The Problem Statement

The problem statement is a strong tool in the game designer’s tool box. It has a lot of advantages and can help in different phases of the game design process due to its flexibility and practical approach.

So, what is a problem statement? A problem statement is a sentence that you can formulate to clarify a design problem. There is no limitation as to how precise or broad it can be formulated. The most important aspect is that it helps you to find out what problems your design will have to solve. As I have already said the problem statement can be very precise but also very broad but it should always lead to specific approaches on how to solve the problem.

If you are at the beginning of your production, chances are high that your problem statements will be broad and not very precise. An example for a very broad problem statement could be this:

“Can I make a mobile game about climbing mountains?”

Even if you’re not able to answer this question yet, it can definitely lead you to some first approaches and ideas and at the end of the road you should be able to answer this problem statement. If you want to make a game about climbing mountains it is very likely that you will have a “climbing feature” and because you want to make a mobile game, you may start to think that it would be a great idea if you could play the game with only one hand. So you could formulate a new problem statement that is more precise and easier to answer.

“Can I make a climbing feature where the player only needs one hand?”

This could be a good starting point for a prototype. So you could start to design an input pattern and mechanics that let the player climb some kind of mountain wall with some kind of character by using only one hand. If you think that your design approach could solve your problem or you think that you can only find the answer to your questions by prototyping it is time to start. Chances are high that you will face different problems while prototyping. For example you might find that climbing is boring and not very challenging. Or you might realise that it is hard to communicate to the player where he can climb the wall and where he can’t. So you have to repeat the process and formulate new problem statements.

“Can I make my climbing feature more dynamic and exciting?”

“How can I communicate to my player which edges he can climb and which edges he can’t?”

The advantage of this tool is that you can share it with a team. Everybody knows what problems you’re trying to solve and chances are high that your team members have ideas that can help solve these problem. Maybe an artist has a great idea on how to give the edges that the player can climb a unique and cool look that clearly communicates it and still looks natural. Or maybe your producer has an idea on how an energy feature could make climbing more exciting.

As long as your team members do not know what problem you’re trying to solve, it is a lot harder for them to come up with ideas that can help you.

Only a shared problem can be solved in a group.

It is important to mention that the more precisely you can formulate your problem statement, based on the information that you have, the better it is going to be. Precise problems are easier to solve. Do not fall into the trap of working with a problem statement that tries to solve too many problems at once for too long. If you realise that the problem statement is too broad and has too many components, it can be a good idea to split it into several problem statements that you can solve separately like we did in the beginning where the first problem statement lead to the other.

There will never be a perfect game. So you always have to prioritize your problems and, with them, your problem statements. Start with a broad problem statement and try to get more specific as you proceed. Try to realise which problems constitute the greatest risks to your game. A good orientation for that is your core gameplay. A concept that we will discuss next week.

Here is a list of a few more problem statement examples:

“Can we make a sandbox game with an interactive story?”

“Can we give our game an artistic look like a tattoo?”

“Can we make our game feel more responsive?”

“Can we make a f2p RTS game with a unique mechanic?”

“Can we come up with an unique setting for a 3rd person shooter?”

“Can we make the player feel responsible for the NPC’S in the game?”

“Can we make a combat system that is very dynamic and easy to learn?”

“Can we make a shooter with next gen graphics and 60 fps?”

“Can we make a  f2p casual game that captures the experience of being an archaeologist?”

“Can we make a balanced asymmetrical RTS game?”

“Can we make a FPS game with a progression system and infinite replayability?”

“Can we make a balanced fighting game where players can customize their characters?”