by Steven Bai
Games are intricate constructs designed to entertain and engage. They present us with tasks and achievements that straddle the line between fun and compelling work. While games are enjoyable, they're also work in the sense of the effort players invest. This delightful and immersive exploration of new realms offers both a distraction from our reality and an inspiration drawn from virtual worlds. In game design, the objective extends beyond mere task completion; there's a need to craft a narrative of progression that, despite challenges and frustrations, culminates in joy and satisfaction.
A critical dimension of game development is aesthetics—encompassing not just stunning visuals but also sound, interactive dynamics, and emotional resonance. While debates on whether games qualify as art persist, some games undeniably feel magical, capturing unique worlds, times, or emotions exclusive to the gaming experience. These games elevate players, allowing them to glimpse profound truths or experience a higher calling.
Game developers need to build in the roadmap of experiences that they want players to experience as they play the game . Like a conductor of an orchestra, the game designer uses the game story elements to manipulate players to engage, learn and progress in order to complete the game with a sense of accomplishment.
When urban planners and architects construct spaces and structures, they prioritize functionality, resilience, and, when budget and time permit, aesthetics. Fundamentally, these designs serve specific purposes.
However, integrating game design principles means going beyond functionality and aesthetics. There's a newfound emphasis on engagement, interaction, and user experience throughout repeated encounters. Game designers account for user learning and adaptation, as well as the system's evolution and upgrades to align with the growing and changing user base. These designs are meant to evolve alongside their users, cultivating mastery while consistently introducing new challenges and intrigues.
Historically, elements of urban planning were static, catering to a single function until they were either replaced or retrofitted. Now, signs, surfaces, and even entire structures can dynamically display information. The proliferation of sensors, cameras, and microphones enables data collection, which can then be relayed to centralized hubs or disseminated among other nodes and even directly to citizens. This transforms the urban space into a responsive ecosystem.
Approaching city planning with a game designer's mindset means perceiving urban structures and surfaces as not only interactive but also as adaptive entities capable of fostering relationships with its inhabitants.
We love games because they stimulate us and give us joy, now we can make cities and the urban experience even more inspiring and alive.