Chapter 2.2Game Design

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Overview

This introduction covers:– Terms– Concepts– Approach

All from a workaday viewpoint

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The Language of Games

Debate continues over high-level views

Lack of standard (concrete) definitions– Game (Interactions to elicit emotions?)

– Play (Object of rule-bound play?)

– Aesthetics (Emotional responses during play?)

High-level concepts tricky to articulate

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The Language of Games

Why do we play? What is the nature of games?

– Not our focus in this class How is a game formed of parts?

– That’s what we care about here! Computer games are an art form

– The art of making interactive dynamic models!

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Games Exist in a Frame

The border of a game’s context– Inside the frame is in the game– Outside the frame is real life

The world of the interactive dynamic model Choices have outcomes in the frame

– Varying consequences/weights– Meaningful choices!

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A Player-Game Model

A model of the player – game relationship

Mechanics Interface System

PLAYER GAME

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Play Mechanics

Gameplay– Feelings of playing a particular game– Activities engaged in a particular game

(Play/game) Mechanics– Specific to game activities– “What the player does”– “Core Mechanics” are the central activities

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Seven Stages of Action (Don Norman, DOET)

Execution– Intention to act

– Sequence of action

– Execution of action sequence

Evaluation– Evaluating

interpretations– Interpreting perceptions– Perceiving states

Perceivingstates

Interpretingperceptions

Evaluatinginterpretations

Execution ofaction sequence

Sequence ofaction

Intentionto act

Goals

THE GAME

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Designer and Player Models

Systems are built from designer mental models– Design models may only anticipate player goals

Players build mental models from mechanics– Based on interactions

Designer User

User'sModel

DesignModel

System Image

System

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Goals and Objectives

Objectives and goals can differ– Players goals reflect their understanding of the game– Designers must consider how the game communicates

with players

Designer UserSystem

Find swordKill dragonRescue princess

Find swordRescue dragonKill princess

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Aside: Resources

Things used by agents to reach goals To be meaningful, they must be…

– Useful – provide some value– Limited – in total or rate of supply

KEY: Needed, but limited!

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Premise Sets Context for Model

The metaphors of action and setting– Concrete (e.g., Halo back-story)– Activity based (e.g., Madden)– Abstract (e.g., Tetris)

Directs the player experience– Provides a context in which mechanics fit– Players map game states to the premise

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Player Strategy

People usually reason with commonsense– A view of linear causation – cause and effect

Complex systems do not behave linearly– Players need information to support linear strategy

“Game theory” assumes rational players– But does not assume perfect knowledge

Situation ResultAction

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Aside: HCI and Cognitive Ergonomics

HCI – Human-Computer Interaction– Study of…

• Communication between users and computers

• How people design, build, and use interfaces

• Better support for cooperative work

Cognitive Ergonomics– Analyzes the cognitive representations and

processes involved with performing tasks

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Norman, again (DOET = Design of Everyday Things)

Norman’s five principles of design– Visibility

• Making the parts visible

– Mappings• Understandable relationships between controls and actions

– Affordances• The perceived uses of an object

– Constraints• Prevent the user from doing things they shouldn’t

– Feedback• Reporting what has been done and accomplished

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Systems Design

Two general approaches to design– Special case

• Experiences built one scene/level at a time

• Anticipate states while pre-scripting events

• Solved by discovering the intentions of the designer

– Systemic• General behaviors are designed

• Scenes/Levels are specific configurations

• Some events may still be pre-scripted

• Solved by understanding the system

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Systems and Dynamics

Generalizing dynamic behavior is hard– Dynamics determined by a given architecture– Feedback/control loops with player in loop

Emergent complexity– Behaviors that cannot be predicted simply from

the rules of a system– E.g., John Conway’s Game of Life

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Systems and Feedback

Negative feedback– Stabilizes the game

– Forgives the loser

– Prolongs the game

– Magnifies late successes

Positive feedback– Destabilizes the game– Rewards the winner– Can end the game– Magnifies early successes

Positive Feedback Negative Feedback

goal

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Design is all about Working within Constraints!

E.g., Platform– General description of hardware and software

E.g., Game Saves– Save triggers– Save-anywhere– Save points– Coded text saves

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Design to Different Audiences

Why We Play Games – Nicole Lazzaro– Internal experience

• Enjoyment from visceral activities

– Hard fun• Challenge of strategy and problem solving

– Easy fun• Intrigue and curiosity – exploration and adventure

– Social experience• Stimulating social faculties – competition, teamwork, bonding, and

recognition

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Rest of Chapter

Creativity Section: Brainstorming– Generating ideas without discrimination– Evaluation after elaboration– Can be unfocused

Communication and Psychology– Useful tidbits– Lots of courses, books, etc.