The concept of minimalism emerged in the mid-20th century as a counterbalance to the outdated modernism of that time. Simplification of forms and meanings reached the point of literalism, where forms, colors and objects indicate only the most obvious meanings. At the same time, minimalism is characterized by:
- Limited colors.
- Geometric shapes.
- Few details.
Minimalism in games is brevity and simplicity of presentation of the game. Intuitive interface, a minimum of unnecessary details and uncomplicated gameplay – only a superficial characteristic of such games. What does it take to create a game that adheres to the rules of minimalism?
Creating minimalistic games
To create a complete minimalist game, it’s important to consider:
- Constraint vs Intent.
Determine the reasoning behind the use of minimalism in game design. In the first case, the technique may be a forced necessity. This was the case in the early history of computer games, when the technique had limited capabilities and could not convey a high resolution picture. The first consoles produced only 8-bit sounds, and the picture is displayed in black and white. Therefore, game designers had to learn how to pass the maximum sense in a minimal form.
In the case of the deliberate stylization of the games of the late 80’s, everything is somewhat easier. As a result, there was a technodem and retro-futurism, depicted in games like Hotline Miami. Modern games in the style of technodem more technologically advanced than their ancestors, but their look and gameplay are made based on the concepts of minimalism. Popularization of the style is influenced by the development of portable devices, for which it is important small weight of the game and its mobility.
- Color scheme.
Correct work with colors helps game designer to get rid of unnecessary details. With the help of color you can achieve a certain mood and feeling of the game. Color conveys temperature, location, character. Drawing an analogy with cinematography or Instagram social network, the mood from watching a movie or a person’s profile sets the general tone, the color scheme. In game design you can safely use this technique.
- Silhouette.
Silhouette is the basis of readability. Check its readability for the user is not difficult: take the main character or an important object, and fill it with one color. Recognizable silhouettes allow you to get rid of unnecessary additional objects, so for minimalist games create understandable silhouettes.
- Point of View.
On whose behalf is the game played? At first glance, simple shapes can contain a lot of meaning. Even in a game with faceless cubic characters, a game designer can spiritualize them with offscreen text or cut-scenes.
- Contrast.
A standard technique for minimalism is to introduce a conflict of opposites into the story and game design. By creating a contrasting world, the game designer focuses the player’s attention on its most significant details. Contrasting characters and motivations of the character and the opponent simplify the understanding of the goal of the game. The use of hyperbolized large opponents creates a sense of mission significance, particularly if the goal of the game is to defeat a big boss.
The contrast in minimalism should remain obvious so that the player has no doubts as to whether he has understood the game correctly.
- Color coding.
With the primitive forms used to create the world in a minimalist game, marking meaningful objects with color can make the game intuitive. By marking in one color – red, for example – the goals the player must reach, the game designer eliminates the need for a map.
- Marking with sound.
Marking with sound is a tool that also affects the intuitive feel of the game. It can be used to indicate the danger or approach to the target, especially if you use this technique in the so-called “wanderers”, in which the main goal – the search for objects.
- Minimum of interfaces.
For a minimalist game-design tend to reduce the number of interfaces. For example, built into the playing field of the bullet counter and equipment, for the taking of which does not have to go to a separate screen significantly simplify the perception of the game.
- System design.
An important part of minimalism in game development was the development of convenient and intangible “iron”. Game joystick should become an extension of the player’s hand and not take time to adapt and learn to control. The mechanics of controlling a gaming device should be intuitive, otherwise the person will be distracted from the gameplay.
That’s why the Nintendo Wii device became so popular – the creators of the game joystick created it with real-world motion perception. As a result, in order to hit a ball in the game, a person needs to make the corresponding hand movement in real life. This simplifies immersion in gameplay in times.
- Minimal buttons.
It is not necessary to buy specific game devices to meet the rules of minimalistic games. Using a minimum number of buttons in the game mechanics or even just one button (but with a different number of presses) simplifies control. Complex key combinations or using different keys for similar actions in the game is impractical and too time-consuming. Minimalistic game play is limited to a limited set of keys.
- Minimal learning.
Lengthy training does not make sense in today’s stage of computer game development. More often than not, players already know the basic ways to control the game, and new mechanics are not difficult to make intuitive. Turn to the cinema – in it already understandable scenes from the life of the characters are reduced or even cut out altogether, because the viewer already understands what happened.
- Simplification of motivation.
Understandable motivation is the key to successful play. In order for a person to understand intuitively what he has to do, it is important to link the character’s motivation to images from the real world. This also applies to the flip side – the game items that can cause damage to the character.
For example, in the game Super Mario came out of this situation simply. The creators of the game were looking for an object that would make the player feel the desire to get something. As a result, it was decided to use the image of coins, which should collect the game character.
- As many skills, so many tasks.
New tasks should not be allowed to level up the skills gained in the past. The player should feel the development of their abilities, so each game task should become an order of magnitude more difficult. This is achieved by introducing new skills, or by making tasks more difficult using existing abilities.
- Narrative Design.
Minimalism in game design implies an intuitive understandability of the plot. The number of video scenes with explanations should be reduced, and for greater authenticity and the effect of the presence of the player can be placed inside the scene itself, giving him a fully circular view. Other elements of the game should also push the understanding of the plot.
- Development instead of plot.
Not all games are required to have a complex plot. To involve the player in the gameplay provide development of the character and the game world in the transition between levels. Emphasizing the personal sensations of the person, achieving maximum immersion effect.
- Minimal opponents.
Opponents are a component of gameplay, which in minimalist games is easy to overdo. By shifting the emphasis from the number of opponents to their importance and scale, game designer concentrates the player’s attention on the main events of the game, eliminating the unnecessary. Duels become more entertaining when their number is reduced.
- Minimal cinematography.
Scenes with an explanation of the plot is not necessary to do in the form of videos. By depicting them as comics, the game designer not only reduces the company’s expenses on the scene development, but also simplifies the understanding of the scene for the player himself.
- Minimal words.
Another technique for creating minimalist games is to reduce the number of words or completely abandon them. Silence can create a mood, in the silence the brain concentrates on other sensations, which is used in the creation of video games. By conveying the essence of the game solely through mechanics, the game designer provokes the creation of a new experience in the player.
Minimalism in game design is present in different games. It is used to emphasize certain features of a game or hide others. Minimalism helps to make the game concentrated and understandable.