Level Design Deconstruction Methods

Notes:

In this Wiki Page, I am primarily answering the question: How to Deconstruct a Game from a Game Designer’s Perspective?

I am aiming to present the workflow and methodologies I use to deconstruct any video games with diagrams and auxiliary texts to explain my thought process.

Introduction

          Deconstructing games is an important component of being a game designer, it helps the designer understand the game beyond the presentation that the player’s eyes can see. Here I would like to discuss some of the methods and strategies I used to deconstruct games that I personally find very helpful.

Why Do We Deconstruct

          My understanding of the deconstruction of games is a way for us to reverse the designs through the presentation of the gameplay. The process of reversing the design is shown in the diagram below.

From this diagram, I have laid out a macro-workflow of what exactly is done in different stages of a game deconstruction.

          During a playthrough of a game, constantly ask yourself “how would you design this game”, from this question, you can try to reverse the design path by breaking down the game through its systems and presentations. Then, you should analyze these designs by asking yourself “why do the designers present their designs this way”, this can include the construction of systems, and the numbers that go behind these systems.

          I believe that this process, helps us, designers, to answer the following questions:

• What makes a game function?
• What are the underlying systems of a game?
• What are the fundamentals of a game?
• What do the representations of game elements have in common that work well together?
• How does any of these impact gameplay(s)?
• How do they make players think differently about how they play and how they see the game?

What Do We Deconstruct

               In short: everything.

               Everything always sounds intimidating, especially when we are deconstructing gigantic games like Fallout 4, it always seems like madness. However, there is always a method within such madness. With the assistance of Prof O’s deconstruction template, I have isolated important elements and the details within these elements that can assist with the deconstruction.

               The elements included in deconstruction are:

• High Concept
• Game Loops
• Game Systems
• Conveyance/Feedback
• Narrative

High Concept

This should be a short and concise statement that gives a summary of the game, giving the readers a general idea of what the game is about without having to play the game. The information should include, but not be limited to, the name of the game, information about its developers or development background, the genre of the game, and main gameplay theme.

Game Loops

          In good Guildhall fashion, we should break the game loops down into a core loop, a secondary loop, and a tertiary loop. The diagram below provided directions on how to find these loops within a game. It is best practice and easiest to identify core loops first, secondary loops second, and tertiary loops last because deconstructing from the fundamental of the game helps isolate the most important parts of a game. When picking out the core loop from a game, I always pick out verbs from your loops, and find a game system that is associated with it, it can be as simple as "walking". When we talk about tertiary loop, it concerns this game's player retention methods; asking why do players want to keep playing this game, what systems have the designers implemented to retent the players. When you have identified the core loop and the tertriary loops, things that go in between can be considered secondary loops. 

Game Systems

          This is the most important yet complex element in a game because it encompasses almost everything in the game. It is also one of the most difficult things to deconstruct in a game. Game systems are mechanics in the games that are repeated and presented themselves clearly to the players of the game. Given that, there are some game mechanics that are accidentally discovered and are never intended to be part of the game, these can be defined as “systems”, but should not be included in a deconstruction.  One simple way of identifying systems in a game - checking out all the UI elements in the HUD. Usually, when a game system is important to the gameplay, the game will try to find a way to display to the player.

          The diagram below shows the most common game systems seen in most games. From this non-exhaustive list of common game systems, there are some that are not necessarily useful for some games, I have listed them at the bottom of the list. Among the elements, the Missions system can be tied to the Narrative System of the game, which is listed separately. Additionally, if you reverse the mind map from leaves to branches to the main topic, you can see how these small systems grouped into larger systems that supports the game's gameplay.

Conveyance/Feedback

          Every game conveys its gameplay and guides its players differently. While the fundamentals of leading the players in the correct direction or hinting at the players about important gameplay elements are the same, the representation of conveyance is different. The ways the designers want to present their ideas that fit within the parameters of the game are also different.

          The diagram below shows the key elements that need to be conveyed and provide feedback for.

Narrative

          I have isolated the Narrative System from the rest because it is not a requirement for every game’s deconstruction.

          The Narrative System can be separated into the narrative plot progression of the game, and the narrative system of the game itself, namely, how the narrative presents itself within the game. It is sometimes easy for some games to manifest their narrative to their players due to the nature of the genre, but other times, it is difficult to parse the narrative systems of a game.

          The diagram below shows a short, non-exhaustive list of elements involved in Narrative Design but it can potentially go more complex than this. For example, the dialogue system in Fallout 4 is a complex narrative system that requires a lot of parsing to understand the full dialogue tree of each conversation. The game also does a good job of telling you the results of these narrative systems based on player actions.

Conclusion

          Ultimately, deconstructing a game not only helps you understand the game holistically from a designer’s perspective, but it also helps you design a level for that game while looking from within the core of the game. Once you understand the fundamental elements of a game, you can treat these systems as toys that you can utilize to make an entertaining, good-flowing level using all the elements that you have deconstructed from the game!

          I hope this is a helpful article for all of you, please feel free to comment or contact me if you have any questions or suggestions to improve this article.

          I have attached below the entirety of the mindmap for a clearer presentation.