From Oxford Dictionary:

A first or preliminary version of a device or vehicle from which other forms are developed.

If we modify this for games:

An early version of a game from which further versions are developed.

Make it complete:

An early version of a game made to present and test certain game mechanics and visuals, to receive feedback on these and to guide later development.

Keywords:

• Present
• Test
• Feedback
• Guide

• How to receive feedback
  • Accept feedback openly
  • Incorporate quickly
  • Modify and test as soon as possible
• How not to receive feedback
  • Do not fight against feedback
  • Do not adamantly defend your mistakes
  • Do not make lengthy discussions on feedback

• Once you have a successful feedback loop
  • Start converting prototype to design
  • What most intrigued your testers?
    • Emphasize it in design
  • What was most boring and disliked?
    • Remove it if possible, or replace
  • Did you receive any nice recommendations? Incorporate them.
  • Did you discover new mechanics? Use them.

• Prototyping lets you see the problems in your mental design
• Prototyping allows you to take feedback
• Prototyping is cheap and fast
  • Saves you from blindly spending time and money
• Prototyping helps you save your ideas

• Prototyping is to be done just before the game design phase
• Prototyping allows you to better organize your design
• It can also be considered as the first step of game design
• You can also exit prototyping with a prototype document which includes how to read your prototypes and comments on core mechanics testing

• Game prototyping is usually done in 4 forms:
  • Physical
  • Digital
  • Visual
  • Textual

• Not all game ideas are immediately suitable for physical prototyping
  • Board games, puzzle games, strategy games are more suitable
  • Action games, Sports games are less suitable
• You do not try to prototype the whole game
  • Only prototype a certain mechanic, scene, level, theme, etc.

• Physical prototyping can be really fun
• But do not be charmed
  • You have to be quick
  • You have to be rough
  • Your prototype must be open to modifications

• Digital prototyping is used to see how certain mechanics work in the game
• You use a software to digitally prototype your game
  • Quickly
  • Cheaply
  • Roughly
• Do not get lost in details
• You do not have to program every single mechanic
  • Focus on what you want to present/test

• Rapid game development tools and no-code/low-code tools are famous for prototyping
• Construct 2D
• GDevelop

• GDevelop is one of the best tools in the market for rapid prototyping.
• It is open source and completely free to use
• It supports 2D and 3D development
• It doesn’t require knowledge any programming languages
• It doesn’t require an installation to use
  • GDevelop Editor

• The differences between physical prototyping and visual prototyping
  • Physical prototypes are interactable
    • Visual prototypes are static
  • Object of prototyping
    • Looks and appearance in visual prototype
    • Core mechanics in physical prototype

• It is recommended to check your core mechanics balance using textual prototyping
• You can also get help from Excel, programming etc.
• Game balancing in complex scenarios can be overwhelming
  • Sometimes you can figure out certain quirks only in testing

• Form groups of 2 and play the following game to test core mechanics balance
• You have three units to choose:
  • Warrior: 20 HP, 16 DMG, 8 AC, 50 G
  • Wizard : 12 HP, 24 DMG, 4 AC, 40 G
  • Rogue : 15 HP, 2x12 DMG, 6 AC, 60 G
• You have 180 G each.
• Build an army and fight each other
• See if you can find a dominating strategy
  • Is there an invincible army?
  • Is the rock-paper-scissors principle existing?

• You have to place your army in a 2 by 2 field

    X3 X4  <- rear row
    X1 X2  <- front row

    Y1 Y2  <- front row
    Y3 Y4  <- rear row

• Each unit can attack any unit in the opponent’s front row
• Only wizards and rogues can attack from the rear rows
• When a unit in the front row dies, the one in the rear row moves to the front row
• Rogues can attack twice a single unit, or attack once to each of two units
• All units attack simultaneously each round
  • There is no priority of attack
  • Enemy units can kill each other at the same round