WHAT DO YOU WANT
Hi there good people!
I'm not sure if it's my place to ask a question but I'll ask it anyway; what would you like to see more of in the forums?
I personally would like to see more discussions about things that make up game development itself. Discussions that explore more of the game design aspects of game development. Things like affordances in games or the aesthetics of play. Things like agency in games or intrinsic versus extrinsic experiences. Things like maintaining your pacing or difficulty curve.
These are some of the thing I would like to see more of. I think that by discussing topics like these we would be helping any game developer, young and old alike. The wisdom of the more experienced developers will be like a seed of greatness in the minds of the aspiring ones.
Maybe it's just me but when I first heard of MGSA in a presentation by @pieter, I expected there to be a wealth of knowledge about actually making game. Make no mistake, MGSA is great. It's a great platform for developers to share and interact with like-mined people, people who are passionate about this medium just as much as they are.
I just think that a little more could be done to better grow the wealth of game design wisdom that this site contains. I have posted and will continue to post discussion about things like the aforementioned. I realize that perhaps topics like the aforementioned are probably discussed in game jams but for those who can't make it to the game jams, I think it'd be great if they can be discussed more here.
But that's just me tho. If you think the forums are perfect then that's awesome because you're probably right, but if you think that it can be improved upon I'd love to know what you guys would like to see more of in the forums?
Stay safe and fill in the blank.
I'm not sure if it's my place to ask a question but I'll ask it anyway; what would you like to see more of in the forums?
I personally would like to see more discussions about things that make up game development itself. Discussions that explore more of the game design aspects of game development. Things like affordances in games or the aesthetics of play. Things like agency in games or intrinsic versus extrinsic experiences. Things like maintaining your pacing or difficulty curve.
These are some of the thing I would like to see more of. I think that by discussing topics like these we would be helping any game developer, young and old alike. The wisdom of the more experienced developers will be like a seed of greatness in the minds of the aspiring ones.
Maybe it's just me but when I first heard of MGSA in a presentation by @pieter, I expected there to be a wealth of knowledge about actually making game. Make no mistake, MGSA is great. It's a great platform for developers to share and interact with like-mined people, people who are passionate about this medium just as much as they are.
I just think that a little more could be done to better grow the wealth of game design wisdom that this site contains. I have posted and will continue to post discussion about things like the aforementioned. I realize that perhaps topics like the aforementioned are probably discussed in game jams but for those who can't make it to the game jams, I think it'd be great if they can be discussed more here.
But that's just me tho. If you think the forums are perfect then that's awesome because you're probably right, but if you think that it can be improved upon I'd love to know what you guys would like to see more of in the forums?
Stay safe and fill in the blank.
Thanked by 1pieter
Comments
However, there is no reason you can't start these discussions up again, these topics are always new to someone. A lot of times there are some new information that could be added. You'll find people linking to older discussions that are still relevant, new ideas that have been sparked by recent events, and veterans sharing knowledge they consider matter of fact.
So it all comes down to the topics YOU would like to see discussed :) Just discuss them one at a time, most all of the people on the forums have day jobs, so it might take a day or two before they have the opportunity to weigh in on any given subject. Everyone here is eager to see young SA game developers grow, just be patient with them ;)
If you'd like a fantastic book on game design, check out "The Art of Game Design - A Book of Lenses" by Jesse Schell. I also went through the forum to cherry pick some interesting topics for you to check out. It's really great having an enthusiastic young game designers like yourself joining the forums, we need more of you ;)
General
what-have-we-learned-from-games
game-designing
gdc-vault-is-up-it-s-time-for-2016-learnings
how-to-make-a-fun-games
Questions and Answers
game-maker-some-questions
understanding-the-state-machine
what-theory-about-puzzle-game-logic-should-i-read
at-what-stage-should-you-start-exposing-your-game
color-in-games-an-in-depth-look-at-one-of-game-design-s-most-useful-tools
in-game-iconography
Tutorials
how-much-have-you-thought-about-analog-sticks
nobody-tells-this-to-beginners
game-design-youtube-mega-playlist
I apologize if what I said came off a little rude or inconsiderate.
Thank you for those links tho. I appreciate you taking some time to find those discussions. They are really helpful.
Look forward to chatting with you and playing your game next week at HHH.
(Like for instance, there's definitely some great advice on releasing games here, and a lot of data about game releases, but most of it is going to be spread in among other comments within the threads about various games)
Forums are still better than say Facebook or Twitter at recording discussions and being able to reference previous discussions... but this forum is nowhere near as easy to find data on as say a Wiki on South African game development would be.
(And we've tried running a Wiki, but because of the way wiki's work no-one was motivated to post there, because wiki's don't guarantee content is displayed at all and aren't good for having discussions on)
Maybe, when the community is a bit bigger, we can employ someone to collect all the data and populate a wiki. But for now (I think) the best way to learn about what's going on in the South African scene is to keep reading the new posts on Make Games SA and to ask questions when you need an answer. (And for guides and tutorials and such and general game development I think websites like Gamasutra.com might do a better job at displaying the information)
I like MGSA for the reason that it lets you actually discuss things. Like if there are posts about game development tips & such then people can discuss them to see if those philosophies are applicable and if they are helpful. So its not as much a preaching of ideas but rather a sharing thoughts. That's a pretty cool thing.
MGSA is awesome tho. I always thought that the gaming industry was dead, which was very discouraging, but MGSA made me see that its very much alive. Its very encouraging to me as a young designer.