As we start to come to our journey’s end, we have covered lots of aspects within game design that will help us use our time effectively while also considering what makes a game, well, a game. This has come from analyzing previous and well-known video games and identifying aspects that have been effective at either making them immersive or fun and what we could do to make them better or what would fit into our ideas.

But what are some final tips and advice before you begin or develop further within your design journey? While there are things that we do that work best for us and the way we work, there are some key mistakes that are common within the game design world that we will explore together.

Giving the player a break – Give the player time to relieve from intense moments in the game. This could be after a boss battle or an intense action scene that required skill and concentration. I always find that after moments like that, I need to take a breather to review my inventory and how many items I have left after that action sequence and sometimes listen to any interactions the protagonist has with any side characters about where the story will take the player next. Try not to let the player feel any burnout from moving into one battle to another. Action and intense moments should have peaks and troughs. During those troughs, the player should be able to explore the world around them for any missing collectibles or complete any side quests (if they appear in your game). I call this the “Smell the Grass” effect. This should be the period where the player can take in the world around them and take note on what they need to do next. During the peaks, this should be where the action or any combat takes place.

Testing the project – It might seem like a no-brainer, but what is the point of making a game if you don’t test it during the development phase? With any practical development you make, whether it be a mechanic being implemented, edits to the environment, or sound effects generated, everything must be tested. This is where QA testing takes place to ensure that the game is working smoothly. During this period, the game will need to be tested to its limits to see if everything works and has been implemented correctly. The Assassin’s Creed series have always been remarkably popular with their historic stories and their stealth mechanics. But one game in the series has been branded as one of the weaker ones, Assassin’s Creed: Unity. The reason for this was character models were not rendering properly in-game; the player was falling through the floor and was plagued with bugs and glitches. And this was due to one important thing: a lack of testing! Due to this, players ridiculed the game and refused to play it as it was “unplayable.” The game has since been updated and all glitches have been amended, and it is in the state it should have been from launch day. But players are quick to remember that a lack of testing and attention to detail was to blame for the game’s downfall.

Testing isn’t just for the developers to see if aspects of a game work, it is also used as part of marketing. Some big-name franchises such as Call of Duty have open beta testing for customers who preorder the latest title. This allows players to review the game before release and for players to decide if they wish to commit to purchasing the game. During which, players can also provide feedback online on what they thought of the title which the developers can use before the final release. This large-scale beta testing is seen more with triple A titles, but beta testing is also used with some indie games. While testing is advertised online to help with marketing for an upcoming release, the perfect place to gather feedback on a game is at video game exhibitions. One of the largest expos in the world that you might be familiar with is E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo ). Hosted in Los Angeles, this expo acts as the main stage for companies such as Sony, Microsoft, Bethesda, Nintendo, and many more giants within the industry. But it also plays home to smaller companies that wish to gather feedback on their projects. If you ever find yourself in a position to exhibit a project, try looking at some other expos such as EuroGamer Expo (EGX) , Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) , or Games Con. All offer developers a chance to share their work and the perfect place to network with others in the industry. Always be willing to share your work with others, you never know the feedback you might get!

Being too ambitious – Something I see on a yearly basis is when new developers begin designing a project that is near to the scale of The Legend of Zelda or another large game that they know and love. But they never understand, at first, the amount of time and skill that is needed to make a large-scale project for their first game.

Of course, it is great to be ambitious and aim high, but you also need to think about the realistic expectations of yourself and your team (if you are working in a team). Make sure that you play off your and your team’s strengths. Also, chat with them to find out their skills and what they are capable of (you would typically ask this when you first work with someone new and see what their skills are). Always remember, you need to walk before you can run. And once you are running, then you can start to think about making larger projects!

Communication – Just as important as knowing and understanding games, having the equipment and the basic skills to make a game is to have good communication skills. If you don’t talk to developers, your team, or a publisher, then how will you make or release your game? If you fail to speak to your team about development, then the game plan will fail. If you fail to speak to your publisher about details on the game, then the game will never be released. Notice a common word there? Fail! Failure to communicate will lead to failure within your game and your team. I have seen this core element fail many times and all because team members are not sharing their ideas or speaking to their team.

I was once overseeing a project where there were two artists creating artwork for a game. But both had ended up creating artwork for the same part of the game. And this was due to them not communicating and not having a clear plan on who is creating what. A decision couldn’t be made on which design to use for the game. And you can probably imagine the difficult chat was made there! But this could have been avoided if they had been chatting to each other about responsibilities and task lists. You can use different methods to keep track of progress but also communication within a team.

Playing games – It might seem another no-brainer, but playing games for research is important to understand other genres and mechanics within a game. As I mentioned previously in this book, being able to play other genres outside of your comfort zone is the best way to understand how other games are made and what they feel like. For example, if someone plays more action/adventure games and little horror, they will need to explore more games such as Outlast, Dead Space, Resident Evil, and Alien: Isolation to get a better understanding of their themes before they can begin to create a horror game of their own. Another useful method to use is to review previous feedback from other players but also from the press. Having a range of opinions from different players and reviewers will help identify what audiences have enjoyed and what could have been better. There is no better place to get advice and feedback than from experience!

Rewards – Is there a point to doing something if there is no reward or pat on the back for completing a task? Some people might get a sense of achievement for completing a task, but others would like to see a reward for overcoming a challenge.

As a reiteration of a previous topic we have covered, rewarding the player for overcoming a challenge or reaching a certain point in a game will help them continue with playing. You need to entice the player to continue their journey by rewarding them with customization items or weapons that will help them on their journey. If they have been able to defeat a flaming boss in the pits of a volcano, reward them with a flaming sword that can set their enemies on fire. Make them feel like the boss they have just defeated! During gym battles in the Pokémon series , the gym leader will always use a powerful move against your team. Once you have defeated the gym leader, you are rewarded with that powerful move that you can use for your team.

The player should feel a sense of empowerment as they progress through the game. As they venture into difficult territory, the player should feel that they are skilled and a good match for whatever they face. If your game has a shop or marketplace where the player can purchase or upgrade gear with in-game currency, have certain items unlocked once they have reached a certain point in the game, or they have completed a collection challenge. Once the player has unlocked some awesome-looking armor that will help them in their quest, they should walk away from that shop feeling awesome and ready for anything. There’s that sense of empowerment!

Gameplay before story – Do pictures come before the writing of the story? Or are they formed as the story develops? This is just like implementing a story into a game, but the gameplay must come first.

When designing a game, the story will be decided at the start during the design phase with the mechanics, characters, weapons, etc. (refer back to Chapter 1 for the creation of a GDD!), but when it comes to developing a prototype and preparing a project, the story must come afterward. The reason for this is that you need to start creating something that the player can experience and, more importantly, play. Design elements such as the story, sound, and menus will have their moment during the playthrough and in the development stage.

Another reason for this is that you were to attend an expo or a pitch, the audience will want to experience something to play. If a player has queued for hours to play your game at an expo, you know they will have been waiting to play something, and the story will come second to them while they are experiencing the demo.

In some cases, I have overseen some projects where the designers will come up with a detailed story with side quests, a plethora of characters, and multiple endings, but ran out of time to bring any of this to life. Balance your time wisely and ensure that you have something playable before you begin adding in your story.

Stick to your plans – When pitching and designing your game, you will create a GDD that will outline everything you wish to make for your game. But there are those that have a habit of changing plans during development which change the course of the game. While plans can change slightly, make sure that nothing changes completely. If there are features that you wish to add to the game, try adding them in but avoid affecting the player’s overall experience.

Scraping projects and commitment – Similar to the previous tip, make sure that you are showing commitment with the project you are working on. Whether you are working solo or with a team, you need to ensure that you are sticking with the original idea and seeing it through to the end. If you and your team are excited about the project you are making, then you will do well with designing it.

The other scenario that I have seen is when a team scraps a project mid-development. This isn’t something alien to happen in the industry, and it could have happened for a few different reasons, lack of money or team, time constraints, or the game hasn’t been well received during test plays. But if you ever find yourself scrapping or taking a break from a project that you are working on, always keep it as you may return to it in the future.

Seeking help – Something I have seen on many occasions within game development is when someone or a team feels that they can achieve their goals without following advice from others. Please do not do this! If someone reviews your work or provides you with some advice, there is a good chance that they are right and will only make your project even better.

I had been overseeing a game project where a developer had been working on their own and juggling all of the roles that a team would have. After many conversations about managing their time and taking on a large amount of work for themselves, I advised them to seek some help from an artist to assist with their workload. Unfortunately, this developer stuck to their guns and wanted to create this game entirely on their own. While some developers want to do this (and this isn’t a problem!), they struggled to complete their work on time and missed their deadline. It was a shame as their idea was starting to take form and looked like it could have been a very strong and fun project to play. But if they had taken the advice and sought help, things might have ended up differently.

Just be sure that if you ever find yourself struggling with something, be sure to seek help from those around you. There is never a problem with asking for help!

Do not rush your plans – There is nothing worse than to play a game that has been rushed . Showing a close attention to detail will not only show that your game has been made carefully and with care but also shows that you take your time with your efforts and want to show pride in the work you create. I have seen many rushed projects that end up missing crucial elements of the game, and they fail to test their final product, which in turn leads to an unplayable game. Take your time with anything you create and show a close attention to detail. You will forever be grateful to yourself for the extra time and effort you put into your work when someone loves what they see or play!