5 min read
#Game industry
19.11.2020
#Game design

Creative Game design and what does it mean for the industry now?

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Dive into the captivating realm of creative game design. As the driving force behind every memorable gaming experience, its role in the industry has never been more vital. We’ll unravel what it means today, its transformative power, and how it’s redefining the boundaries of interactive entertainment. Buckle up for an exciting journey into the heart of game creation!

Creative game design jobs have been on the rise in the industry

We have witnessed many highlights and falls in the history of the video game industry. All that which has happened in the past greatly contributed to the transformation of the stage of the industry and the state of it today. The video game industry has undoubtedly grown, and it is now more worth than film, entertainment, and gaming combined together. And there is no sign of stopping. The ever-changing nature of it has opened new doors of possibilities.

Allowed the flow of the creation of various new game design job opportunities. Game designers are at the forefront, they’re the ones that must capture and retain players’ attention. Interest them quickly, and need to understand human psychology and culture being it. Understandably game design jobs have been on the rise. Have been shifting and changing its form of duties and titles depending on the size of the team and the type of project.

Job titles

We can come across people with titles such as creative director game design, and creative design director, and game director. All found in the design director jobs bag. People with those titles are in charge of the trends, but they are also the ones that are responsible for giving jobs to others. To name a few here we have level design jobs, character design jobs, 3d, 2D character design jobs, level designer. Content design, economy design, game audio designer, sound design jobs. Not forgetting about graphic design jobs, entry-level game design jobs, or creative assistants jobs. The list can go on and on. The idea here is to show that each team member at the team has been hired and is there to fulfill their part.

For a long time games were treating games in terms of a challenge. Players are put in scenarios of increasing challenge. Are given certain abilities to overcome those challenges. The arcade games followed this formula, and almost every console/pc game also fits these criteria. It’s a foundation of a successful design that has powered the largest entertainment industry in human history. This challenge-based profile has proven to be highly flexible too. We have different turns of the gameplay which results in different choices of genres. But, researchers showed that there is an alternative approach. To gain traction, which could be the next evolutionary step in creating games.

The creative freedom in ‘creative gaming’

And here the term ‘creative gaming’ comes alive, and its core principle is rather simple. We humans like to create stuff. The idea behind has been around for some time, it’s not new. We see it in SimCity that was developed back in 1989, that same formula of a game was then done in Sims in 2000. The building-management form has sparked interest in casual gamers. That was not attracted to ‘beating’ your opponent type of games. That genre wasn’t that popular and not so lucrative. The gaming industry wasn’t fully prepared for it and it has taken a decade, and we got the mighty Minecraft. A game in which players create structures from blocks. The game was developed by an independent developer Notch. It was an outsider. They believed that ‘gamers want something different than the most similar challenge-based games’.

Minecraft

Minecraft gave gamers the world to play, where they could find their own entertainment. The game became the most successful video game of all time. And Minecraft Earth (2019) proved this genre is here to stay. The game focused on creative freedom, and it allowed the players to create their own games. It has also raised the level of complexity in their creation of the tools. It has taken it to new heights. The functionality and massive space of possibility of Minecraft are endless. It had presented it in the context of a maturing social media landscape. It has created a viral sensation and ignited a massive, passionate community.

Notch and Mojang

The Notch and Mojang defined the fundamentals of the games. It was up to the players to make the game and take it to different heights IN what they could do with it. It’s a genius concept of game-making as a game in itself, and it leads to a new way of what games will play in the near future.

The new approach is very successful and for many reasons. People like to make things, and players are given part of their responsibility in making the game. The game-making format shows that video games are becoming live. And the key here is their service-based experiences, with never-ending user-content extending the game’s life. This allows hiring a solid group of developers that could add new features. Allow the players to explore the design space and build tons of fresh new content. And so we need to talk about Fortnite’s Creative Mode released in 2018. Epic Games have invested tons of money into the supplementary mode as such an early game’s life cycle. Why? Well, it made perfect sense. It was all about creating ‘the experience’. Which felt ‘alive’ and continued to surprise players.

Making games changes as players seek out new creative challenges

The challenge-based games will still be around, and they will have a place in the market. But the game-making games are here to stay. Players desire to seek out intriguing systems that spark their creativity. Design director jobs and other creative jobs in the gaming industry will remain on the rise. As the creation of the games pushes the possibility of the approach which is increasingly pricey and risky to develop. Making games is now far more engaging, it’s enriching than just playing them. Thus, we believe that creative gaming is currently posing a huge challenge in the change of thinking processes. From challenge-based games to systems-based games. The future in the gaming industry, as ever, looks very exciting!