STEP 4: Analyze Your Design

STEP 4: Analyze Your Design

Okay, so you have tested, tested and re-tested your game. You have received feedback from other game designers and non-game designers. Now it's time to analyze your feedback and fin tune your game design before submitting your final design project.

Consider the following questions:

  • What were the game’s apparent design goals? Did it succeed at those goals? Why or why not?
  • What were the mechanics?
  • What was the play experience?
  • What is the relationship between the mechanics and play experience?
  • Did you find any strategies that were exploitable?
  • Did the game seem well-balanced?
  • What kinds of interesting decisions (and uninteresting ones) were made throughout the game?
  • What do you feel was the core of the game?
  • What changes were recommended and why?
  • What rules should you change and what would they change to?
  • Would you change any game objects or values?
  • Re-visit your user interface. What kinds of components or player aids would make it easier for players to remember?
    • For each component, a detailed description of what you are planning to use. If you have, say, “one pawn to represent each player”, how many pawns are included? What colors will they be? What shapes? Will they be made of metal, plastic, wood, or something else?
    • If there are cards, describe a sample card. What information will be displayed on each card? Will the card be oriented as “portrait” or “landscape”? How will the information be laid out – where on the card will each item go? How will it be displayed – what colors, shapes, and keywords do you plan to use (if any)? If there are several kinds of cards, do this for each.
    • If there is a board, describe the layout of the board. As with cards, consider what information will be displayed on the board, how it is laid out, and how it is displayed.
    • If there are other components, give similar information to that listed here.

This list of questions are mainly for your own reference. The purpose is to make it as easy as possible for you to assemble your final game.

Finally, once you have analyzed and tuned your game, create a final version of your game design using the best-quality components you can find. When you are done, submit your game design for peer review.