Principles of Game Development to Know
Online gaming facilities like IceCasino require a lot of games. It is why you will see so many studios or game providers for these casinos. You can also make your games if you want and provide services to casinos, but you will be better off doing it for either Android or iOS as it is easier to release the game on these platforms.
How do you create and design video games? In this article, we will present you with the most common principles of design that you can apply in your video games.
The Computer Language
There are many computer languages that you can use to create a computer game. The most common ones are:
C# for Android.
HTML 5 for casino games.
C++ for PC and console games.
Python for 2D games.
You have to choose the proper computer language to compensate for the needs of the operating system and the resources that your game must run. Using the wrong language can render your gaming product unusable or difficult to operate.
Core Mechanics of the Game
One element of game design is that you must build your product around a core principle. For example, Tetris is about putting blocks together to form a single line. Shooting games have the core mechanics of pointing a cursor or crosshair to an enemy and shooting.
This element is vital, as this is the main component that makes your title work. It is also the core mechanic that drives people to stay in your game and play it by adding excitement to the gameplay— the main challenge that will keep them on their screens.
If the core mechanics of your gaming product are boring, chances are your players will quit that easily because they do not find it challenging enough. You must also take into account the difficulty level—make it so that the difficulty progresses reasonably at each stage. Make it too difficult, and your players will leave out of frustration.
Adequate Game Rewards
Gamification is the process of rewarding a person for taking the right action or making the right decision. These rewards are instant and make a person feel satisfied for a job well done.
At best, the player will feel more rewarded if he is aware that he has a core mission, which leads you back to the core principle of the game. In games like Tetris, the goal is to line up blocks to make a line, but underneath this core principle is an ultimate goal: complete the different stages at varying speeds.
Shooting and sniper games require accuracy. When playing them, the core mission is either to save a VIP character or kill the boss, which is a tad more difficult to eliminate than the usual henchmen.
As you can see, one of the main components of a good design is for a player to be rewarded for the hard work he has put in. The reward must come in the form of compensation, and below are some examples:
More lives; better health of the character.
New items such as weapons, and magical powers.
We are unlocking new stages.
Provision of cosmetic changes like a new character uniform.
You can also use the storyline as a reward. There are many mobile apps where the mission is to unlock the mystery of a story, yet the only thing a player has to do is to spot an item in a mountain of other things, which is commonly referred to as hidden object games.
Use Sound Effects
A game is like a movie—you must provide something for the senses to help the viewer or gamer appreciate the output. It is why horror movies always have this foreboding tone—it sets the mood.
Sound is a critical factor, as it adds flare, emotion, and excitement to the gameplay. Without it, you cannot set the ambiance for the game. Sound is also critical because it provides players feedback about what is happening.
For example, can you imagine a scene where something explodes, and there is no accompanying sound? Or, if there is a sound, the explosion does not match the scene at all. Without it, the explosion in the scene will hardly mean anything.
The same principle applies to other things that happen in the game. Some examples are footsteps, the wind, the sound of the waves in the sea, the sound of a gun cocking, and so much more.
Game creation is a lucrative business if done right. A simple one like Flappy Bird can earn you millions of dollars. A refreshed gaming product based on an old concept, like Candy Crush, earned millions in its heydays.
If you want, you can start with easy games like Tetris or its variants. Game design is much better done if you start with small projects and then venture to the bigger ones.