Isolating Game Elements: Screenflow

Games work as any ordinary application available at any app market out there. Most people think about making games like an exotic adventure leading where no other human has gone before. And it is true somehow! However, to discover all creative activities a game project might offer, first we have to stick to reality and see games like any other application. What is creative and innovative might be beyond the basics of game production.

The Isolating Game Elements series brings to you everything about game design as independent elements. Gameflow is part of it and provides consistency to your project. Analyzing general game screenflow helps you think about a game from a most remote point of view possible. Suggested structure presented at Figure 1.0 introduces a basic game screenflow.

Figure 1.0 - Although it isn´t something new, this is a General Game Screenflow
proposition to help designers involved in a game project to visualize
whole general screens.

The Company Logo screen (1) is well known by most of gamers. This screen usually displays the company´s logo for a few seconds, plays some music and game flows automatically to next screen. Konami has always the same company logo screen displayed for years. Remember that the function of this screen is to present information about companies involved in the game production process. Inserting more than 2 logos, unless carefully thought, might result on a crowded screen where no information is absorbed.

Main Menu screen (2) is, well, the center of unplayable things at a game. You can go to any screen, configure things and get things ready to start the game itself. Usually, this screen provides a little bit more information and is thematic. As a designer, you must convince players that they are entering into a new reality and it might involve character fonts, colors, textures, patterns, sounds and a convincing logo. The player must get excited to see what happens next, even in a screen that was supposed to be not so cool. Options´ screen (5) includes everything related to configurations and purchases before the game starts including sound and special effects volume, color configurations and specific things. Also, from Main Menu screen (2) player might have option to leave the game.

Games usually have similar menu
screens.

Either arcade machines, video games or mobile games,
main menu has to be simple and intuitive to help player
start interaction.

Main menu is also a place to invite players to try the game,
it is a chance to show what´s coming next and why player
should press start.

Main Game screen (3) is where all party happens. Game´s core runs exactly there and because of that, it is not subject of this article. However, we must pay attention to always leave some options for the player to leave this match after it gets started (9). Also from that screen, if the player has to configure anything else that hasn´t done at previous screen and anything specific from the game while it is running, it has to be available at Game Options screen (6). Main Menu and Main Game Screen are the Gameflow´s Hub and almost every screen might run around it.

Show clearly to player that the match is about to begin.

Use sounds, graphics and animations to know that from

this point, the focus is on the game.

When game´s core is running leave a quit option easily
available to player.

After the game gets played, there will surely be a result of this match: either positive(4) or negative (10). Even if a game seems to have no end clearly, it must have. Usually, player is complimented if some goal is reached or gets some regret message if this goal isn´t reached at all. Although "Game Over" message comes to our minds when we talk about Screen #10, most of recent games try to avoid this term to not be so aggressive to the player.

When game ends and player reached some goal, some compliment is needed.

The same way, make it clear that the player hasn´t reached the game´s goal.

Of course you’ll have to invite him to play again afterwards. Don´t be rude. =)

Pay attention to inform player´s performance. It´s important to catch
player´s attention and keep him coming to play again.

There might be lots of variation from this gameflow screens. As a designer, pay attention because details really make difference when we talk about games. And from this basic gameflow, you can do your homework faster and find some time to spend with innovations, Proof of Concepts (POC) and things with a different approach.