Level 6 Introduction & Readings

LEVEL 6: DECISION-MAKING AND FLOW THEORY

Level 6 is exciting because it gets into the essence of game design! In Level 6 we discuss decision-making and flow theory. This is a popular topic to discuss because it is the interactivity between players and systems that sets games apart from most other traditional media. This is where the magic of play happens (especially if you add fun into the mix, which we discuss in Level 7). As a systems designer, this strikes at the heart of what is dealt with when making a game.

Readings

• Challenges for Game Designers Links to an external site., Chapters 5 (Elements of Chance) and 6 (Elements of "Strategic" Skill)
  These chapters will cover topics on chance and strategic skill.
  
  
• A Theory of Fun for Game Design Links to an external site., Chapters 1, 2 and 3 (Why Write This Book / How the Brain Works / What Games Are)
  If you chose to acquire this book, someone suggested reading only the cartoons on each page first, then going back and reading the text afterward.
  
  
• Building a Princess Saving App Links to an external site. (PDF), by Dan Cook
  This article is actually written for an audience of interaction designers to explain what productivity applications can learn from games. In the process, though, it also happens to touch on some core concepts of game design and the nature of “fun” which is one of the topics we discuss.

• Extra Credits S1 E23 Choice and Conflict
  Extra Credits discusses choices, including obvious (calculations) choices and tradeoffs (incomparables).  He also warns that bad design can make meaningful, incomparable choices into obvious choices. 

• Extra Credits S1 E25 Non-Combat Gaming
  Video games are laden with combat.  In tabletop games, including paper RPGs, except for Eurogames, most games are about combat.

Additional Resources

For additional readings on these topics, click HERE. It is a list of resources that is student generated and regularly updated.