Out of a brainstormed list of ideas, can make a snap decision with a best guess, but there are factors to consider to develop a seed idea. Pick one that has the best chance of being molded to the point it can survive this gauntlet. You may need to change one of the filters in the course of design, like finding a better fitting target demographic. The end goal is to satisfy all eight filters without needing to change.
Sometimes, there will be more filters. An edutainment game will also have to answer Does this game teach what it is supposed to?
Lens #13: The Lens of the Eight Filters
- Filter #1: Artistic Impulse: This is the most personal filter. You, as the designer, basically ask yourself whether the game "feels right" to you, and if it does, it passes the test. If it doesn't, something needs to change. Your gut feelings are important. They won't always be right, but the other filers will balance that out. Does this game feel right?
- Filter #2: Demographics: You game is likely to have an intended audience. This might be an age bracket or a gender or some other distinct audience like "golf enthusiasts." You will have to consider whether your design is right for the demographic you are targeting. Will the intended audience like this game enough?
- Filter #3: Experience Design: To apply this filter, take into account everything you know about creating a good experience, including aesthetics, interest curves, resonant theme, game balancing, and many more, Many of the lenses in this book are about experience design -- to pass this filter, your game must stand up to the scrutiny of many lenses. Is this a well-designed game?
- Filter #4: Innovation: If you are designing a new game, by definition there needs to be something new about it, something players haven't seen before. Whether your game is novel enough is a subjective question, but a very important one. Is this game novel enough?
- Filter #5: Business and Marketing: The games business is a business, and designers who want their games to sell must consider the realities of this and integrate them into their game's design. This involves many questions. Are the theme and story going to be appealing to consumers? Is the game so easily explainable that one can understand what it is about just by looking at the box? What are the expectations consumers are going to have about this game based on the genre? How do the features of this game compare to other similar games in the marketplace? Will the cost of producing this game be so high as to be unprofitable? Will retailers be willing to sell this game? The answers to these and many other questions are going to have an impact on your design. Ironically, the innovative idea that drove the initial design may prove to be completely untenable when viewed through this filter. Will this game sell?
- Filter #6: Engineering: Until you have built it, a game idea is just an idea, and ideas are not necessarily bound by the constraints of what is possible or practical. To pass this filter, you have to answer the question "How are we going to build this?" The answer may be that the limits of technology do not permit the idea as originally envisioned to be constructed. Novice designers often grow frustrated with the limits that engineering imposes on their designs. However, the engineering filter can just as often grow a game in new directions, because in the process of applying this filter, you may realize that engineering makes possible features for your game that did not initially occur to you. The ideas that appear during the application of this filter can be particularly valuable, since you can be certain that they are practical. Is it technically possible to build this game?
- Filter #7: Social/Community: Sometimes, it is not enough for a game to be fun. Some of the design goals may require a strong social component, or the formation of a thriving community around your game. The design of your game will have a strong impact on these things. Does this game meet out social and community goals?
- Filter #8: Playtesting: Once the game has been developed to the point that it is playable, you must apply the playtesting filter, which is arguable the most important of all the filters. It is one thing to imagine what playing a game will be like, and quite another to actually play it, and yet another to see it played by your target audience. You will want to get your game to a playable stage as soon as possible, because when you actually see your game in action, important changes that must be made will become obvious. In addition to modifying the game itself, the application of this filter often changes and tunes the other filters as you start to learn more about your game mechanics and the psychology of your intended audience. Do the playtesters enjoy the game enough?
(The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell, Carnegie Mellon University, 2008. Page 76-79)