Game design lecture for Session 5 of The Los Angeles Film School's Game PreProduction course.

1. Session 5
David Mullich
Game PreProduction
The Los Angeles Film School

2. The Player’s Journey
“Great games are compelling because the
player’s experience and expertise changes over
time in meaningful ways.” – Amy Jo Kim

3. Standard Story Structure

4. Pacing in Star Wars

5. The Hero’s Journey
Extra Credits: The Hero's
Journey (part 1)
Extra Credits: The Hero's
Journey (part 2)

6. Caveat
If your game idea starts with the story, it’s not
a game idea. Stories in games are optional.

7. Character Creation
Extra Credits: Myers Briggs and Character
Creation

8. Create pages in your Concept PowerPoint that lists the
following:
 Premise
 Introduction
 Complication
 Setting Descriptions (with sample image)
 Location
 Time Period
 Look & Feel
 Main Character Descriptions (with sample portrait)
 Goal
 Personality or Appearance
 Abilities
PowerPoint

9. Create a Narrative and World page in your GDD Wiki that lists
the following:
 Game Story
 Backstory (What happened before the game begins)
 Introduction and Complication (The hero and his/her problem)
 Body (Rising Action: enemies and other obstacles)
 Climax and Denoument (victory/defeat, revelations)
 Setting
 Describe the game world
 Descriptions of All Characters
 Goal
 Personality or Appearance
 Abilities
Wiki