Serious game design document
Introduction
The game is a business simulator game, set in a game developer studio. The player must manage this studio to turn a profit and make decision on how business is operated, these decisions have ramifications, which include overworking employees, not making enough money, broken games being released, upsetting higher management, and more.
All outcomes are dependent on what the player chooses to do within the game through interactions with the NPC characters in the game, their job is to attempt to balance out worker health and finances.
The player can also customise the office in the game and expand and manage work space and hiring more workers, all while manging the finances within the company as well. For example. Hiring more workers would means paying more people, or deciding to let workers go, or rush development.
Players’ success will be measured based on money made and business efficiency, accessible to the player via in-game visuals, for decision making.
All outcomes are dependent on what the player chooses to do within the game through interactions with the NPC characters in the game, their job is to attempt to balance out worker health and finances.
The player can also customise the office in the game and expand and manage work space and hiring more workers, all while manging the finances within the company as well. For example. Hiring more workers would means paying more people, or deciding to let workers go, or rush development.
Players’ success will be measured based on money made and business efficiency, accessible to the player via in-game visuals, for decision making.
What makes this a serious game?
The game is to help give a fun realistic experience of managing a business by giving choices on how the business operates, either good or bad consequences. It will show players that many things that go into running a business, such as workers, budget for projects, balancing workers and business’s needs.
Concept:
The game is to help give a fun realistic experience of managing a business by giving choices on how the business operates, either good or bad consequences. It will show players that many things that go into running a business, such as workers, budget for projects, balancing workers and business’s needs.
Concept:
Mobile version:
Desktop version:
Mobile
These designs were chosen for the mobile version of the game, they were was chosen because the placement of the icons are easy for users to select and see without interfering with the main gameplay in the center of the screen, also allowing enough room to have character interactions. This was done through insuring consistency by keeping the icons in a simple format, comprehensible elements by having clear icon art, as well as insuring the game doesn’t overload the user with too much information, as well as using a good level of contrast for icons, which were stated as important aspects to consider for mobile designs by this article: https://pixune.com/mobile-games-ui-design-a-handy-guide/
These designs were chosen for the mobile version of the game, they were was chosen because the placement of the icons are easy for users to select and see without interfering with the main gameplay in the center of the screen, also allowing enough room to have character interactions. This was done through insuring consistency by keeping the icons in a simple format, comprehensible elements by having clear icon art, as well as insuring the game doesn’t overload the user with too much information, as well as using a good level of contrast for icons, which were stated as important aspects to consider for mobile designs by this article: https://pixune.com/mobile-games-ui-design-a-handy-guide/
By having the icons data drop down when selected, the player will not have to jump between different pages to get to the data needed as the icons are placed on the top, and are always visible.
Desktop
The design was chosen since it nicely spreads out the different icons without taking up too much or too little of the screen. The design has been altered to fit with other computer application, with the exit button being in the top right corner, a save button on the top left corner. On the left side is the emails, stats and worker details, and the bottom is the stat graph, money, purchases and the interaction button won’t be in the desktop version since you can with the mouse.
Target audience
The target audience decided on was the casual gamer, this includes the personas of the overall enthusiasts, and the time filler. Choosing casual players helped narrowed down the platforms that is best suited for these players, that being mobile and desktop, focusing on the mobile version, with a desktop for people who prefer that device. This target audience was chosen as to have a game that is accessible for people who may not have much experience or time, allowing users of any level of skill to use the application.
The target audience decided on was the casual gamer, this includes the personas of the overall enthusiasts, and the time filler. Choosing casual players helped narrowed down the platforms that is best suited for these players, that being mobile and desktop, focusing on the mobile version, with a desktop for people who prefer that device. This target audience was chosen as to have a game that is accessible for people who may not have much experience or time, allowing users of any level of skill to use the application.
This was done through using easy to recognise icons, simple gameplay, and multiple accessibility options.
Input
Control input
The input that was chosen was touch, as other inputs aren’t viable, voice input was ruled out as in a previous project it was found to be unreliable, gestures and eye are simply not possible
Input data
The player can name their company as well as select a business decision when given the opportunity.
Data collection
Data collection is shown in the stat graph, this shows how well the player is doing in it’s profits and worker wellbeing.
Accessibility
Planned accessibility features are:
⦁ Colour blind mode
⦁ Text resizing
⦁ Exaggerated facial expressions on characters
Planned accessibility features are:
⦁ Colour blind mode
⦁ Text resizing
⦁ Exaggerated facial expressions on characters
According to the World health organisation (WHO, 2022), 1 in 100 children are born with autism, estimated to make up around 1% of the world’s population, around 75,000,000 estimated. The range of symptoms that ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) can have on an individual can vary, one common symptom is difficulty to understand facial expressions, for the characters in the game, expressions are exaggerated, this was done using an anime art style, originating from Japan, this style makes facial emotions easier to decipher for players, making it easier for people who have ASD to be able to recognise the emotion that is depicted.
(Luke's work:)
There is an estimated 300 million people in the world with colour-blindness, estimated to effect 1 in 12 men, and 1 in 300 women on estimate, it is important to include these modes for people who may need these settings, it will have different colour pallets for different types of colour-blindness. These include:
⦁ Protanopia (red-blind)
⦁ Deuteranopia (green-blind)
⦁ Tritanopia (blue-blind)
⦁ Protanopia (red-blind)
⦁ Deuteranopia (green-blind)
⦁ Tritanopia (blue-blind)
Globally, an estimated 2.2 billion people have near or distance vision impairment according to the World health organisation. Therefore, it is important to accommodate for people with sight difficulties, the game will have text resizing, so anyone with these difficulties will be able to select a suitable text size for their specific eyesight.
As well language options are planned, with the ones being added are English, French, German, Spanish and Italian as they are the main European languages.
Gameplay design
Art style
A pixel art style was chosen, this was chosen over other styles such as realistic, 3d etc, because it is a simple style to understand, easy for players to process, and is fun. And makes the topics of the game, which can be boring or dull at times, have more life to it and lightens the tone.
Art style
A pixel art style was chosen, this was chosen over other styles such as realistic, 3d etc, because it is a simple style to understand, easy for players to process, and is fun. And makes the topics of the game, which can be boring or dull at times, have more life to it and lightens the tone.
(Tom's work:)
Main gameplay screen
The main screen is designed for mobile devices, it was decided that mobile would be best since the game is casual and having it for mobile is perfect to get the game out to consumers. The main body of selections will be on the top of the screen, with distinct, and easily recognisable icons, on the top is the settings, progress graph, in game emails and staff details. On the bottom are the icons for interactions and upgrades.
Settings is for players to adjust certain aspects of the game for the player to play the game with the settings most comfortable for them. The graph is for the players to see how well their in-game business is doing, seeing what needs to be improved. The emails are where players will get reports, reviews, job applications. In the staff details, players can manage their staff, hire more or remove and see staff well-being for current staff.
Device design
The game is primarily designed for mobile, as on estimate 91.54% of the world’s population own a mobile phone according to Bankmycell.com, while on average people who own a computer is estimated to be 47.1% in 2019 according to Statista.com. it was decided to have the game made mostly for mobile in order to give the game more reach. A desktop version has been designed as well. The mobile version was designed with button placement in mind, designed so the user can easily click on different icons with ease by having the buttons made a large enough size without taking up the screen, the buttons are placed on the top and bottom of the mobile version. The settings, graph, in-game emails and staff details are on the top, as that is where these options are commonly placed, making it easy for players to find, the buttons for purchases and upgrades are found at the bottom of the mobile screen, making the top section not overcrowded with icons.
The game is primarily designed for mobile, as on estimate 91.54% of the world’s population own a mobile phone according to Bankmycell.com, while on average people who own a computer is estimated to be 47.1% in 2019 according to Statista.com. it was decided to have the game made mostly for mobile in order to give the game more reach. A desktop version has been designed as well. The mobile version was designed with button placement in mind, designed so the user can easily click on different icons with ease by having the buttons made a large enough size without taking up the screen, the buttons are placed on the top and bottom of the mobile version. The settings, graph, in-game emails and staff details are on the top, as that is where these options are commonly placed, making it easy for players to find, the buttons for purchases and upgrades are found at the bottom of the mobile screen, making the top section not overcrowded with icons.
The desktop version has been designed so the icons are on the top and bottom of the screen, and on the top of the is a bar, designed like a computer application, with a exit button, settings and a manual save button along the top, players will be able to easily pick up the layout as it is a design that is recognisable to the majority of people who use computers, making navigation in the game simple and easy to understand.
It was decided that these would be the best devices for the game as if the game were to be designed for devices such as virtual reality headsets, Hololens, it would require a completely different design for the entire game. Since the game is targeted towards casual gamers, the likelihood is that most casual gamers would not have access to such devices.
Settings design
The settings options available are volume, text resizing, and different colour-blind settings
Design notes
Icons are designed to be recognisable while also fitting into the design of the game, as well are designed large enough so player don’t select neighbouring icons.
Main screen:
Settings dropdown
Staff Manager dropdown:
Stats chart:
Upgraded main screen:
Conclusion
In conclusion it is believed that the game that has been created is educational, fun and accessible for many people, the mix of fun and easy to understand gameplay, players are able to easily play the game, while also getting fun and realistic insights into how a business works in the real world, by giving players meaningful decisions that effects money, and future of their in-game business. As well as being accessible by having necessary settings.
In conclusion it is believed that the game that has been created is educational, fun and accessible for many people, the mix of fun and easy to understand gameplay, players are able to easily play the game, while also getting fun and realistic insights into how a business works in the real world, by giving players meaningful decisions that effects money, and future of their in-game business. As well as being accessible by having necessary settings.
References
WHO (2022). Autism spectrum disorders. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders.
Cravit, R. (2019). How to Use Color Blind Friendly Palettes to Make Your Charts Accessible - Venngage. [online] Venngage. Available at: https://venngage.com/blog/color-blind-friendly-palette/.
World Health Organization (2021). Blindness and Vision Impairment. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment.
Turner, A. (2018). How Many People Have Smartphones Worldwide (Feb 2022). [online] Available at: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world#:~:text=In%20total%2C%20the%20number%20of.
Alsop, T. (2018). How many people have access to a computer 2018 | Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/748551/worldwide-households-with-computer/.
Pixune. (2020). The Secrets of Mobile Games UI Design. [online] Available at: https://pixune.com/mobile-games-ui-design-a-handy-guide/ [Accessed 12 May 2022].
WHO (2022). Autism spectrum disorders. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/autism-spectrum-disorders.
Cravit, R. (2019). How to Use Color Blind Friendly Palettes to Make Your Charts Accessible - Venngage. [online] Venngage. Available at: https://venngage.com/blog/color-blind-friendly-palette/.
World Health Organization (2021). Blindness and Vision Impairment. [online] Who.int. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/blindness-and-visual-impairment.
Turner, A. (2018). How Many People Have Smartphones Worldwide (Feb 2022). [online] Available at: https://www.bankmycell.com/blog/how-many-phones-are-in-the-world#:~:text=In%20total%2C%20the%20number%20of.
Alsop, T. (2018). How many people have access to a computer 2018 | Statista. [online] Statista. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/748551/worldwide-households-with-computer/.
Pixune. (2020). The Secrets of Mobile Games UI Design. [online] Available at: https://pixune.com/mobile-games-ui-design-a-handy-guide/ [Accessed 12 May 2022].
