<aside> ⚠️ As a solo project as part of my bachelor thesis, this wiki cannot yet be considered comprehensive. Instead, it currently features an initial set of tools resulting from my research as a proof of concept, with more to follow after an initial evaluation by a selected test group. As a prototype, the visual layout is not considered final, but was second to the content of the pages.
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This is a wiki developing a collection of game design tools that have been created by various designers and academics. It aims to bridge the gap between game design academia and practitioners by presenting the functionality, use cases and limitations of said tools to practitioners, thus showcasing the potential of design (as opposed to production) tools and encouraging their application.
A game design tool is "a software-based or conceptual tool, the primary function of which is to support game designers in design thinking" (Neil, 2015, p. 52). A design tool must also be "'formal', implying precise definition and the ability to explain it to someone else", and "'abstract,' to emphasize the focus on underlying ideas, not specific genre constructs" (Church, 1999, p. 2).
At the present day, tools and techniques used by game designers are largely focussed or relying on the process of production, and as such, suboptimal in the support to the design process itself. Design documentation, prototyping, and user testing are dependent on the efforts, costs, and risks of prototypes, limiting innovation and creativity. (Neil, 2015)
Sophisticated game design tools provide designers with additional options or even alternatives to the more "heuristic, user research-based, brute force approach" afforded by contemporary design practices (Neil, 2015, p. 25). Thus, this wiki contains the vocabulary of Game Design Patterns, a brainstorming and inspirational aid in A Deck of Lenses, but also visual notation frameworks such as Machinations.
This lack of dedicated tools for the practice of game design has been criticized as early as the last century (Church, 1999). Since then, game designers and researchers have called for and subsequently developed design tools, though none of these has been documented to rise to regular use within the industry. While it stands to reason whether this is the result of a lacking demand for or the poor quality of such tools, the absence of large-scale evaluation of tools by industry professionals, as well as the documentation of tools being mostly restricted to academic papers appear as more obvious causes.
For feedback, critique and suggestions, feel free to send an email to Moritz Renzikowski: [email protected]
Church, D. (1999, July 16). Formal abstract design tools. Gamasutra. https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131764/formal_abstract_design_tools.php
Neil, K. (2015). Game design tools: Can they improve game design practice? [Doctoral dissertation, Conservatoire national des arts et metiers – CNAM; Flinders University of South Australia]. TEL. https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01344638
Almeida, M. S. O., & da Silva, F. S. C. (2013). A systematic review of game design methods and tools. In J. C. Anacleto, E. W. G. Clua, F. S. C. da Silva, S. Fels, & H. S. Yang (Eds.), Lecture notes in computer science: Vol. 8215. Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2013 (pp. 17–29). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41106-9_3
Dormans, J., & Holopainen, J. (2017). Investigating game design methods and models. In P. Lankoski, & J. Holopainen (Eds.), Game design research: An introduction to theory & practice (pp. 75–95). Carnegie Mellon University: ETC Press. https://doi.org/10.1184/R1/6686750.v1