenges
•Improve social skills and basic math
•Articulate abstract thinking
•Improve Cognitive skills
•…
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6. While it’s possible to
develop games by general
software methodologies,
Writer’s interest lies in
Game-Specific
Methodologies
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7. GAME DEVELOPMENT
METHODOLOGIES PHASES
• Pre-Production
• Production
• Post-Production
(Based on the film’s life
cycle)
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8. Related Works
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9. 5M METHODOLOGY
•Method: Production steps.
•Milieu: All the elements involve the game production
•Manpower: The team of human actors
•Machine: Tools
•Materials: Documents, prototype models, executable
files, databases, …
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10. PADILLA-SEA MODELS
Every game is defined by series of models generated during
the design process.
•Educational content models
•Entertainment content models
•Models for the inter-relation between the educational and
entertainment content and user models for adaption
Emphasizes educational objective and play challenge.
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11. METHODOLOGY BASED ON
WESTERA LEVELS
•Concept level: Design
•Technical level: Architecture of the game and
tools
•Practical level: Structure of the game
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12. SUM METHODOLOGY
• An agile methodology for
game development that
adapts the scrum
structure and roles.
• Suitable for projects less
than one year.
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13. •Roles:
•Development team
•Internal producer
•Customer
•Beta tester
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14. •Life-Cycle:
•Incremental & Iterative
•Exception: Risk management (During the
whole project)
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15. ONTOLOGICAL
METHODOLOGY
Working on different views
with the same information
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16. ONTOLOGICAL
METHODOLOGY
Focuses on the uniqueness of the multidisciplinary team
Methodology proposes the ontology basis for
communication.
Designers: Just responsible for describing the characters,
objects, functions and status of play
Programmers: refine the technical details and objectives
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17. A NEW METHODOLOGY BASED ON
INTERACTIVE SCREENPLAYS
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18. Core of the system is
Narrative.
Other parts will be added
progressively.
Bottom-up strategy
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19. 19

20. PRE-PHASES Pre-1
Design of the educational
challenges
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21. DESIGN OF THE EDUCATIONAL
CHALLENGES
•A team of teachers and educators(can include
parents).
•Determines the competences and specific
educational objectives that the game will address.
•It is considered to be more than knowledge and
skills.
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22. •For Example 8 skills are defined for the Spanish educational system:
✤Linguistic communicative competence
✤Mathematical competence
✤Knowledge of and interaction with the physical world
✤Data processing and digital competence
✤learning to learn
✤Social and civic competence
✤Autonomy and personal initiative
✤Cultural and artistic competence
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23. PRE-PHASES
Pre-2
Design of the type of game
(Before designing story
and challenges)
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24. •Determine features like:
✤Gender
✤Avatar control
✤Platform
✤Future users
✤Narrative level
✤Area of application
✤Interactivity
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25. •Determine the video game genre:
✤Action
✤Adventure
✤Fight
✤Logic
✤Simulation
✤Sport
✤Strategy
✤…
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26. •Age recommended
•Narrative:
✤No narrative
✤Elementary narrative
✤Basic narrative
✤Full narrative
✤Complex narrative
✤Narrative is everything
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27. •Third or first avatar control
•The way that players interact with the
game
•2D or 3D
•Recommended group(e.g. Primary Pupils)
•…
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28. PRE-PHASES
Pre-3
Initial design of the story
and main characters
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29. •For having an overall view of game
•An abstract story design should be drawn
up
•Main characters are chosen(could be
enhanced with graphical sketches)
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30. CHAPTER
DESIGN
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31. •Chapter: The item of the highest level that is used to organize the
story and facilitate content integration.
•Each game should be comprise at least one chapter, although
there are usually several.
•Chapter flowchart shows transition and order of chapters
•It is better to have different educational objectives for each chapter
•Every chapter should be chosen in a way that can be provided an
abbreviated name like:
✤Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting
with the Mentor, Crossing the First Threshold, Tests, Allies and
Enemies, Approach to the Inmost Cave, The Ordeal, Reward,
The Road Back, Resurrection and Return with the Elixir.
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32. SCENE
DESIGN32

33. •Each chapter is split into scenes
•each scene comprises the chapter story line
•The number and order of scenes in a chapter
can be specified using a scene flowchart
•they’re described by a name and a brief
summary
•The items come next should be specified:
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34. DESIGN OF THE SCENARIO
• The scenario of the scene should be described and
identified with an ID
•Scenario definition includes both static and dynamic
part:
✤Static: Environment (e.g. room, lake, …) and the
objects to be found there(e.g. table, chart, wall,
weapon, …)
✤Dynamic: Object interactivity in the scene
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35. DESIGN OF THE
CHARACTERS
• It is necessary to describe characters in
detail(appearance and personality)
• At first iterations it’s physically characteristics
• Graphical sketches in successive iterations
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36. DESIGN OF THE DIALOGUES
AND PLAY CHALLENGES
• A flowchart can be exist to show the actions and/or dialogues that
contains different orders of them
• Each action/dialogue must be defined
• In first iteration dialogues and challenges are defined in a couple
of words but at a later stage have to be completed
• Gradually in each iterative add alternatives
• At the end of this phase game mechanics and score should be
clear
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37. IDENTIFICATION
AND LABELING
OF
EDUCATIONAL
CHALLENGES
AND
ASSESSMENT
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38. • In this phase we should specify which
dialogue poses an educational challenge
• And also should indicate with dialogue,
step or challenge is the solution to the
educational challenge
• Then evaluation rule should be define
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39. IDENTIFICATION
AND
LABELING
OF
EMOTIONS
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40. • marking the parts of the dialogue or the
steps of an action that aim to evoke a
particular emotional reaction
• Based on another papers
• Use them to analyzing the situation of
the player
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41. ADAPTION
DESIGN
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42. • Determining whether the game is capable of
adapting player’s capabilities and characteristics
• define what attribute should be customizable in the
game for the user(e.g. educational challenges,
Interaction mode, narrative, evaluation rule, …)
• based on the properties(e.g. players’ knowledge,
taste and preferences, device resolution, physical
context, …)
• How
• When
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43. COLLABORATION
DESIGN
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44. • it is necessary to mark the actions (play
challenges) or steps within the actions
that must or can (as determined) be
performed in groups.
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45. Thank You
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