Game Art and Design

Unit 3 Lesson 3
Procedure and Rules

2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,

STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Big Idea
Knowledge of the basic skills and
components of any field makes one
uniquely prepared to perform at a high
level in that area.

2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

FORMAL ELEMENT:
PROCEDURE
2011 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Procedures
Steps in a game that do
not affect the outcome of
the game.
Help the game proceed
to the desired outcome.
Example: shuffling the
cards.
There are four basic
types of procedures.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Types of Game Procedures

Starting Action: How to put the game
into play.
Progression of Action: Ongoing
procedures after starting the game.
Special Actions: Conditional to other
elements or game state.
Resolving Actions: Bring gameplay to
a close.

2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Examples of Game Procedures

Connect Four
Choose a player to go first.
Each player, in turn, drops
one color checker down
any of the slots.
Play alternates until one
player gets four checkers
of one color in a row.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Examples of Game Procedures

Connect Four
Choose a player to go first Starting
Action
Each player in turn drops one color
checker down any of the slots
Progression of Action
Play alternates until one player gets four
checkers of one color in a row
Resolving Action
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Examples of Game Procedures

Super Mario Brothers
Select Button: Use
button to select the type
of game
Start Button: Press
button to start Left
Arrow: Walk to the left
Right Arrow: Walk to
the right
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Examples of Game Procedures

Super Mario Brothers
Select Button: Use button to select the
type of game Starting Action
Start Button: Press button to start
game Starting Action
Left Arrow: Walk left Progression of
Action
NO Resolving Action Resolution is
controlled by the game system
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Procedures in Digital Games

Can have more complex
game procedures.
Players do not need to know
the procedures at first, the
game will enforce them.
Procedures often work
behind the scene,
responding to situations and
player actions.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Defining Your Procedures

It is important to keep in mind the
limitations of the environment in which
your game will be played.
Non-digital games make sure the
procedures are easy to remember and
follow.
Digital games consider what type of
input/output devices will be used keyboard and/or mouse.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

FORMAL ELEMENT: RULES

2011 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,

STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Game Rules
Affect the outcome of the
game
Define objects and
concepts
Define game objects and
define allowable actions
by the players
Restrict actions
Restrict effects
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Game Rules
Consider these questions:
How do players learn the rules?
How are the rules enforced?
What kinds of rules work best in certain
situations?
Are there patterns to rule sets?
What can we learn from these patterns?

2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Game Rules
Generally laid out in the rules document
of board and card games.
The players must remember and enforce
the rules.
In digital games, rules may be explained
in the manual, or may be designed into
the program.
The program enforces the rules.

2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Game Rules
Rules may close loopholes in a games
system - Monopoly:

Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

This rule is applied when a player is sent
to jail from any spot on the board.
Its important because a player could
make the argument that moving past Go
entitles him to collect $200, turning a
punishment into a reward.

2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Game Rules
Too many rules make a game
unplayable.
Too few rules make a game too
simple and unchallenging.
Poorly communicated rules may
confuse or alienate players.
Even in digital games, where the
rules are kept by the program,
players need to understand the rules
so they do not feel cheated.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Examples of Game Rules

Poker: A straight is five consecutively
ranked cards.
Chess: A player cannot move the king
into check.
Go: Players cannot make a move that
recreates a previous situation on the
board.
WarCraft II: In order to create knight
units, a player must have upgraded to
keep and build a stable.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Rules Define Objects and

Concepts
Games do not inherit
objects from the real
world; rather, they create
their own objects and
concepts, usually as part
of the rule set.
Even if the objects or
concepts are familiar, they
still need to be defined by
the rules.
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Rules: Chess
Uses objects that relate to the real
world.
Each piece has a specific rule
pertaining to its movement on the
board.
The pieces also have a value
associated with them:
King, Queen, Rook,
Bishop, Knight, Pawn
2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Big Idea
Knowledge of the basic skills and
components of any field makes one
uniquely prepared to perform at a high
level in that area.

2011
2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,
STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning

Game Art and Design

Unit 3 Lesson 3
Procedure and Rules
Images
student work, photos by Phyllis Jones, and clipart

2014 International Technology and Engineering Educators Association,

STEMCenter for Teaching and Learning