Game Design and Theories of Children's Play
Translated title
Spildesign og Teorier om Børns Leg
Author
Hatting, Jeppe Tobias
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2013
Submitted on
2013-05-30
Pages
34
Abstract
Der findes ingen samlet teori for spildesign; i stedet må designere støtte sig til samlinger af principper og best practices. I The Art of Game Design præsenterer Jesse Schell 100 "linser"—praktiske perspektiver og styrende spørgsmål, der kan guide designprocessen. Der er udført begrænset forskning, der direkte forklarer disse linser, mens børnepsykologien rummer omfattende viden om leg: hvad leg er, hvorfor den opstår, hvilken betydning den har for børns udvikling, og hvad der kendetegner god leg. I dette speciale forklarer jeg Schells linser gennem teorier om børns leg. Jeg begynder med at sammenligne leg, som den beskrives i børnepsykologi, med spil, som Schell beskriver dem, og viser, hvordan mange linser kan forstås og underbygges af legteori, samt hvad dette perspektiv kan bidrage med i brugen af principperne i praksis. For at illustrere udvalgte linser har jeg udviklet et Breakout-spil med en basisversion, der kun indeholder de centrale mekanikker, samt flere varianter, der hver demonstrerer en enkelt linse. Specialet peger på, at mange linser kan forklares med legteori og kan danne grundlag for mere dybdegående videnskabelig undersøgelse af principperne.
There is no unified theory of game design; instead, designers rely on collections of principles and best practices. In The Art of Game Design, Jesse Schell presents 100 "lenses"—practical perspectives and guiding questions that shape the design process. Little research directly explains these lenses, while child psychology offers extensive theories about play: what it is, why it occurs, how it supports development, and what characterizes good play. This thesis interprets Schell’s lenses through theories of children’s play. It begins by comparing play as described in child psychology with games as described by Schell, and shows how many lenses can be explained and supported by play theory, as well as what this perspective adds to using the principles in practice. To illustrate selected lenses, I developed a Breakout game with a basic version that contains only the core mechanics and several variants, each demonstrating a single lens. The thesis suggests that many lenses align with play theory and can serve as a foundation for more in-depth scientific research on these principles.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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