作者：Jeffrey Fleming

史帝芬·马瑞察克（游戏邦邦注：Steve Meretzky，他是Playdom游戏设计副总裁和Infocom设计元老）早前在为期两天的GDC休闲游戏峰会开始称休闲游戏的定义是：“瞄准未把游戏视作生活核心要素玩家的游戏活动”。

steve meretzky from grandtextauto.org

马瑞察克在Playdom主要负责社交网络游戏和休闲游戏，他在大会还进一步描述休闲游戏所需包含的特性，称体验应能快速和轻松进行。

他补充表示，“觉得休闲游戏应该简单是个误区”，但它们需逐步呈现复杂性。休闲游戏应是非惩罚和非暴力内容。

它们应该融入简短回合，采用免费模式或收取极少费用。我们应该反驳这样的观点：觉得更大型、更持久、更困难及更复杂的游戏才称得上优质游戏，马瑞察克表示，“游戏问世已久，服务所有群体。”

他进一步阐述了休闲游戏的基本设计特性。首先其应该设有最低准入门槛。这说明我们要设计能够轻松入门，或基于传统游戏熟悉理念的游戏。

它们应具有简单，能够凭直觉操作的UI和控制装置。马瑞察克认为，“尽可能避免使用键盘，最理想的是仅使用鼠标左键。”

优秀休闲游戏设计应该设置短暂回合，玩家能够通过将短暂体验融入更大背景（例如前进叙述或在线排行榜和成就）获得创造性收益。

设计师应调整游戏适应用户，应根据族群特点设计外观和主题。马瑞察克提醒，“用户并不愚昧，他们能够判断游戏设计什么时候是在迁就他们。”

PlayFirst副总裁和创意总监Kenny Shea Dinkin鼓励设计师借鉴有关联系大众市场的大众理念。电视、热门电影和小说是有用向导，但设计师应避开不成熟和细分资源。

休闲游戏用户给予每日主题的反响很好，其掳获的成年玩家数量逐渐开始同电视黄金时间不相上下。

他还谈及休闲游戏特有的各种画面风格。高光泽和糖果色都非常适合街机风格游戏，开发商应随时运用高端画面和颗粒感创造令人惊叹的画面效果。具有幽默的游戏非常适合生动2D卡通景观。

但在审视成功作品组成要素方面，Dinkin称，“目前尚不清楚角色是否是最重要元素。”

此外，借助预渲染3D技术、图片和真实纹理创造超现实画面的游戏也颇具潜力。

游戏邦注：原文发布于2009年3月24日，文章叙述以当时为背景。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

GDC: Meretzky Talks Casual Game Design Principles

by Jeffrey Fleming

Defining a casual game as “A game intended for players for whom gaming is not a central part of their lives,” Steve Meretzky, VP of game design at Playdom and Infocom design veteran, kicked the off the two day Casual Games Summit at GDC.

Further describing the qualities that a casual game should possess, Meretzky, who is working on social network-based and other casual games at Playdom, said they should be quick and easy to begin playing.

“It’s myth that casual games have to be simple,” he added. However, they should reveal their complexity gradually. Casual games should be non-punitive and non-violent.

They should support short play sessions and be free or relatively inexpensive. Refuting the idea that games should bigger, longer, harder, and more complex to be considered good, Meretzky said, “Games have been played across the ages. Games are for everyone.”

He further elaborated on the fundamental design qualities of casual games. Foremost they should have the lowest possible barrier to entry. This means designing games that are quickly learnable or games that are based on already familiar concepts taken from traditional games.

They should have a simple, intuitive UI and control scheme. “Avoid the keyboard as much as possible and ideally just use the left mouse button,” Meretzky said.

A good casual game design should permit (but not require) short play sessions and creative gains can be had by fitting short play sessions into a larger context such as an advancing narrative or online leaderboards and achievements.

Designers should adapt to their games to their audience, matching the look and theme to their demographic without being condescending. “Your audience is not dumb, and they’ll know when you’re designing down to them,” Meretzky cautioned.

Kenny Shea Dinkin, VP and creative director of PlayFirst, encouraged designers to look to the popular arts for ideas on connecting with the mass market. Television, popular movies, and novels can be useful guides but designers should avoid adolescent and niche material.

The audience for casual games responds well to everyday themes and is increasingly open to an adult presentation on par with prime time TV.

He also examined the various graphical styles that characterize casual games. Hi-gloss, candy colors are very appropriate for arcade-style games and developers should feel free to employ high-end graphic and particles effects to create eye-popping images. Games with humorous characters are good fit for bouncy, 2D cartoon landscapes.

However, when examining the elements that make up successful games, “It’s not clear that characters are the most important,” Dinkin said.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, games that utilize pre-rendered 3D, photographs, and realistic textures to create hyper-real graphics have also found their place.（Source：gamasutra）