218 - Elegant Game Design

Developer diaries about creating Neverending Nightmares.
Post Reply
User avatar
matt
Posts: 2316
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:48 am

218 - Elegant Game Design

Post by matt »

In this developer diary, I talk about my theory of elegant game design and give examples from games as to what systems I find elegant.

-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
User avatar
evilkinggumby
Posts: 297
Joined: Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:41 pm

Re: 218 - Elegant Game Design

Post by evilkinggumby »

ya know.. I'd actually like a re do on this one.. or a part 2 where you elaborate with more examples. In this video you explain what you mean by the term, and then talk like a fanboy about Halo for a while(some of it about design, some just general gushing like you only recently rediscovered a beloved old toy), then talk about NeN's design a bit but I don't feel like you have really given enough examples for elegant game design. I mean yeah Halo is a great series (i am told, never played them) but it sounds like the reason it is elegant is due to distilling the varied FPS concepts that prevailed before it into what it is now. ANd when you look at modern shooters that followed up with the rules of halo, that distillation goes even finer I'd think, to the very core necessary aspects of the game.

Are there any horror games with elegant design that you can cite and explain? or even alternate games like platformer games or adventure or.well.. whatever? I guess I just think this concept still feels a bit undefined and is a larger discussion than what you gave thus far. :)

I am left with questions about the term and how you define it. DOes it apply just to gameplay aspects? are there elegant game designs in regards to GUI and interface? graphics? sound? Can a game have elegant gameplay design but terrible thematic or plot design? Does elegant game design hinge on every aspect of a game or just the core gameplay elements?
Image
[I am Evilkinggumby on DeviantArt and Steam if you want to looks me up!]
User avatar
matt
Posts: 2316
Joined: Fri Oct 04, 2013 10:48 am

Re: 218 - Elegant Game Design

Post by matt »

I'm not a Halo fanboy at all. I think they did a good job with aspects of the design. I actually gave up on Halo like halfway through the original campaign before I started it over many years later with my wife. The earlier games had a lot of cut and paste levels, which makes navigation confusing and things repetitive. I think the core gameplay loop is really tight, but that is just my opinion, and I'm not sure I can justify that. Perhaps if I spent more time thinking about it, I could but I'm not sure how beneficial it would be since a lot has been written about the good parts of the Halo series.

I guess I was trying to say that elegant game design is when you focus on core elements of the gameplay mechanics rather than distracting it with extraneous gameplay elements. I think it only applies to the game design aspect - at least what I'm trying to talk about, which isn't to say the same things can't apply.

I can think of a few examples of the good and bad.
Good:
Super Mario Bros - pretty much every one of them (although I would argue Sunshine was less elegant). They do a deep dive of platforming gameplay mechanics.
Rayman Origins - again, a deep dive of a few platforming mechanics. I would argue Rayman Legends was not because they had the terrible WiiU centric Murray stuff.
Amnesia - Out of horror games, I think it is probably the most elegant.
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - I'd say it's pretty elegant although the ice/chase sections were pretty bad.
Gears of War - While I may not be a Halo fanboy, I'd accept being called a Gears fanboy. I really really love Gears. It's my very favorite game series.
Panzer Dragoon - I'm totally a Panzer Dragoon fanboy. I'd say 1 and Zwei are elegant. I love Orta, but I'm not sure the multiple dragon forms was strictly necessary.
Alien: Isolation - I wasn't quite sure where to put this because I think it would have been more elegant had they stripped out the crafting (and some of the stupid robot encounters), but I think it was overall an elegant game without extraneous mechanics. I didn't love the game, but I still think it was pretty elegant.
Ico - I think this is an extreme example since it is technically minimal game design (as described by its creator), and I think my theory is similar, but not quite as strong. The creator said if there wasn't a reason for a chair in a room, that they would remove it. Ico has a VERY barren castle, but I think the game mechanics is really elegant. Shadow of the Colossus is also very elegant.

Bad:
The Evil WIthin - Playing this in contrast to Halo is what made me think of it. The Evil Within has a ton of mechanics - shooting, stealth, RPG elements, etc, but none are particularly polished and contribute to the horror. I guess I am holding it to a bit of a different standard because I have certain expectations for horror, but I think it could use some elements striped out and the design streamlined.
Ratchet & Clank - I LOVE the series (and was fortunate enough to work on it), but there are quite a few legacy mechanics that are barely used that could be stripped out. (Wrench throwing?) I'm not sure how the loot/RPG mechanics fit in with my elegant theory, but perhaps removing some elements might make Ratchet and Clank elegant. Either way, I love the series (although if I'm being honest, the PS3 ones kind of seemed like they were retreads)
A lot of RPGs - so much useless loot and equipment! I like some RPGs, but I think many could be streamlined.
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
Post Reply