Presented by Nels Anderson
November 2nd16:00 - 17:00Room : Westmount
In many ways, the 2D platformer has become emblematic of the independent games scene. But why? The explanation is, at least in part, literacy. The 2D platformer might be the style of game best understood, both by creators and by the audience. Greater literacy in this style of games allows for conveying meaning directly through the behaviours, or dynamics, that emerge out of the game’s rules. Rather than communicating through dialog or cutscenes, these games communicate meaning directly through play. This session will discuss how these game convey meaning through interaction, the importance of systems literacy in allowing the audience to ponder that meaning, and how abstraction and ambiguity are an important part of fostering a mindset for such consideration. Combining these will explain why so many indie games are 2D platformers and how these lessons can be applied to other types of games, both independently developed and AAA.
Learning Objectives
- Learn various techniques for examining how the purely interactive components of a game can create meaning.
- Understand how ambiguity and abstraction can be used to actively engage players in considering the content of a game.
- Better understand how these techniques can be applied to improve the engagement and storytelling in many different types and sizes of games.
Nels Anderson is the lead designer on a currently unannounced project from Klei Entertainment (Shank, Eets). Previously, he was the gameplay progammer for DeathSpank and DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue at Hothead Games. He hold a Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia. And he is probably the only game developer in Vancouver (and maybe all of Canada) that was born and raised in Wyoming.
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