Game Design
Game design is a relatively new form of design, as the popularity of gaming has increased rapidly over recent years.
A game designer may design games for a range of areas. These might be board games, games for a PC or games console, or even card games. Although the types of games vary dramatically the actual concept and methodology behind them is often very similar.
A game designer must keep in mind a number of constraints which they need to work to and these include; intended target audience, technical and production issues as well as ethical and political issues that may arise.
It is usual for a 'design document' to be kept whilst a game is being developed. However, this is not always the case and a lot of games have been developed by a method of iterative prototypes, which can be more appropriate depending on the type of game that is being made. This was most often the case with early video games where the person designing the game was often also the programme and the gamer.
In recent times psychological profiling has been used in game design. Potential gamers have been split into three categories and each category comes under the name Timmy, Johnny and Spike. Timmy is a player who plays a game primarily for the experience. Johnny will play a game as a means of expression and Spike plays to prove something (i.e. ability).
Games are often accompanied by a narrative. These revolve around subject, theme and story. A narrative helps the games to maintain a context, make it less abstract to the game and enhance the overall entertainment value. A narrative can provide the start point for the development of a game or can be added to a design.