🕹️ Basic Gaming Concepts
While video games are more numerous and varied than ever before, we can boil down the similarities to three basic fundamentals: variables, loops, and IF/THEN statements. Nearly any game will have these, so try to include them in your own design!
VARIABLES
Anything that can change or be stored as information is called a variable. Do you wear the same clothes everyday? No, so your clothing is a variable because it varies. I could pick up a key, and then another one, changing my key inventory from 1 to 2. The number of keys has varied (changed). Other things that could be variables in games include:
- Health meters
- Scores and points
- Character appearances
- Backgrounds
- Coins
LOOPS
A loop is something that repeats an action over and over. You may have seen enemies where all they do is hop up and down in the same spot. Maybe you’ve seen an NPC (Non-playable character) walk the same circular path in the town square every day. The more complex the game, the harder it is to spot the loops. Or what about treasure chests respawning in the same area? Other examples of loops in you day-to-day lives may include:
- Repeating sounds in music
- Escalators
- Using your fork while eating a meal
IF/THEN STATEMENTS
IF/THEN statements are conditional actions that depend on other different actions.
- IF you have a key THEN you can open the lock.
- IF I use a potion THEN my health will restore.
- IF I pet the dog THEN it will wag its tail.
