Have you ever watched a cool scene in a movie or TV show or read an amazing passage in a book and thought, “That would be fantastic in a game?”
Maybe it was an exciting combat sequence shining in all its impressive cinematography that inspires you, or maybe it’s a particularly funny quote from a reality show contestant in a confessional cut-scene.
Through modern RPGs, anything can be a game, and that’s what industry expert Eloy Lasanta will be discussing in his upcoming class, When Worlds Meet Mechanics: How to Turn Fiction into Games.
Starting October 14 and progressing for six weeks, When Worlds Meet Mechanics will be breaking down what it takes to make an RPG in today’s industry, with a focus on meshing mechanics and setting into a truly intertwined experience, truly turning anything into a game. There’s going to be a lot of pop culture discussion and media literacy is helpful for anyone wanting to take this course.
Below are four techniques we’ll be exploring in When Worlds Meet Mechanics. If any of them speak to you, check out the course in detail and sign up today!
#1 – Effective Brainstorming
Many designers encounter barriers during initial brainstorming about their game. This can include figuring out what kind of game it is, what it should be, and how best to portray its core moods/themes to players and game masters without making it too complicated. In When Worlds Meet Mechanics, we’ll be identifying the best brainstorming techniques that’ll make creating your next RPG from the ground up easy as pie.
As the course name implies, students will be given challenges and class activities that’ll test their ability to speedily iterate on an idea. Practicing these mental skills is integral for game design and being able to complete projects quickly.
#2 – Exploring Game Design
While this course is designed to help you make a game, we’ll also be discussing more general topics. The theory around what makes a game a game is going to be a huge conversation point, as will the difference between good and bad game design. Of course, it’s all relative, but just like games, game design has certain rules, and knowing them is the first step to breaking them.
In addition to in-class dialogue about design, we’ll be dissecting popular games to spot where they shine, where they falter, and come up with alternate designs for them. Having an eye for “good” game design is crucial to making your game as good as it can be.
#3 – The Big 4
Students will be introduced to The Big 4, which are essentially the four core parts of any game that contain the majority of the game’s message and storytelling potential. These four elements are Worldbuilding, Resolution/Conflict Mechanics, Expended Mechanics, and Character Creation.
It might sound obvious listed out like that, but When Worlds Meets Mechanics will be breaking each one down to explain how games benefit from interlocking The Big 4 and how to do it. Your innovative Industry Expert in Eloy Lasanta is also there to keep an eye on your development, help you implement fitting mechanics for your game, and find ways to cultivate systems to exploit your chosen setting.
#4 – Playtesting Goals
Games cannot exist in a vacuum, and neither should they. This course has class time set aside for playtesting the ideas students will come up with during class. Ensuring that concepts and ideas are transformed into usable, logical mechanics is the goal here, not just having fun (though it’s hard not to do that too). Even if you want to take this course for the discussion and networking opportunities and aren’t ready to run your game, you can garner a lot of lessons by participating in another designer’s game as well.
Finally, there are also need-based scholarships available for those want to take the course but have some sort of financial difficulty in registering. Scholarship recipients will receive a 50% discount on the course cost.
If you would like to apply for one of the scholarships, please send an email to cmichpress@cmich.edu that describes your need and how the scholarship would help you.