Benjamin D. Gibson
Software Development
«
Transforming Game Design Models into Domain-Specific
Languages using Model-Driven Engineering
Games research has used game design dungeon level design. Special thanks to
designers before this thesis. However, Kabo Ashwell for their websites, and Mark
models in order to build tools for
I found it odd that these efforts rarely
contextualized these processes within
their parent field of model-driven
Brown of YouTube show “Game Maker’s
Toolkit”.
engineering. To bridge that gap, my thesis Taking the first of these through to its
(DSL) development as it applies to game spanned last year’s fall and winter.
explored Domain-Specific Language
design.
I chose this dense, theoretical topic
because of my appetite for learning about
games. I developed three DSL plugins
in total, taken from designer discussions
on game loops, nonlinear narratives, and
70
Daniel Cook, Project Horseshoe, and Sam
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
integration in a prototype card game
Completing the final two DSLs before
spring let me submit this thesis to the
Foundations of Digital Games conference.
The program chair happens to be the
game scholar whose first book got me
into games research—quite the dream
come true!