Game Level Design: Gamasutra

A game level is a part of the game that the player usually needs to complete in order to complete a mission or objective. The completion involves a reward, next level that will increase in difficulty or high score.

The level designer creates the gameplay backbone, bringing together the logic and progress of the game. This is done by ensuring all aspects of the game are seamless in order to progress to the next level.

Over time, the workload for a level designer has lulled due to the workload being ‘shared’ among other work stations. Level designers now work in collaboration and more fully with nearly all the production team in order to create their level (programmers, modelers, audio, etc.).The possibilities for level designers in the future are that they will have a more significant role in the final production of the game. They will have a better understanding of what players want and be able to demonstrate these new understanding in order to create a pedigree game.

My favorite example of a “good” level design would have to be God of War 3. The levels are intricate and each hone in a puzzle to be solved in order to reach a specific area. The areas are thwarted by enemies that reappear stronger than before and require the player to defeat them in specific ways.