Chapter 2.0Understanding Fun

“Funativity” – thinking about fun in terms of measurable

cause and effect

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Natural Funativity Theory Basic concept is that all fun

derives from practicing survival (and social, cuz it helps) skills

Key skills relate to early human context, but often in modern guise

Three overlapping categories Physical, Social, and Mental

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Hunting and Gathering For most of our species’ history we

were tribal hunter/gatherers Current popular games reflect this Shooters, wargames = hunting Powerups, resources = gathering Sims, MMO = social, tribal

interaction

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Physical Fun Sports generally enhance our str,

con, dex, etc. Exploration is fun

Both of local area and knowledge of exotic places

Precondition of hunting/gathering Hand/eye coordination and tool

use are often parts of hobbies etc.

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Social Fun Storytelling is a social activity

A way to learn important survival and social lessons from others

Gossip, sharing info w/friends popular

Flirting, showing off, finding mates is a key interest in social fun

Language is paramount

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Mental Fun Our large brains make humans

unique, improves our scalability Kinds of fun that enabled

civilization Pattern matching and generation

Music, Art, and Puzzles all pattern based

Gathering also depends on memory Various optimization problems

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Multipurpose Fun Games that mix several kinds of

fun tend to be very popular --> Incorporate ways to practice

these skills to increase the popularity of your game

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Definition of a Great Game A great game is a series of

interesting and meaningful choices made by the player in pursuit of (a clear and compelling?) goal

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Interesting and Meaningful Choices

Choices convey interactivity Choices may be dull and

uninteresting because it was easy to code that way, or they may be the reflection of a lazy designer (!?!)

Meaningful choices are perceived by the player as having significant consequences

May not have actual consequences…

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Clear and Compelling Goal Clear goals

it is not fun to flounder aimlessly Avoid the “protagonist with

amnesia” cliché Compelling goals usually follow the

concepts in Natural Funativity Survival is always a compelling

goal

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A Series of Choices No choice

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A Series of Choices Meaningless choices Obviously fold back into same

path Players discover this quickly

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A Series of Choices Infinite choices Quickly become unmanageable

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A Series of Choices Choose wisely Kill off player with any wrong

choice Better but frustrating (Dragon’s

Lair)

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Classic Game Structure A convexity Starts with a single choice, widens

to many choices, returns to a single choice

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Convexity Qualities Go from one to many to one Can be a level, an act, an episode Can be any kind of choice

Geography, weapons, tools, skills, technologies, quests

Examples Exploring an island Technology build tree

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A Series of Convexities Many games are chains of

convexities

Points of limited choice (A) alternate with points of many choices (B)

A A A A ABB B B

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A Series of Convexities Many overlapping or nested

convexities in great games Examples include Halo, Zelda

games, Civilization, Diablo II, many others

Player can be starting one task or area, in the middle of another, and at the end of a third, all simultaneously

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Why Is This Structure So Good?

Give the player choice but not an infinitely expanding set of choices

Mix of some “any order” choices (B) and some in fixed order (A), blending freedom with linear storytelling

Can be structured so players see most of the game, minimizing waste

Can have difficulty go up in new levels

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Psychological Advantagesof Classic Structure Alternating intense learning (A)

with time to practice (B) is the best way to master new skills

Gradual learning and introduction of new skills at the heart of fun game play

“Easy to learn, difficult to master”

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Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi His book “Flow: The Psychology of

Optimal Experience” Flow is a state of exhilaration, deep

sense of enjoyment Usually when a person’s body or

mind is stretched to its limits to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile

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The Flow Channel Start with relatively low level of

challenge to match starting skill levels

Gradually increase challenge Fast enough to prevent boredom Not so fast as to induce frustration

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The Flow Channel

To o E as y (B o r ing)

To o H ard (F rus trat ing)

Inc re as ing Tim e (and P laye r S kil l )

Increasing Difficulty

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The Flow Channel Flow state is common while

developing same Physical, Social, and Mental skills noted in Natural Funativity

Best to introduce skills one at a time, let player master them, move on to new

This results in staggered increase in difficulty (wavy difficulty line)

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Difficulty Increase Varies

A = R apid D ifficu lty Increase, B = S lower Increase

A A A ABB B B

Ide al G am e D if f ic ul ty P ro gre s s io n

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Typical Game Mechanisms High difficulty increase: Boss

monsters, climactic battles, quest resolutions

Low difficulty increase: Bonus levels, new resource- and treasure-rich areas, series of easy “minion” enemies

Overlap introduction of new skills, areas to explore, tools, enemies

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Story and Character Back to “interesting choices” and

“compelling goals” – how to achieve? Story and character can add

emotional association, strengthen reaction

Storytelling has long history, but interactive storytelling can differ critically from traditional linear modes

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Interactive Storytelling Blend storytelling with design early Use experienced interactive

writers “Do, don’t show” – let players

experience story through interaction

Make it personal by having players make key choices, events affect them

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It’s All About Interactivity Don’t make choices for the player Story should add emotional

context to the choices Keep any cut scenes brutally short Break up non-interactive

sequences by adding interactivity, even if very simple

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Characters Characters can make the game

world seem more real and exciting Bold stereotypes may seem crude

but are better than colorless characters, and can help avoid boring exposition

Bring out character through action, not description or exposition

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Gameplay Trumps Story If you have a conflict between

gameplay or story, first look for a compromise that favors both

Failing that, make sure that the gameplay is good at expense of story

Always signal player clearly in narrative to interactive transitions with visuals, audio