Aesthetics, Communities and Teamwork

Aesthetics, Communities and Teamwork

Paul Taylor 2010

The N00bz Guide To Onslaught

The Basic Game Spaces

LinearGrid BasedWeb basedPoints in spaceDivided Space

Putting some of these in a blender can make a really interesting gamehttp://tech2.in.com/media/images/2010/Apr/

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http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2006/07/14/g_prey1_wideweb__470x349,0.jpg

Landmarks• How do landmarks affect

the game space?

• Where is the centre of the University?

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:FpCHZqpkuKCCMM:http://www.gamersbin.com/content/attachments/54-jpg/?cid=18&t=1

http://www.alamedainfo.com/Santa%27s_Village_Sky_Forest_CA_RO_20_B_1955.jpg

http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Entertainment/images-4/death-star.jpg

Architecture and Christopher Alexander

• He’s a highly regarded old guy who made cool buildings

• His work was on creating spaces shared by objects that have gestalt

• Gestalt: Something that is more than the sum of its parts

http://www.patternlanguage.com/portraits/ca.res.arch1small.jpg

C. Dog’s definition of Spaces with Gestalt

They feel:• Alive• Whole• Comfortable• Free• Exact• Egoless – connected to the universe• Eternal• They are free from inner contradictions

http://www.palgrave-journals.com/udi/journal/v12/n1/images/9000182f3.gif

Inner Contradictions• This is what you can buy now on the shopping

channel

• Write down what something is supposed to be, then look at what it actually is

• If they are different it’s an inner contradiction

• If the pilot of your aeroplane turns out to be a chicken this is an outer contradiction (the aeroplane is supposed to have a pilot, this is true)

• Given we are considering objects• *When considering spaces, the aeroplane would

be a space with an inner contradiction.

http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/profile-ak-snc4/object2/879/69/n112297222145613_4650.jpg

http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100317074057/southpark/images/thumb/4/42/DeadCelebrities03.jpg/250px-DeadCelebrities03.jpg

Breaking the Laws of Realism

“Finding this balance is critical in determining the amount of detail to put in, and how to keep the player focus to the path. In addition, we want the Uncharted world to feel bigger than what is actually constructed - that means crafting taller buildings, longer streets, wider views, steeper inclines, and opening up the world to create a heightened emotional connection and make every player gasp at how rich and vast our world is.“

Source: http://features.cgsociety.org/story_custom.php?story_id=5545

Things that can mess up your world

• Eye Height– We assume eye height, which in a 3rd person

perspective makes us VERY tall.• Doorways– Players assume doors are made to fit people

• Texture Scaling– Yes, you even need to measure the size of the bricks

on the walls.• Rescaling Rooms• If you build a perfect scale room, players will

probably hate it– In life we can walk around easily in a room– In games we move far more clunkier and in a more

clumsy manner, getting stuck

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_QradY5UUNUE/S6YxR6IH-bI/AAAAAAAADUI/Zn0YPir5i8Y/s640/man+stuck+in+wall+thing.jpg

• So just make the room bigger, and space everything out more– This makes the room look too

sparse and weird• Make the whole lot bigger,

room and objects– You’ll end up making the player

feel like a midget or a child• Make the room larger, and the

objects a little bigger– This was done in Max Payne and

works well• Perhaps your solution will be to

give the player the dexterity they are used to in life?http://prplanet.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/failure.jpg

Mechanics

Story (when used) Technology

The Aesthetics of your WorldThe aesthetics of your world is how you tie the

elemental tetrad together:

The better you do, the more aesthetic appeal your game will have

Aesthetics

The Aesthetics cont.

• Sound• Technology• The Distant Mountains of JRR Tolkien• Balancing Technology– A lot of the artwork is powered by your crack

programmers– They are typically crack programmers NOT artists

Communities

http://www.karagwe.com/images/content/Community.jpg

Supporting Gamer Communities

• What drives players towards multiplayer gaming?

• Competition• Collaboration• Socialising• Exploring with friends• Exploring our own abilities

Why do players join a community?

• Membership• Influence• Integration and fulfilment of Needs• Shared Emotional Connection

Why do we care? What do we get?

• Extended Play time• A longer period of Contagion– Basically how long viral advertising exists– Word of mouth, Facebook, ...

So how do we build a Community?

#1 Give players the ability to talk (Nintendo??)• Give them someone worth talking to– Make it easy to find people based on how players are aligned

• Give them something worth talking about– Complex games have an inherent interest that will support

discussions, other games you may need to find ways of generating interest

• Allow players to form friendships– Allow players to meet easily– Allow players to connect easily– Allow players to re-connect!

#2 Conflict

• According to Jonathan Baron (old online gaming creator dude) conflict with something is the heart of every community.

• Having something to oppose or defend is what ties communities together.– Bushfires– Wars– Anarchists??

• The conflict can be against each other or against the game.

#3 Architecture

• The structure of your community can control how players communicate, and who with.

#4 Community Property

• People love ownership!!– When they are part owners, players will tend to

talk more and keep stronger friendships.

#5 Allow Expression

• Players love to be able to express themselves• Being different (or the same) is so important

to people normally, and in game it is equally important.

• Look up the different Mii’s on Google if you want to see how far players have gone with a very simple customisation tool.

#6 Support all three levels of player

• N00bs– Require help– Should be nurtured

• Normal Players– The easiest to cater for, they look after themselves

• Uber L33t Players– They have finished your game, how do you keep them?– Allow them to help n00bs, give them input into the game– Make an insanely difficult mode

#7 Make your players Dependant on Each other

• If players can finish the game on their own, the incentive to team up is greatly diminished

• Be wary of drop outs and over-dependance

#8 Manage your Community

• Community Gardening• Plant Seeds• Grow Flowers• Use Pesticide on Weeds!

#9 Obligation and Commitment

• People generally feel bad when they commit to something and don’t do it.

• This effect drive WoW. Players are committed to their guild and will let the guild down if they miss a raid, loosing social status with their friends.

• The Pax guild attempts to overrule this inherent dependence in WoW

#10 Create Community Events

• No WoW Dance Parties• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sktU62NlV

ag• Really No!

• These form part of your interest curve• Highlights in the interest curve!• Possibly lowlights too (see above)

Weeding your Garden

• The weeds are the players who enjoy torturing other players.

• They are absorbed in their power over others, and use it to spoil their experience.

• Play Halo in the n00b servers to experience this

What types of garden do weeds grow in most easily?

• PvP Combat• Stealing– Money, Inventory, Kills

• Trading– If players can misrepresent items the weeds will grow

• Obscenities– Fanboys are #1 at this– Smart filtering can remove tones of chat abuse.– Voice communications are a lot trickier, these need to be

policed and the weeds crippled in a fashion.

• Path Blocking– Make doors over 2 players wide, or allow players to

push each other around• Loopholes & sploits– You need to watch for these and fix them as possible.

The quicker you fix things the less damage the weeds will do.

– If you run an MMO perhaps charge players based on server-CPU usage.• This would only cost ridiculous players a heap (Gold Miners)

Playtesting

The Four types of testing you should know:• Focus Groups– Research (To be effective they must be well run)

• QA Testing– Bug Hunting

• Usability Testing– Is your interface as intuitive as you believe?

• Playtesting– This is the BIG one for games, bringing people in to play

your game and see if it engages and immerses players.

Playtesting Isn’t Fun

You are paying (or inviting) people to rip apart your game.

After surviving your T-Rex and every Executivasaurus, your little baby idea was almost ready to walk, a bunch of kids come in and rip it a new one.

Why it is important

• You are not perfect, and you will F*#k up sometimes.

• If your team doesn’t figure it out, then hopefully the playtesters will.

• If they don’t your mistake will be torn MUCH harder by the community, (and consequentially your bosses!)

Playtesting and Prototyping (Why Test)

A Playtest is pretty much a prototype of your game experience

To this end the questions you ask your playtesters need to answer that question.

There is no real list of questions you must ask, looking through the book of lenses can generate a lot of good questions about your experience!

Another important part of Playtesting is finding out who is enjoying the game and who isn't!

Playtesting (Who)

• Your Developers• Friends• Expert Gamers• Tissue Testers (Kleenex)– Fresh Meat– You can only use them once

Playtesting (Where)

• In your Studio• In a Playtesting Lab• In a public place

• At the playtester’s house• Over the internet

Playtesting (What)

• How are you going to get players to answer your questions?

• Are you going to remove parts irrelevant to the test?

• Look out for surprises, they can be your most valuable feedback

Playtesting (How)

• Once you have everything in place, you need to get your data

• Cameras• One way mirrors• Player faces• Controller Inputs• A Survey• Interviews

Games Transform Players

Are Games good for you?

Yes

No

Kindof

Positive Effect #1

Emotional Maintenance• Games can control a players mood and

emotional state• They can make you happy• Allow the player to vent anger / frustration• Give the player space from the real world• Build a persons confidence• Relax and Unwind

Positive Effect #2

Connecting

• Games can make it easy for people to connect– Remove the social boundary of speech for mute

people– Remove body image from conversations

Positive Effect #3

Exercise Yes Exercise

No one can argue it.Games can give you a mental workout.

Some games such as wii ARGs, and project natal promise level of physical exercise too

Positive Effect #4

Education, the terrible E word.

My teachers never figured out that education and fun can happen at the same time.

How does the format of a game compare to the format of a year at High School?

TAOGD

PlayersGoalsAchievementsTime LimitsScoresFeedbackChallengesExamsHigh Scores

TAOGD

PlayersGoalsAchievementsTime LimitsScoresChallengesBossesHigh Scores

StudentsAssignmentsHanding in AssignmentsDue Dates, Class TimesGradesAssignmentsExamsENTER Scores

Why not just games then?

• Time variations• Pacing• Oldies• Development Quality vs Time• So what have you learnt from games?

My Learning from games (some of)

• War Strategies (Command and Conquer)• German Sheppards are all over Africa (RE5)• A lot of Mythology (Tomb Raider, Uncharted½)• How to aim and shoot (Point Blank, Virtua

Cop)• Problem Solving Skills (Layton, ScribbleNauts)• Zombies should have the brain severd at the

stem (all zombie games)

Positive Effect #5 Problem Solving

• All games teach this to an extentJust remember a game is a problem solving

activity approached playfully

Given the rise in gaming, how much better is our world going to get at problem solving?

Relationship Systems

• According to Miller’s Pyramid of learning the most effective way to learn is to do.

DoesShows

Knows howKnows

• Complex Relationships are extremely hard to present linearly

• Lectures• Tutorials• Labs• BooksAll of these are linear, games allow for learning

through toying with relationships

Positive Effect #6 – New Insights

• You can experience events from different viewpoints and perspectives

Positive Effect #7 - Curiosity

• Curiosity is our natural learning ability. Games support this fantastically (Not as good as the internet, but sometimes a lot more fun)

Negative Effects

ViolenceCan people be desensitized?

Addiction

• Is self-destructive gaming new?

Experiences

• What do you do with bad experiences?• Trash-Talking

• In the real world violence is a form of communication, typically a last resort

Designers (you) have Responsibilities

Lawyers will make your published game legal, but you must make it responsible

Especially in games where players interact, you should have ways of dealing with excessive

bullying

References