Adams

Adams, Ernest W.

Game Design & Development Consultant

E-mail: ewadams@aol.com
Website: http://www.designersnotebook.com
Author of: The Designer's Notebook
Andrew Rollings & Ernest Adams on Game Design (with Andrew Rollings)
Break Into the Game Industry: How to Get a Job Making Video Games

Lecture Title: The Construction of Ludic Space
Abstract: Most modern graphics-based computer games depend for part of their entertainment value upon the presentation of a synthetic "space," an imaginary two- or three-dimensional region whose visual appearance is mapped onto the two-dimensional surface of the computer screen. In this lecture I discuss the physical and temporal characteristics of ludic space; the psychosensory limitations percieving ludic space compared to real-world architectural space; and the primary and secondary functions of ludic space.
The primary function is to support the gameplay by providing a context for challenges, and I discuss how this occurs. The secondary function is to inform and entertain in its own right by a variety of means: Familiarity, Allusion, Novelty, Atmosphere, and others. The lecture is profusely illustrated with examples from famous games. [In all honesty I must admit to having already delivered an earlier version of this lecture, informally, at Ars Electronica; however, this is a revised version. If accepted, I will of course write a proper paper for the Proceedings.]
Biography:
Ernest W. Adams is a 14-year veteran of the computer game industry, having worked as a software engineer, producer, and game designer. For 8 of those years he was at Electronic Arts and Bullfrog Productions, developing such titles as Madden NFL Football and the Dungeon Keeper series. He writes a regular column on game design called The Designer's Notebook for the Gamasutra webzine, and has recently completed a large book, "Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design," with Andrew Rollings (New Riders Publications, 2003).
Mr. Adams is also the founder and first chairman of the International Game Developers' Association.

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