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“Form follows function” - Louis Sullivan “Easy to learn and hard to master” - Nolan Bushnell
In this section, we will introduce the a well-known design approach in the game industry - Rational Game Design. This approach is a strong design tool, especially for games that have multiple gameplay systems. It has been implemented in most of the triple-A projects in Ubisoft including the Assassin’s Creed Series, Watch Dogs, Skull and Bones, and so on. However, we still need to keep in mind that the design approach does not workable for all the game genres. For those games that have a strong linear narrative genre or a simple input system, this approach may not apply.
The rational game design approach provides guidelines and steps for creating games without hindering game designers' creativity. It provides better control of the game structure and avoids or early corrects game design mistakes. The most important concept in the approach is that it specified game design into three directions to test players’ skills: physical, social, and mental.
Example of Stealth Gameplay System in Assassin’s Creed: Origins
Once you created the game system, you need to make the prototype interactive through some physical inputs. Character, Controls, and Cameras construct the core interactions of the game experience, how you feel when in control of the game, and how you interact with its basic core mechanics. All of this is also related to accessibility and ergonomics.
Since the 3Cs are the cornerstone of the game experience, they are important to set up the tone. A camera, its field of view, and how space is occupied by the avatar, express an intention. Whether the video game genre is a survival-horror or a platform game, the framing of the camera, and the avatar’s locomotion tell something about the characters embodied by players. A fixed camera with a framing that locks the character in is a way to express claustrophobia or powerlessness in a tense situation. Conversely, a wide frame and a free camera could express a sense of freedom and plenitude. The 3Cs set the tone of a video game as much as Art Direction, Sound, or Narration
Even so, the 3Cs are important to express intentions and emotions, they can be an obstacle when they are not designed for everybody. This is why 3Cs are part of accessibility in video games. Making a video game accessible to players means to think 3Cs in terms of accessibility and services as well. In other words, it is thinking about what can be done to make players’ experiences comfortable and simple to use. Services such as aim assistance, and the confluence between the camera and controller, benefit every player. Accessibility means also a consistent experience to make the best decisions while playing and anticipate the reactions to the game. For example, having an automatic camera orientation in specific contexts can help all players in their experience and their agency in the game.
💡At the prototyping stage, ignore the form, and focus on the function.