Why I love Level Design

When it comes to digital game development, level design is game design. When we play games, we play levels or stages – game spaces that have been carefully crafted to provide us with the optimum opportunity to explore, to engage with the core game mechanic, and to attain goals and rewards. To arrive at this, Level Design is employed.

Level Design is a term that refers to the arc of a process that starts from a written idea, a paper prototype, bubble diagrams, and/or rough maps, and takes us through to the successful realization of a functional, visually meaningful game space within a game engine. I find the entire Level Design process deeply compelling.

When I was child, I had a hobby for designing worlds. I would draw vast maps, then write rudimentary “design documents”, explaining their cultures, their politics, their languages. As I grew older, inspired by games like Final Fantasy and Myst, I became fascinated by the concept of creating emmersive experiences that would allow people to visit undiscovered worlds. When I first began to study Level Design in college, I was intrigued by all the magical things I could do within the game engine. I loved learning how to make things move, flicker, change color, activate and deactivate. I loved figuring things out. I began to wonder if this was a joy I might be able to share with others.

And as I continued to explore Level Design, I realized it had the incredible potential to not only immerse and engage audiences, it could change the way they think and feel. It could change the way they think and feel about anything. Games, game design, and the game industry have expanded our knowledge and awareness of human motivation. What we are learning is changing the world. Its changing how we think about work and play. Its changing how we think about communications, education, and politics. Its redefining human interaction. I find this extremely exciting, and I want to be a part of the adventure.

So the question is… do you?

You can visit my official website at: www.celestemasinter.com

What is Level Design, and Why We Aren’t All Level Designers (Yet)

What is Level Design? According to Wikipedia:

“Level design, environment design or game mapping is a discipline of game development involving creation of video game levels—locales, stages, or missions. This is commonly done using level editor, a game development software designed for building levels; however some games feature built-in level editing tools. Level design is both an artistic and technical process.”

Also, please consider this deffinition:
http://www.cliffyb.com/art-sci-ld.html

In other words, Level Design is executed in a game engine, and can be defined as a problem-solving process that is at once technical and artistic, culminating in a finished product that provides a meaningful experience for the end user or player.

1. Game Engine: Since it ultimately takes place in a game engine, this means that you will have to learn a new 3D application, and a new interface. Game engines make game play and interactivity possible. 3D models are not “Game Art” until they are part of an interactive experience - a game.

2. Technical: Since it is a technical endeavor, you will have to have a passion and patience for logic, analysis, deconstruction, and scripting.

3. Artistic, but: It is also an artistic endeavor, but in the sense that architecture or product design is artistic – one must see artistic possibilities in the shape of space, modular structure, and event flow. Perhaps “innovative” is a better term.

4. Humility: Finally, Level Design is concerned with the experience of the player as they play the game, and not so much the ambitions and ego of the level designer. Level Design, like any design, is a process intended to reach out to others, and render a service.

As a game designer, I know that the meaning of “fun” is different for everyone. Although I think level design and everything it entails, including intensive problem solving, analyzing systems, and technical trouble-shooting is an engaging activitry, I know this is not true for everyone.

Currently, Level Design - which is central to digital game design - is not a career path I would recommend to everyone. It is a path for individuals who are interdisciplinary, innovative, and at the same time deeply concerned about the experiences of others.

Maybe, someday, as simulation engines are used more prevalently as learning tools in public classrooms, and user-generated content becomes increasingly more a fixture of game systems and game-like systems, everyone will become a level designer of a kind. 

Level Design is NOT:

Usually, my Level Design class is populated with a diverse lot of personalities. Most of them are very excited about taking a class called “Level Design”, but most of them have an incomplete or inaccurate understanding of what this means. I hope this list clarifies further. 

 

Level Design is NOT:

1. Secret Gameplay Recipes Hoarded by the Game Design Gods. Occasionally I have students who have a very keen interest in “Game Design”, and they believe that success lies in uncovering a secret tome, or sitting with a High Game Design Master from a Triple A studio, who will prescribe to them the holy commandments for executing perfect gameplay. These rules and map structures will hold true every single time. Unfortunately (or fortunately), innovative games aren’t cooked in ovens, they evolve from experimental trial and error processes. That’s why prototyping is utilized, even at Triple A studios. (However, I highly recommend this book: http://www.game-feel.com/ , as it lays out some general principles that are worth considering.)
   
   
   
2. Having Limited Interests. Level Designers are interdisciplinary thinkers. They have to have a passion and curiosity for learning that extends beyond a certain set of techniques and processes. Level Design is this amazing opportunity to constantly innovate, but innovation isn’t possible if you only want to do one thing.
   
    
3. Complaining about Project Parameters. A Level Designer complaining about project parameters is like an mathematician complaining about numbers, or a painter complaining about paint. Project Parameters are the tools of a Level Designer, they give his or her work meaning, purpose, and validity. When you encounter project parameters, you are encountering an exciting opportunity to innovate, to outwit the limits of reality, to prove your genius against the impossible. This is why Level Designers do what they do. If you have a problem with project parameters, you might want to consider a different field of study.
   
    
4. The Game Engine ONLY. Learning how to press buttons in a certain order to execute processes can empower you to make gameplay ideas a reality. But button-pressing alone does not make you an effective Level Designer. Knowing a bunch of hotkeys does not make you an effective Level Designer. Caring about the player experience, however, might.
   
    
5. Modeling and Texturing ONLY. Modeling and texturing game assets is usually refered to “Environmental Art”. While Environmental Art comes into play with Level Design, it is only a part of the process. Since this is not an Environmental Art class, we do not focus on it (exclusively). In fact, currently, we do not consider it until the second half of the quarter.
   
    
6. Concept Art ONLY. Concept art is a very important part of the Environmental Art pre-production process (see above). It helps to clarify the look and feel of a game space, is essential for building a relevant mesh list, and provides Environmental Artists with an accurate sense of what they will be modeling and texturing, and why. However, it is only one of several important development techniques used in Level Design, and the creation of a game space. As a result, it is not the focus of this class, and we will not be exploring concept art until the second half of the quarter. If your primary interest is concept art, digital painting, and illustration, this may not be the class for you. 
   
    
7. Character Animation. While experienced Level Designers often work with Character Animators to properly import and implement characters, Level Designers are more concerned with making games work. If you’re true passion is character design and animation, you might not enjoy this class as much as others. In fact, you may even want to consider transferring to the Media Arts and Animation program, to focus on what you really love.
   
    
8. Making Things Explode ONLY. Discovery is a valuable part of the game design process. Game Art and Design students often get excited when they discover a new way to add polish, features, and bells and whistles to their spaces. Polish helps to round off a game play experience, but a game that is only bells and whistles is no game at all. Once you discover a new feature, don’t just stop there. Think further. Think about how it upholds and supports the central gameplay. If it doesn’t, get rid of it. Its a distraction, nothing more.
   
    
9. Complexity ONLY. While complexity can appear dazzling at first glance, it does not impress the player for long. The player does not want to be overwhelmed by how wonderful and brilliant the Level Designer thinks the Level Designer is, the player wants to be empowered to do cool things while exploring engaging spaces, hopefully to achieve a meaningful goal. Have you seen the movie Inception? It teaches a very important lesson about level design: a simple idea is more powerful and effective than a complicated one.
   
   “And so from that, I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that complexity can come out of such simplicity.” Will Wright
   
    
10. A Means to Becoming Hugely Famous. Level Designers aren’t rock stars – they are techies. They work behind the scenes. They are the wizards behind the curtain. If they are doing their job right, we aren’t paying any attention to them. If garnering attention is important to you, consider pursuing a future as a public speaker, actor or celebrity. Don’t waste your time here.  
    
    “A good game impresses you with what you’re doing. I think that’s a fundamental difference - that I, as a game designer, need to recede in the background.” Sid Meier

How to Prepare For a Level Design Class

Occasionally, I have had students ask me how to prepare for this class, before they take it. Many of them presume I will refer them to tutorials, so they can learn button-pushing technical processes in the Game Engine. Some even wonder if they should begin modeling assets before the class begins, so they can “get ahead”. Some start modeling without asking, such is there level of enthusiasm.

While I am impressed with the initiative of these students, unfortunately, their presumptions about how to prepare for the class and the project reveal the very reason they need to take the class – they obviously don’t know how to design levels yet. Level Design does not begin with button-pressing technical processes or modeling. It begins with an idea, which needs to be properly nurtured and grown. I would be far more impressed with the student who comes to my door with a rudimentary design pitch, a clean map, a paper prototype, a puzzle flow chart or a stack of concept art. This student would reveal a proper interest in design.

However, even this is unneccesary, considering the fact that I have designed the class to cover and address these subjects already. Perhaps the best way to prepare for Level Design is to seek out and expose yourself to a variety of opinions on the subject, so that you do not attend the class with narrow-minded assumptions. Feel free to also review the course material on my website, although it is prone to being updated. 

 

Consider these Links:

 

Getting Started/ Best Practices/ Development Techniques/ Iteration:

On Prototyping, and Why It Works - TEDTalk Video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower.html
Note: How Kindergarteners beat Business Students at architecture, and why.

Paper Prototyping - Watch These Videos:
http://www.firehosegames.com/2010/05/paper-prototyping-video-games/

Paper Prototyping - Aperture Science and Left 4 Dead
http://www.joystiq.com/2009/03/28/gdc09-paper-prototype-of-aperture-science-left-4-dead/

Paper Prototyping:
http://www.gamecareerguide.com/features/622/paper_prototyping_5_facts_for_.php?page=3
Note: “Because of the availability of materials, we felt freer to experiment and really push the boundaries of the prototypes. After all, if we experimented and failed, all we lost were a few sheets of printer paper and some glue, as opposed to what happens in more traditional technological prototyping: the loss of a far more expensive piece of technology or hours coding.”

Game Flow Charts:
http://www.google.com/images?q=game+flow+chart&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=og&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi&biw=1366&bih=643

A comparison of Waterfall vs Agile Development:
http://agileintro.wordpress.com/2008/01/04/waterfall-vs-agile-methodology/

Lecture that compares development processes: 
http://www.udemy.com/the-lean-startup-debunking-myths-of-entrepreneurship/agile-vs-waterfall-product-engineering.html

Video that compares development processes (No lecture):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDDO3ob-4ZY&feature=related

Digital Level Design:

The Importance of Goals and Rewards - TEDTalk Video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/tom_chatfield_7_ways_games_reward_the_brain.html

Classic Article on Modularity in Level Design: 
http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/rsrc/Three/ModularLevelDesign/ModularLevelDesign.pdf

Workflow and Modularity:
http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/WorkflowAndModularity.html
Note: Epic Games speaks strongly about the proper use of the game engine grid: “Ah, the grid… What it all boils down to is this: if objects don’t sit perfectly on the grid, problems upon problems start squirming out of the woodwork… It’s analogous to the difference between building a house out of legos, versus building one out of cards. Artists, take note: give your level designers legos. If your work snaps together nicely, they will thank you for it. If they require tiny, tiny adjustments in 3 axes of movement every time they need to be moved, your level designers will hate you. No joking.”

Modularity and Grids Galore:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2475/creating_modular_game_art_for_fast_.phpNote: Note: “To make the model as easy to use as possible, always align it with the grid lines. To make it exact use the “grid snap” function in your 3D package.”

The Use of Placeholder Objects:
http://xna-uk.net/blogs/mvi/archive/2010/03/28/placeholders-in-games.aspx
Note: Placeholder objects help to streamline the level design process. However, Environment artists are not always in control of the design and implementation of those placeholder objects.

Student Dissatisfaction

Over the years, I’ve had a handful of students who might be described as, in a word, “dissatisfied”. They are dissatisfied with the school, with the program, with the teachers, with the classes and the projects, with the other students, with themselves, and with life in general. They may be quiet loners or enthusiastic crowd callers, but no matter where they go, or what they do, the world falls short. Their dissatisfaction can be difficult to interpret, especially the day they decide to cast it upon you, because a common sympton of dissatisfaction is finger pointing and blame-giving.

The secret truth is, these people are creatively blocked on a fundamental level. I know because, from time to time throughout my life, I’ve been one of those people. Even if they are still producing work, the fact is, these individuals haven’t taken the time to get honest with themselves about what they really want to be doing with their lives. They have decided complaining is easier than taking the time to do the research, or take the risks, that would allow them to realize their true calling.

Because the fact is, there are always choices. You can chose to stay… or to go. If staying doesn’t make sense, then, for your own sake, please leave. I wish you well, whether your heart’s desire is a degree in music, classical illustration, 3D illustration and product visualization, animation, graphic design, architecture, or any number of other creative ventures, which may or may not include a degree at all.

People who are actively pursuing the dreams that make sense for them are satisfied people, who can accept the consequences of their decisions, taking the bad with the good as part of the journey. In fact, for these people, there is no “bad”, only design challenges that must be outwitted with cleverness and shrewdness.