Game and gamification design glossary
Here you find some of the keywords concerning serious games, game design and gamification.
Special | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | ALL
A |
---|
ActionA game action arises from the rules of the game. Actions guide gamer’s behaviour and gives her/him a possibility to interact with the game and other players. | |
Applied gameA synonym for serious game. Have a look at Serious game. | |
ArtistIn game development artists are responsible for the artwork, often designing the landscape, the objects and the avatars of the game. The audio components are often designed by sound artists. | |
AssetGame assets are tangible or perceivable elements of a game, including the appearance and behaviour. Examples of game assets are images, textures, 3D models, sounds and scripts. | |
Augmented realityThe integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a totally artificial environment, augmented reality uses the existing environment and overlays new information on top of it. | |
Authoring systemAn authoring system helps to develop a narrative structure of a game based on collection of game assets and a creative intent that manages the visual and temporal flow of a serious game. | |
B |
---|
Brief game design documentA short, simple and informative version of the game design document. The brief game design document (BGDD) is easy to approach and is used both to support the game development and inform third parties. | |
C |
---|
CharacteristicsCharacteristics of the game define what player can do during the game. | |
Characterizing goalAn additional goal of a serious game in addition to entertainment goal. | |
Concept demoAn interactive demonstration, a partly implemented game that is used in, for example, presentations and evaluations. The main goal of concept demo is to deliver the main ideas of the game concept. It is also a main tool when seeking funding for the game development. | |
Concept documentA high-level document with a purpose to deliver the main ideas of the game concept. It is also used when seeking funding for the game development. | |
ConflictGames are built around the conflicts. Depending on the game, solving of conflicts require different things like, for example, intelligence, precision, timing, speed or tactic eye. | |
ContentThe content of the game consists of assets, often designed by artists. Examples of content are avatars, houses, trees, other related objects, and sounds. At runtime, the content is brought to life by the game engine. | |
D |
---|
DesignGame design is an iterative development activity consisting of, for example, creation of game characteristics, rules, challenges, game world, story and goals. | |
Design documentThe game design document (GDD) is a highly descriptive living design document of the design for the game. Game design document is created and edited by the development team and it is primarily used in the game industry to organize efforts within a development team. | |
DesignerA game designer is responsible of the game design process and s/he has important role when communicating with stakeholders, especially in the case of serious games. Game designer has the key role when designing the substance of the game and, for example, game mechanics. | |
E |
---|
Educational gameA subgroup of serious games, mainly targeted to formal educational sector from elementary schools to higher education, vocatioanal training, and collaborative workplace training. | |
EngineA game engine is a software framework designed for the creation and development of video games. Developers use them to create games for consoles, mobile devices, personal computers and web. Game engine brings game content to life. | |
Entertainment gameA game that is designed to give pleasure to the player while the player is actively involved in game activities. | |
G |
---|
GameA form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal. Games always base on rules which is the main difference between the game and the play. | |
Game experienceA subjective user experience of the game. Synonym for Player Experience. | |
Game flowAn experience during gaming characterized by exclusive concentration on the game. | |
Game jamA fast-paced group of activities in which small teams develop a game from concept to realization in a very short time such as 48 hours that is the most typical time frame for hackathons. | |
Game worldAn artificial universe, an imaginary place in which the events of the game occur. | |
GameplayA specific way in which players interact with a game. | |
GamificationThe concept of applying game mechanics and game design techniques to engage and motivate people to achieve their goals. | |
Gamified applicationAn application that has been developed from the point of view of gamification. Have a look at Gamification. | |
Gamified learningLearning that is based on gamification. Have a look at Gamification. | |
GenreGenre of the game describes how player acts in the game. Examples of game genres are action, adventure, role-playing, strategy, simulation, puzzle, sports and education. | |
GoalGames usually have goals that are strongly dependent of the game. Different types of goals are, for example, to get points as much as possible or to go through the game as fast as possible. | |
H |
---|
Hardware platformA set of compatible hardware on which software applications can be run. | |
L |
---|
Learning gameA subgroup of serious games, mainly used to address informal learning whereas educational games focus on formal learning in dedicated educational institutions. Have a look at Educational game. | |
Leisure gameA synomym for entertainment game. Have a look at Entertainment game. | |
LevelA game level is a section or part of a game. Often games are broken up into levels and to complete a game level, a gamer usually needs to meet specific goals or perform a specific task to advance to the next level. | |
M |
---|
MechanicsGame mechanics means the interaction with game and the gamer focusing on internal management of interactions. | |
MockupA scale or full-size model of a design or device, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, and other purposes. | |
P |
---|
PersonalizationTailoring the game according to individual characteristics of the player. | |
PlatformIn the case of computer systems, platform can mean different things like, for example, hardware platform or software platform. Have a look at Hardware platform and Software platform. | |
PlayAn intrinsically motivated human activity without explicit rules. | |
PlayabilityA set of properties describing the user experience of the specific game. | |
Player experienceA synonym for the game experience. Have a look at Game experience. | |
Playful applicationAn application that consists of play or fun. | |
Playful learningUsing play activities to immerse ourselves and learn. | |
ProducerA game producer is the person in charge of overseeing and funding development of a game. | |
ProductionGame production comprises content production and game programming. | |
ProgrammerA game programmer is a software engineer, programmer, or computer scientist who primarily develops codebases for games or related software. Often there are many types of game programmers. The lead programmer translates the design into a technical specification for the game and then delegates tasks to the programming team. General programmers work on a whole range of tasks, often working with code that other programmers have written. | |
PrototypeA game prototype represents the game core game mechanics on an abstract level, and the rule system of the game without narrative, audio and visual overlays with digitized interfaces. Prototypes are used as a qualitative and iterative tool at different levels of development in various design fields. | |
PublisherAn organisation or individual publising the product or service that have been developed either internally or together with developer. | |
R |
---|
ResourcesResources of the game help gamer as s/he strives towards the goal of the game. | |
RulesRules of the game define what gamer is allowed to do and what gamer is not allowed to do. | |
S |
---|
SceneA game scene is a distinct state of the game that displays different information, and there is some way for the user to get from one scene to the next. | |
Serious gameA game designed for any purpose rather than entertainment. The line between serious game and entertainment game is thin because many entertainment games can be used for non-entertainment purposes which in a sense makes those suitable for serious gaming. Some entertainment games are published as serious editions like, for example, business edition, educational edition etc. | |
SimulationAn environment that is close to real life and designed for skill transfer to the real world. | |
Software platformA software environment that is used to write applications and run them. | |
StoryA narration of events that are somehow connected. Stories can be presented in many ways like, for example, in the form of written words or a drama performed by actors. | |
StorytellingThe social and cultural activity of sharing stories, often with improvisation, theatrics, or embellishment. Creating stories with the help of storytelling is an important part of the game design. | |
SynopsisA brief summary of the major points of a subject or written work or story. | |
V |
---|
Virtual realityA computer-generated environment or reality that is designed to simulate a person’s physical presence in a specific environment that is designed to feel real. | |
Virtual worldA computer-generated environment that is designed and shared by individuals so that they can interact in a custom-built, simulated world. | |