As Vice President of a student game development club, I’ve seen a lot of games that feel unfocused. Games that are crowded with different aspects fighting each other for the player’s attention. Or games that are too vague, giving the player large barren levels that ask a player to endlessly repeat a shallow, monotonous game mechanic.This occurs in non-student games as well. There are plenty of casual and AAA games I’ve seen that are plagued with the same problem. But don’t worry, I know exactly what caused it.

There is a moment in the design process that does not get enough attention. It lies between the brainstorming and the prototyping and it gets forgotten in the excitement of starting on a new, amazing project. The design team is coming down from the high of  everything the game could be, and they inevitably lose sight of what the game is. This propagates through the process and ends up in the final product. But fret not, I have a solution, and rejoice, for it doesn’t take a lot of time, just some focused attention! I hope you payed attention in third grade English, cause we’re going to write a sentence.

By condensing your entire game into one sentence, you are forced to look at the core of your game.

For example, what game is this: The Player jumps to save the princess!
Answer: Super Mario Brothers

It may seem easy, but the more attention and thought given to the sentence, the better. Let’s break down the process.

The above example tells everything that’s fun about the game: the simple action of platforming with a single obtainable goal. Everything else in the game all comes back to reinforce the core sentence. The best way I have found craft the sentence is in parts. Let’s Start with the core of an English sentence (remember, this is focused on gameplay):

(Subject) (Verb)

Now, what is the subject of your game? This is the focus of your game and every aspect of the game must relate back to this one noun, so what do you choose? Trick question! The subject is always the same: The Player. Every game created is made for the player. The player experiences the game, and the entirety of the game is to craft that experience for the player. Now,  Let’s start again with our subject in place.

The Player (Verb)

Next is the verb. It represents what the player will do in your game. This is the entirety of your gameplay rendered down to one word. You’ll want to take some time on this one, because diction is key. Leaping opposed to jumping carries much different weight even though they are synonyms. Make a list of potential verbs and utilize dictionaries and thesauruses to their fullest. Now, you’re going to be tempted to put in several verbs here, but pick the one that really is the centerpiece of your game.

Some verbs will require an object to be grammatically correct such as “discover” or “venture”. I would try to avoid these. However, if the verb is necessary, I say go ahead and use it. You can put in object in or just ignore the rules of grammar and leave the object out, just as long as it describes the player’s action. For example: “taking cover”.

From here, we add details. Just remember, only keep the details that are completely necessary. Here are some ways to add this detail.

The Player (adverb) (verb)

You can utilize an adverb to help describe the player’s experience. The player cautiously jumps is much different then the player frantically jumps. Does The Player regularly jump, or hysterically jump, or joyously jump, or stylishly jump? Remember, diction is key throughout this entire process. The better the word fits, the more you can focus on your target experience. Keep in mind that some words are too common and carry too broad of a meaning. The Player quickly jumping is not as good as The Player hastily jumping. Try to find better alternatives to these words, if possible.

The Player (verb) and (verb)

Multiple verbs seems like a easy addition, but I suggest avoiding it if you can. However, larger games, most notably AAA level games, tend to focus on several core game mechanics. A good example is Uncharted. The Player shoots and climbs. Both shooting and climbing get their moments and even come together at times, but the game is large enough to fit both. Sure, you can have a verb like “explore” that captures both verbs, but verbs such as that are just as vague unless you add additional detail, such as:

The Player (verb) (preposition)

For our sentence, prepositions can be used to describe where, why, and how things are happening in your game. I’m going to go through these more briefly because I am still exploring these.  Here are a few ways I have found to use them.

by (infinitive):

• An infinitive is a noun form of a verb
• Used to go into the details of the main verb.
• Uncharted: The Player explores by shooting and climbing
• Gears of War: The Player fights by taking cover and shooting.

to (verb) (optional noun):

• Helps direct the player, giving context to the goal
• Can be gameplay oriented or conflict oriented
• Gameplay: “to reach the end of the level”
• Conflict: “to save the princess”, “to defeat the Koopa leader”

in/on (noun)

• Gives details to the setting.
• You are not describing the the whole setting, just a general feel.
• Can also help describe gameplay if setting is relevant to gameplay (such as in Infamous)
• Bioshock: “in an underwater distopia”
• Infamous: “on top of skyscrapers”

Once the sentence is written, I suggest putting it somewhere prime such as on a whiteboard or at the top of the GDD. Later down the line when you are discussing if or how something should be implemented, you can relate it back to your sentence and ask yourself “Does this feature help that experience?”. If no, scrap it or rework it.

Another option is to make several sentences, each increasing in complexity. When deciding something, start with the most complex and work up back to the core. Depending on which sentence you stop on will show you how relevant a feature is. Here is an example using Super Mario Bros:

• The Player jumps
• The Player runs and jumps
• The Player runs and jumps to save the princess
• The Player runs and jumps on goombas to save the princess
• The Player runs and jumps on platforms and goombas to save the princess
• The Player quickly runs and jumps on platforms and goombas to save the princess
• The Player quickly runs and jumps on platforms and enemies to finish each level and save the Princess. Coins are involved too.

Just remember, what isn’t in your sentence says just as much as what is. If a main draw of your game is story, add some detail about story to your sentence, but don’t go equally in depth into setting or secondary verbs. Also, this sentence is direction, not the entirety of the game. It uis not a place for details, and just because the details aren’t in the sentence doesn’t mean they won’t make it into the game.

But, above all else, the sentence is about Gameplay.

Jordan Ajlouni
aka RobotAdventure