Behind the Games: Design

We have seen the roles of art and programming behind videogames, and how each aspect is worked on and then polished; now it’s time to see how it all comes together, and the concept of design is key in this stage. You can do many things with great art assets and smart code, but the way you put it together and present it to the player is just as important as the assets themselves. Let’s take a look at how smart design can make or break a game.


A game designer plans every aspect of the game, and we mean everything. Characters, items, levels, enemies, difficulty, options, gameplay modes; any aspect of gaming you can think of, it’s all handled by game designers. That being the case, designers are usually the ‘go to’ guys of the team; they interact time and time again with both the art and the programming departments to keep the game consistent and in cue to the design plans. Let’s say, for example, that a game character model is so detailed that it would take too much memory to render and time to model and animate; the lead designer just reach a reasonable ‘in between’ position to keep things efficient. If a certain game idea is too difficult to code, designers must come up with a different approach. As you can see, versatility and creative thinking are key characteristics of good game designers.

But who actually comes up with game ideas? That position is known as creative director, and it sounds quite exciting. Planning a game isn’t easy, however. You have to consider all the games you have played and resist the urge to borrow ideas from them. Of course, you can do so, as long as your game is creative and unique in various aspects; a design document for yet another Bejeweled clone wouldn’t be too attractive to game companies. .

There are also many types of game designers. Characters, levels, and sound all require a small team of designers that work with lead designers to break up the workload and still keep it coherent. And all these teams are very intricate. Level design, for example, requires multiple drafts of each level, including scripted scenes, item and enemy location and characteristics, obstacles and puzzles, etc. Game designers also work on a game’s writing and dialogue, as well as the package and manual designs that usually go ignored. Designers also work on flow charts for characters and items, depicting all the different characteristics and stats that a certain object might have, to give a clear view of the desired results to the programmers.

Designers must keep many things in mind while working on their games. Target demographic, licensing, available game platforms and time frames, as well as the abilities and limitations of both artists and programmers should all be considered. A movie-licensed title for kids shouldn’t be extremely difficult, and a DS game would have a tough time coping with a huge, heavily-detailed 3D world; it’s all common sense, but every situation must be considered and defined early on to keep the game moving forward and well.

The world of game design is heavily related to presentations. A certain designer’s folder is full of concept art, detailed maps and levels, game overview and characteristics, all with as much detail and ease of understanding as possible. PowerPoint is a must, and Adobe programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator can enhance your concept designs to a more refined and attractive state. The originality of your designs, the detail in your work, and your personality and confidence regarding the game are all important factors to consider and refine when presenting your ideas to possible clients.

Creative and imaginative individuals are perfect candidates for the world of game design. If you’re interested, you should always expand your horizons; try something new, learn about something you don’t think you would like; experience anything and everything that comes your way and use that in your designs. Think of how games are made, and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Consider how you would fix noticeable problems in your favorite titles, and what other elements you would like to implement to benefit the game. Simply put, designers live a full, rich life and take all their experience and craft it into well-developed videogames.

This concludes our three-part look inside the gaming industry and the various aspects and positions available on it. We encourage you to consider a career as a game artist, programmer or designer, and we hope these articles have given you a clear understanding of the ‘behind the scenes’ creation of videogames. Play them, love them, make them; a gamers’ life is a truly fantastic journey.