Not conventions as in E3, GDC, Gamescon or PAX. Conventions as in standard practices. Game design is about creating experiences for the player (user). Always come back to why do they want to play my game? Why will they choose it over others? You need to know the user, the platform and control method. You […]

Schematic diagrams can change depending on the type of outcome being designed. All of the examples below are templates form diagrams.net. For web design they could be wireframes. A version of a wireframe could also be used to design a Heads Up Display (HUD) for a video game. It could also be a Unified Modelling […]

Grey boxing is a term used when developing a prototype environment or component for a video game. The terms is due to the fact that before textures and materials are applied to an object the default colour is often grey.

Small scale mock-ups of larger designs can quickly give the impression of what a complete system might look like. A low poly model of a vehicle would give a decent impression of the final product without taking a significant amount of time. In gaming this could include greyboxing a level.

The composition methods will change depending on the digital outcome you are producing. If taking photos consider lighting, distance from the object, etc. For video games this can be how far the camera is from the player. Changing this one aspect can have a considerable impact on the feel of the game. A close camera […]

A block diagram is a type of flowchart that displays how a system works at a high level. It will not show how all the inner workings operate but the processes that are carried out and the order that they occur. diagrams.net provides an online tool for creating system diagrams and flow charts. It has […]

UX for Game Design involves the majority of the other types of UX. There is also the intangible ‘feel’ of the game so playtesting is especially important for video game design. You need to prototype and develop small components and get user feedback on them.

Visual hierarchy is all about the layout and positioning of content on a page or screen. The placement of fonts, images and shapes is important as is the use of colour as it draws the users attention to the required areas. Find out more: What is visual hierarchy?

File management and naming is absolutely essential to the success of any project. Files should be saved in logical locations with appropriate file names. For example doc1.docx does not tell the user anything about the file. Cover Letter.docx is more appropriate. This shoud be stored in a folder called Letters or similar. If using a […]

Object relationship mapping shows how different objects or classes of a program are related to each other. These maps help us to understand the data that is to be stored or used in a system and allows us to develop ways to convert data between two different storage types. For example an object orientated approach […]