Designing a Puzzle Game

The process that goes into creating a viable puzzle game is fairly in-depth and complex. There is a lot of thinking that can make or break a puzzle, as it must be solvable, but not too difficult. However, if it is too easy,t he user will become uninterested in the game. "A puzzle is fun, and has one right answer," (How are Puzzle Games Designed?) according to Scott Kim. Puzzles are a relic of human history, having been with us for centuries as a form of working the brain, as well as functioning as entertainment. Thanks to computers, this ancient form is being brought to new light, as well as to new complexity. Moving images, video clips, music, etc. have made even the most basic puzzle into something new and more complex.

My project for the semester is to create a puzzle for the Green Ninja Project. This group creates media focused around protecting and preserving our planet's environment, so that will be the ultimate theme of the game. This will be based on various web-pages using HTML5, but will be coded in Java. This front-end, being composed on HTML5, will allow us to directly plug in the objects we need to make the game possible. (HMTL5, Java and the Future of Web Development) The ultimate goal is to create a puzzle that could be classified as combinatorial (How are Puzzle Games Designed?), as it will increase in difficulty, but be hand-crafted and not generated. This will allow for an experience that can cater to our target audience, who are children between the ages of 10 and 12.

If you wish to learn more about me or my project, please comment below and I will gladly answer.



How are puzzle games designed? (Introduction). (2011, April 16). Retrieved September 29, 2015, from http://devmag.org.za/2011/04/16/how-are-puzzle-games-designed-introduction/

HTML5, Java and the future of Web development. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2015, from http://www.theserverside.com/tip/HTML5-Java-and-the-future-of-Web-developement