Level Design Masterclass : Theorizing Before Crafting

Learn how to use the level design rationnal design into a game production environment.

What you'll learn

Learn the toolsets of professional level designers

Develop a professionnal mindset to become a valuable level designer

Get a rationnal approach to video game creation

Understand the consequences of design choices on the game production

Requirements

Common gamer knowledge

Constructive and analytic mindset

Description

This course is about giving the basic theorical tools of a level designer.Too often level design is presented as a technical skills job only, eclipsing completly the thoughts a great level needs. Instinct is a good thing when creating a level but it needs to be ruled and improved by rationnal design. Instinct don't help explain what we did, communicate our skills or allow us to obtain the same result a second time.All along the course we will go in deep with basic ingredients, understanding their effect onto the player's experience. More than an exhaustive list of tools, this course use real examples coming from my ten years experience into level and game design, to give practical utilities.All along the talk we will discuss about level design into a game production framework, not an independant job working in a dark basement, alone on a game. My hope is to share my experiences and allow you to be "studio ready" when you will enter you first job, or theorize thing you were doing by instinct, allowing you to improve yourself.Always it will be with the scope of a level designer into a real studio, into a real pipeline, with constrains, teammates and deadlines. No fancy dreams of video games. just reality.This course is about thinking before doing.

Overview

Section 1: Introduction

Lecture 1 Introduction

Lecture 2 About the speaker

Lecture 3 Disclaimer about design in general

Section 2: Scenario of a level

Lecture 4 Intro - What is the scenario in a level?

Lecture 5 Constraints - Why we need them?

Lecture 6 Utility - How does the scenario helps players and developers?

Lecture 7 Clichés - How can they help your scenario?

Lecture 8 Marketing - Why the scenario helps sale your ideas?

Lecture 9 Uniqueness - Why it needs to provoke a reaction?

Lecture 10 Closing thoughts - Sum up

Students in design and junior level deisgners