This page provides useful guidelines for the paper-based game design process.
Simple, beginner-friendly types:
Platformer (side-scrolling)
Top-down (bird's-eye view)
Puzzle
Endless runner
Tower defense
Metroidvania
๐ Genre determines the camera, controls, and level design.
You need a concrete, measurable goal.
Examples:
Important: A level can have 1 main goal + 1 optional goal.
๐ก Tip: The goal should always be visible and measurable to the player (e.g. "3/5 keys collected").
Clarify:
No losing condition โ no stakes.
โ ๏ธ Tip: The losing condition should be clearly communicated to the player (animation, sound, text).
The player's repeated sequence of actions.
If this is boring, the game will be too.
๐ก The best core loops are simple but deep: easy to learn, hard to master.
Draw on grid paper.
Mark:
Questions to ask:
๐ก Tip: At the start of the level, teach the mechanic without danger, then gradually increase difficulty.
Draw:
Write next to it:
For each type, write:
Don't design 5 types โ 1โ2 is plenty.
๐ก Tip: Give each enemy a unique movement pattern so the player can learn and adapt.
Enemy Type Templates:
| Type | Movement | Threat Level | Defeatable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol | Back and forth | Low | Yes |
| Hunter | Moves toward player | Medium | Yes |
| Turret | Stationary, shoots | Medium | Optional |
| Boss | Complex pattern | High | Required |
Draw a screen mockup:
Top area:
Separate screens:
๐ก Tip: Keep the HUD minimal โ only include what the player truly needs to see at all times.
Short and expressive.
๐ก Tips for a good name:
"A fast-paced platformer where you collect keys against the clock."
The pitch should answer: Who plays it, What they do, and Why it's exciting?
Template: "This is a [genre] where the player [main action] in order to [goal], while facing [challenge]."
Every new movement option is a new mechanic โ add them carefully!
๐ก Tip: Keep it simple. A basic attack + knockback system is perfectly sufficient for beginners.
Example:
Important: what motivates the player?
๐ก Tip: Think through the scoring "ceiling" โ what is the maximum score achievable in a level? This also helps with difficulty curve design.
Decide:
Difficulty increases should be gradual.
๐ก Difficulty Curve Template:
Game Loop: The game's continuous repeating cycle (Input โ Update โ Render). This runs 30โ60 times per second.
FPS (Frames Per Second): Frame rate. Shows how many times the Game Loop runs per second. 30 FPS is acceptable, 60 FPS is smooth, 120+ FPS is competitive-level.
Delta Time (ฮt): Time elapsed between the last two frames. Ensures movement stays consistent on slower machines. Without it, the game runs faster on faster hardware.
Event System: A messaging system through which different parts of the game communicate without directly knowing each other (e.g. "player died" event โ updates UI, plays sound).
Sprite: A 2D image representing an object (character, item).
Spritesheet / Sprite Animation: Multiple animation frames stored in a single image. The game cycles through them to create the illusion of animation.
Tile / Tileset: Square building blocks (e.g. wall, grass). A Tileset is a collection of these elements.
Parallax Scrolling: Moving background layers at different speeds to create a sense of depth. Closer layers move faster, distant ones slower.
Z-Order: The layering order (what's in front, what's behind). Elements with higher Z-values cover those with lower values.
Pixel Art: Low-resolution graphics drawn pixel by pixel โ a retro style that is achievable even for beginners.
Hitbox: An invisible area used to calculate collisions. Does not always match the visual exactly (often smaller, to make gameplay feel fairer).
Hurtbox: The area where the character can take damage. Can differ from the Hitbox (e.g. the hitbox of a sword swing shouldn't deal damage back to the attacker).
Collision: When two hitboxes meet and the game detects the contact.
Trigger: A hitbox you can walk through, but that fires an event (e.g. a door opens, a dialogue appears).
Raycasting: Firing an invisible "laser beam" (e.g. to calculate a bullet's path or check line of sight).
Gravity: A downward force that shapes the arc of a jump in platformers. Stronger gravity = faster fall, shorter jump.
Mechanic: A specific gameplay element (e.g. jumping, shooting, wall jumping).
State Machine: The character's current state (e.g. you can only jump if you're in the "grounded" state). Possible states: Idle โ Running โ Jumping โ Falling โ Hurt โ Dead.
Cooldown: Waiting time between two actions (e.g. you can't shoot every frame, only once every 0.5 seconds).
Spawn: An object appearing in the level (e.g. an enemy respawns, coins appear in random locations).
UI / HUD:
Balancing: Fine-tuning. Not too hard, not too easy โ the goal is a fair challenge.
Difficulty Curve: The rate at which difficulty increases throughout the game. The ideal curve is gradual with spikes (challenge peaks) that always return to a "rest zone."
Meta-game: Systems beyond the main gameplay (e.g. character progression, collecting, leaderboards).
Juice / Game Feel: The small visual and audio effects that make mechanics feel satisfying (e.g. a little jump animation, screen shake on hit, sound effects).
Onboarding / Tutorial: The process through which the player learns the rules โ ideally the game itself teaches them, without text.
Teams answer:
One team "plays" the other team's level.
Questions: