Serious Games Game elements
Critiques and research
aesthetics
aesthetics Style and skill, not beauty Harmony coherence and consistency Harmony isn’t something that you can fake. … It’s a sensual, intuitive experience. It’s something you feel. … it doesn’t come from design committees ,,, And it never happens by accident or by luck. … Games with harmony emerge from a fundamental note of clear intention. Brian Moriarty
Emergent play
Actions (emergent play) Operative and resultant Number of actions What you can act on Ways to reach a goal Number of objects Side effects: changing constraints
Actions (emergent play): the verbs Two types: Operative (movements) Resultant (intents): capture strategy Interesting games are defined by resultant actions KEYS: Probably the key to innovative games How to make the player feel they have unlimited options with limited actions
How to improve emergent play Add more actions Let actions act on more objects Multiple ways to reach a goal Avoid dominant strategies Many subjects (active objects) Side effects changing constraints
Skill and chance
skill Types Goal is improvement Real vs. virtual Physical (sports, controllers) Mental (problem solving) Social (reading opponents, psyching opponents) Goal is improvement Real vs. virtual Balance!
chance: LITTLE BIT OF probability looked for possible outcomes OR = add probabilities AND = multiply probabilities Probability distributions Expected values
Chance: How it plays Probability Skill of understanding chance Human element NOT just expected value Risks and regrets
Rules and goals
rules Foundational (abstraction) Operational (how you play) Behavioral (how you act) Conceptual Written Unwritten Sniderman
rules Different for Different Modes Enforcement Full game Within game Minimize time spent there or lose the bigger game Enforcement Players Referees Computer (architecture)
Goal Simply stated and understood Must be Choices: Between a tag line and a tweet! Must be Concrete Achievable Rewarding (both in gaining and seeking) Choices: Series or single Short or long term But if more than one, MUST be related