Gamestar Mechanic

G*M Strategy Guide
Institute of Play will be developing a strategy guide for Gamestar Mechanic that annotates the experience through documentation of the narrative, characters, creatures, design challenges, player-produced games, and game design lessons. More than an instruction book for play or series of lesson plans, the guide explores the world of game design from the perspective of an apprentice designer, moving players through the challenge and wonder of the G*M world, while enabling them to go deeper into concepts explored in the game.

The format: What is a Strategy Guide?
Traditional strategy guides are instruction books that contain hints or complete solutions to videogames. Most often published in print, they take on book form and are highly illustrated with screenshots, character art, instructional and narrative text and other game materials. Players use strategy guides to work through games, and many games are designed to be so complex that players must use the strategy guide to successfully complete the game.

Why a Strategy Guide?
G*M foregrounds the game design process as a critical mode of inquiry and learning for players. The strategy guide will act to reinforce this value by giving players another learning resource through which to study the game’s principle concepts and strategies. As an easily referenced, comprehensive source for the specialized language, practices, and problems being explored by players, teachers or other facilitators can use the guide as the basis for related curriculum and instruction.

Elements of the G*M Strategy Guide
The contents of the strategy guide will follow that of a typical game guide including:

• Detailed gameplay information, including design strategies not detailed in the in-game tutorials or challenge screens.
• Complete maps of the game, which show the placement of all game design challenges (including hidden, bonus, and advanced ones)
• Detailed explanations of specific challenges, the inventory available, and tips and tricks for making games around each.
• Detailed information on the 6 Gaming Schools that comprise the conceptual fabric of the world, including overviews of the six different game design schools of thought, sample portfolios of games and creature sets for each school, and bonus design challenges that can be completed by players to unlock hidden creatures.
• Details of all creatures, including creatures that are part of future expansion packs.
• Checklist of creatures and challenges.
• Walkthroughs of challenges in the form of worked models.
• Instructions for the editor, workshop, and challenge map.

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