Jesse Schell (2009) The Art of Games Design: A Book of Lenses

Over the next few years at UCS, Computer Game Design students will be encouraged to increase their knowledge about games design by reading various articles and text books about the subject. The first reading that we were assigned was an excerpt from Jesse Schell's The Art of Games Design: A Book of Lenses. We were asked the question:

"What advice does Schell offer to the would be games designer?"

The first thing Schell says is to "Design games. Start now!". This is simple but very useful advice: designing a computer game involves many different processes and a lot of intricate software. It is important to get as familiar as possible with them, as it would be no use having great ideas, but not be able to actually bring them to life, due to being shaky with the programs needed to design/make a game. Moreover, the more you practise designing games, the better you will become at it, regardless of which medium you use (pencils, paints/watercolours, Photoshop, flash etc).

Schell also says that you need to convince yourself "I am a game designer", even if you don't really feel like one yet. It is important to build your confidence as a designer, because as you work your way into the game design industry, you will often be pitching your ideas to other people: if you don't believe in yourself, then other people are not likely to either. There will almost certainly be times where your ideas aren't accepted, or the client has demanded drastic changes from what you had originally envisioned, but don't lose heart, it is all part of the learning experience - different clients will want different things for their product, and it is vital to learn to be adaptable. This also links in to Schell's next piece of advice, that listening is the most important skill.

Within the game design industry, listening can be grouped into five categories:

Team:

It takes a team to make a game, it is very rare that one person will make a game alone. As a team you will have a larger range of skill than you would alone, and it is important to listen to your team, because you will be building your game and making crucial decisions together.

Audience:

The audience will ultimately be the ones buying your game, so you need to listen to them, and give them a game that they will truly enjoy.

Game:

You need to get to know your game inside and out, and be able to recognise and fix any bugs or other problems that the game may have, so that the audience's enjoyment of the game is not lessened unnecessarily.

Client:

The client is the one who will be paying you to design the game, and if you don't listen to their requirements, then there are many other designers that they can go to. This is especially important for people that are just starting out in the game design industry, as they have not yet had a chance to build up a good reputation and get their name known.

Self:

It is thought of as the most important of kind of listening, and as Schell says,"if you can master it, however, it will be one of your most powerful tools, and the secret behind your tremendous creativity".

Finally, Schell goes on to talk about being gifted. Schell says that being naturally gifted at something is only of minor importance, and says "The major gift is the love of the work". Because if you love the work, it will show in the games you make, and "infuse your work with an indescribable glow that only comes from the love of doing it".