Small Changes, Big Results: Redefining a PC franchise for Nintendo Wii

Speakers: Robin Hunicke

Track: Game Design

Format: Lecture

Experience Level: All

Description: The roots of any successful game design lie in the relationship between its mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics. From the control surfaces, to their supporting rules, to the overall play experience - each game has its own special recipe. A nip there, a tuck there – and suddenly, the balance is entirely different. What intuition guides a designer's hand in this exercise? This presentation examines the core systems of the Sims PC games, explores its various console incarnations, and discusses how new gameplay opportunities emerge when the franchise is examined in light of opportunities made available by the Nintendo Wii.

Idea Takeaway: Attendees will leave with a better understanding of how the systems of an existing game can be examined to reveal new opportunities, and new player experience goals.

Intended Audience: This lecture is intended primarily for designers, content creators and students of the game design process. But it should provide value for anyone interested in how to take the best parts of a successful game and bring them to a new platform and its players.