Abstract

Over the past number of decades, video games and game design have been evolving and pushing technology forward. This is quite obvious when comparing the original Pong (1972) to God of War (2018). Pong is a simple recreation of table tennis, on the other hand, God of War is a large-scale action-adventure game with highly realistic graphics. What brings these two games together is that they are both meant for a player to enjoy. At the time of each game’s creation, the developers were utilizing the available technology to its fullest. While technology has been advancing, the psychology and philosophy of designing these games have been relatively unchanged. The goal of creating video games has always been to entertain the player with a new experience. This goal has many ways of being achieved, such as through competition, cooperation, storytelling, puzzle-solving, strategy, high-speed action, or overcoming challenges.

Game design is about more than just the technology the designer is working with, or the psychology of how they want the player to experience their game. Game design is about how these two sides are connected to create great games. It is about using the technology available to a game designer to create a unique experience for others. A game designer may have an idea to create a system within a game that they believe will be satisfying to the player, but due to the technology they are working with, they may not be able to fully realize that idea. In this case, the designer will need to come up with a compromise to achieve their goal. As time has gone by and technology has advanced, the need to compromise has diminished, meaning a designer will have much more freedom to create psychologically engaging interactions with the players. This intersectionality of psychology and technology in game design is what drives the industry forward, leading to new and innovative games for everyone to enjoy.

Keywords

Game Design, Video Games, Technology, Psychology

Document Type

Thesis

Year of Completion

2021

Major

B.S. Information Systems

Advisor

College of Management

Academic Department

Business Administration

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