How BioWare Used Design Principles To Create One Of The Most Loved Video Game Franchises
Mass Effect is a science fiction video game that took the video game industry by surprised when it was released. The game surrounds the main character, Commander Shepard, whose mission is to save the world and the galaxy from alien enemies known as the Reapers and their minions. The game is highly regarded for the story, the emphasis on player choices and how they change the experience of the game, voice acting and world building. 14 years after the first game’s release the love and support behind the game and the developers is huge. In light of BioWare releasing a remaster titled Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, I will talk about some of the design tools they used to create a video game that garnered such a fanbase and built a legancy within the video game industry. I got the information from the video linked below!
When designing a game like Mass Effect you need to be able to set the world up for the player and give the player ways to learn more about the game. One way to do that is advance organizing. Advance organizing is the act of giving the player chuncks of information or a way to look into the different things they’ll encounter in the game. For example, the codex in the game helps the player find out more about the game and the world the character is in. For each choice you make in the game also have more information about them available. Mass Effect has an extensive lore and does an amazing job with world building by using this technique.
Mass Effect uses a technique called classical conditioning to it’s advantage in the game. Using triggers such as lights, vibrations or screen changes in the game to let the player know something is about to happen. A good example of this in Mass Effect is when your enemies show up out of nowhere. Eventually you'll catch on to the fact that the sound you heard prior to your enemies showing up means danger. It’s training your brain for further interactions within the game so that you react faster in the future.
The most commonly used technique is color. The use of color to signify or put emphasis on areas, objects, people and more is used in almost every field of design. In the game doors that you’re able to interact with have a green glow while the doors with a red glow are locked. It’s also common for artists to change the hue and saturation of objects, places and people to put more emphasis on them for the player. Color can also be used to tell the player where inflicted damage is coming from during combat and what kind of enemies you’re facing.
Thruoughout the game there are tons of different design tools used to build the world you play in and navigate it. The game is widely regarded for its world building, narraction, story and emphasis on the players ability to change the outcome of the game with their own choices so its only natural to see so many tools of design applied to the game. It’s no wonder 14 years later the fanbase is as big as ever and is apart of video game history.
