Video Summary - Геймдизайн 1. Стейкхолдеры в игровой индустрии. Классификация игр

Main ideas / concepts

1) What a “stakeholder” is in game development

A stakeholder is broadly any interested party that participates in or affects a system.
Analogy: in football, stakeholders include fans/spectators, players, team organizers, etc.
In games, the key question becomes: who are the stakeholders involved in the gaming industry, especially those interacting with game development?

2) Stakeholders specifically involved in developing games (the speaker’s ~14 list)

The talk distinguishes stakeholders involved in development and their typical concerns:

Investors
- Invest money and want return/profit.
- Rarely care about how games are made; they mainly want evidence (e.g., graphs/forecasts) showing future earnings.
- Even for game development, it’s still a business—someone must cover:
  - salaries (programmers/developers),
  - finding/buying users,
  - advertising, etc.
Company management (management layer)
- Not just a “manager in a chair,” but the group that handles company-wide decisions and conflicts.
- Example mentioned: conflicts between departments (e.g., a “singer offended him” situation) escalate here.
Direct head / department leadership
- A more local “direct boss” figure managing the department and dealing with work-related issues.
Project manager
- Ensures the project doesn’t “catch fire” all at once.
- Coordinates deadlines across developers, artists, designers.
- Plans work, sprints, and department schedules.
- If something can’t be done on time, project managers face follow-up from management.
Game designers
- Their goal is to create “good/interesting” gameplay, but:
- They must operate under constraints (no infinite resources).
- Their job is to make the best use of available resources.
Designers related to interface & user scenarios
- In some companies these roles are combined; in others split.
- Focus on:
  - interface issues (what the player sees),
  - navigation through menus,
  - player goals and scenarios.
- Work closely with game designers.
Artists
- Receive tasks and produce assets accordingly (less involved in overall “why,” more in execution).
- Sometimes artists (rarely mentioned) can be outsourced: you deliver tasks, accept output, then they leave the project.
Programmers
- Similar to programming in other industries.
- Main difference: tasks are planned in sprints and implemented for a specific game product.
Testers (quality assurance)
- Their interest: that the game behaves exactly as designed/documented and “as written.”
- Therefore they need:
  - detailed documentation,
  - clarity and minimal ambiguity/questions.
- They interact with both designers and programmers like in other fields.
Analysts
- Either:
  - analyze the market in advance to decide what to build,
  - or analyze performance indicators of an existing project to find improvement opportunities.
Community manager
- Runs community/social presence to engage players who are already interested/“come to the project.”
- Not exactly the same as a marketer; closer to managing an existing audience relationship.
Comment managers
- Handle interactions in comments / when players try to reach the project.
Support department
- Handles problems reported by players/users.
- Speaker contrast (imperfectly stated, but the distinction is):
  - Support resolves user problems but doesn’t “solve the whole problem” beyond ticketed help (per wording).
  - Community/comment managers also engage and can get to know/understand issues, but are more focused on engagement than direct resolution.
Marketers
- Responsibilities include:
  - buying traffic for mobile games,
  - negotiating with stores/platforms,
  - for console/large projects: marketing/positioning and sales approach.
- Central question: what is the game about and how to sell it.
Joint / “invited” holders / focus-testing participants (mentioned at the end of the list)
- People can be invited in advance to do focus testing and provide feedback.

Concluding lesson: if you’re a game designer, you’ll end up interacting with all these roles, and each role will have its own questions.

3) Example lesson: rules can cause unintended player behavior (Golden Ball in football)

A football rule (“Golden Ball”) was introduced so matches couldn’t end in a draw:
- In extra time, the first team to score wins.
- (Speaker describes: in effect, instead of draws, a sudden-death point system is used.)
Unintended consequence:
- Teams discovered strategic incentives to play for conditions that make scoring earlier or later beneficial (including “if we lose, we still advance” logic).
- This caused teams to behave in ways that confused coaches.
The rule was eventually canceled.

Takeaway for game design:

Adding a mechanic/rule without anticipating emergent strategies can produce outcomes opposite to the intention.
Designers must consider what behaviors the rules induce.

4) Game development process: 3 main stages

The development pipeline is described as:

Pre-production (before full artist/programmer involvement)
- Designers + project management decide:
  - what the team will build,
  - create game design documentation (“analogue of notes/spec” that multiple roles can read).
- Documentation helps analysts and testers understand expected behavior.
- Translating the design into implementation tasks happens after.
Production (main development phase)
- Designers act like an information hub:
  - when questions arise (no documentation is perfect),
  - designers solve/clarify issues so development can continue.
Post-production support (after release)
- If it’s a live service / ongoing game:
  - development continues in a loop:
    - next addition/patch → repeat (pre → production → support),
  - until the project closes or changes.

5) “Smart” goal-setting methodology (practical instructions)

The speaker gives a “SMART analysis/goal formulation” approach (using a “Smart hockey?”-style example) and outlines goal properties:

A goal must be:
- Clear and specific — explicitly define what you will do.
- Measurable — define how you will know it’s achieved (e.g., pass criteria).
- Time-bound — set a deadline for when the result must be reached.
- Broken down into smaller sub-goals — convert a vague goal into smaller goals with their own deadlines.
- Significance defined — explain what happens if the goal is or isn’t achieved (consequences, and how it helps prioritize among other tasks).

(Example used: passing a school session using grades; then splitting tasks by subject and deadlines.)

Game classification: why it’s needed and how it’s done

6) Why classify games?

Classification is needed primarily for convenience and orientation:
- to understand what games exist and what category a project fits,
- to enable searching for comparable projects,
- to communicate genre expectations.
Classification is not universal or perfect:
- there can be multiple classification systems,
- some classifications were created “spontaneously” by communities rather than by a single authority.
The speaker emphasizes: if you’re uncomfortable, you can use a different classification system.

7) Example axes of classification (platform, genre, difficulty)

Platform classification
- Affects expectations and market entry.
Genre classification
- Helps compare games by shared interaction patterns (even if style differs).
Difficulty classification
- Games can be:
  - easy/hard to start and easy/hard to master.
- Difficulty tuning differs by audience/culture/genre.

“Classification by impressions” (most emphasized)

The speaker argues that because game design isn’t a formal science (“no professors,” no single universal method), a very useful approach is classifying games by what player emotions/impressions they aim to evoke.

8) Categories listed (with examples and what they mean)

Sensory pleasure (pleasure/awe)
- Player enjoys beauty/sound and can feel “hypnotized” in enjoyment.
- Examples mentioned:
  - Dance Dance Revolution
  - Journey, Limbo
  - FNAF (in relation to visuals/music impact timing)
  - Mirror’s Edge (described similarly by the speaker)
  - References such as Call of Duty / Crisis for visual pressure/impact (as described)
- Note: many games blend categories.
Fantasy / Fiction (immersion in unreal situations)
- Player experiences situations unlike real life.
- Examples:
  - Skyrim, Zelda, The Witcher
  - simulators fit partially depending on focus
  - Dota mentioned as “just barely” (speaker’s confusion/positioning)
  - Undertale, Stalker
- Fiction can also mean “fiction in your lived experience” (e.g., war-era settings).
Drama (story-focused games)
- Games where telling a story is primary.
- Examples:
  - Life is Strange
  - The Witcher (noted as more story-forward than gameplay-forward)
  - Control (partially fitting; narrative can be interrupted)
Challenge (challenge/pushing self-improvement)
- Not only “hardcore difficulty.”
- Can be personal goals, beating records, competing with friends, puzzles with pressure.
- Examples:
  - Tetris
  - Portal
  - Super Meat Boy (adding difficulty via new obstacles)
Socialization
- Interacting with other people is a core feature (co-op or team-vs-team).
- Examples referenced later:
  - Dota, Overwatch
Competition (direct rivalry, win vs others)
- Focus is on competitive outcomes.
- Examples:
  - Counter-Strike
  - other online competitive shooter references (speaker mentions “Unreal Tornado”)
Exploration / Unknown territory
- Player wants to walk around, discover interactions, and see “what happens next.”
- Examples:
  - Uncharted
  - GTA, Minecraft (sandbox/open-world analogies)
  - Horizon, Terraria mentioned in passing
Self-knowledge / Self-expression
- Player choices express identity.
- Examples:
  - Need for Speed customization
  - The Sims
  - Minecraft customization and role-playing aspects
  - RPGs and character builds (incl. D&D inspiration)
Hobby / Time-passing / Relaxation
- Relax, avoid thinking, repeat actions; often “endless” entertainment.
- Examples:
  - MO (MMO-like / grind-heavy games)
  - Cookie Clicker
  - Candy Crush Saga (noted as broadly used even if it’s completable)
- Key traits:
  - quick rewards,
  - immediate feedback,
  - easy interruption/return (resume instantly idea for mobile)

9) Important meta-point

Most successful games do not fit exactly one category; many overlap to appeal to broader audiences.
The speaker indicates a future lecture/homework connects these categories to deeper design frameworks.

Mechanics framework (MD system): how to link impressions to rules

10) MD system: mechanics, dynamics, statics (as a lens)

The speaker references Mechanics–Dynamics–Aesthetics (MD):
- Designers work on separate game “features” (mechanics).
- The full player experience emerges later.
- Players perceive the result as aesthetic experience (pleasure, drama, etc.).
Core instruction:
- When analyzing a game, look beyond aesthetics and ask:
  - what rules/mechanics/dynamics produce those player impressions?

11) Examples of what mechanics could lead to each impression category

Sensory pleasure
- Rhythm and responsiveness
- Audiovisual unusualness
- “Flow” state:
  - intuitive controls,
  - automatic-feeling actions,
  - low-friction delays
Fantasy / Fiction
- World must be built so “no questions arise”:
  - believable,
  - no immersion-breaking logic contradictions
- Example logic: a bread-based game works if you don’t constantly question why bread behaves.
Drama
- Strong focus on story
- Captures the desire to find out what happens next
- Not “game as movie,” but narrative-driven curiosity
Challenge
- Good controls/responsiveness and/or difficulty escalation
- Example: Tetris provides challenge without being “incredibly hard”
- Most games gradually become harder
- Difficulty structure described:
  - casual (easy to start, mastery not too hard)
  - easy-to-start but hard-to-master
  - hardcore (hard to start and hard to master)
- Challenge games often increase difficulty gradually by adding new obstacles/mechanics
- Example: Super Meat Boy adds obstacles/mechanics over time
Socialization
- Game design encourages/requires interaction:
  - co-op or teamwork
- Chat isn’t strictly required; interaction can happen through gameplay.
Exploration
- Possible requirements:
  - open-world design (noted as expensive),
  - nonlinearity,
  - discovery/replay interest
- Example: Minecraft combines exploration via building + survival + discovering biomes/items.
Self-expression
- Customization systems and meaningful choice aesthetics
- Examples:
  - Need for Speed customization framing
  - The Sims marketing/audience fit
Hobby
- Endless/long sessions
- Quick rewards and immediate feedback
- Easy interruption/return (mobile-like “turn on and instantly play”)

Summary of “development stage loop” for live games (instruction-like recap)

If the game is continuously updated:
- release → support → next addition/patch
Each patch repeats:
- pre-production (design docs/decisions)
- production (implementation with designers clarifying issues)
- post-production support (testing/release/continue loop)
Continue until closure or a major change.

Speakers / sources featured

Speaker/lecturer (unnamed): the sole speaker delivering the lecture on game design, stakeholders, classification, and the MD system.
External referenced sources (not speakers):
- Internet graph/predictions for 2021 market share by platform
- A claim about a football story (“Golden Ball” rule) “in the nineties” (no named source or league provided)
- “Short article” the speaker plans to send later (no title/author provided)

(No other identifiable speakers, interviewees, or named authors appear in the provided subtitles.)

Геймдизайн 1. Стейкхолдеры в игровой индустрии. Классификация игр

Key takeaways