Below you will find resources analyzing South Park: The Stick of Truth from a game design perspective, including an examination of its art style, player types, and of its game mechanics. This was done with the intention to explore how video games can be prototyped using non-digital materials. The breakdown of this mechanic was done in the span of a few weeks as part of the game design principles class at the Unversity of Central Florida.
This project utilized paper and other craft materials to recreate one of game’s mechanics, along with Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF for creating documentation. Videos were made using Adobe Premiere Pro.
Bartle Player Types
To learn more about what type of players would enjoy Stick of Truth and which ones might not click on the button below.
Game Design & Art Style
To see an what a game design document and art style guide for Stick of Truth might look like click the button below.
Physical Prototype of a Game Mechanic
Playtesting with a physical prototype is a good way to investigate if a game mechanic works in concept. While creating this prototype, I found it difficult to size things exactly as there were in game. However, I found that the size and style of the assets were not as important to the mechanic as clearly conveying to the player what to do.
For an example of this, check out the video below of a physical prototype of one of Stick of Truth‘s game mechanics: the sneaky squeaker.
Stephanie C Smith 