Irreconcilable differences: game vs. story Examining game pace Readings 11 Irreconcilable differences: game vs. story Examining game pace

Irreconcilable differences: game vs. story Game - a competition with direct conflict between participants. Story - a fictional account of something that happened to someone. Interactivity - choice which determines outcome

Irreconcilable differences: game vs. story a critical difference between story and game as it relates to uncertainty of outcome emotional power of a story's outcome is generated by a storyteller through pre-determined and organized techniques and methods, which the audience witnesses emotional power of a game's uncertainty of outcome, which is derived from witnessing a contest which is not pre-determined

Irreconcilable differences: game vs. story stories generate tension through foreshadowing when the game is live you have no predictive clues as to what will happen stories require suspension of disbelief before emotional involvement can take hold games require active belief that each participant is trying as hard as they can to achieve victory story and game achieving their emotional power through uncertainty of outcome in exactly opposite fashions

Game Pace Key aspects of game pace: Movement Impetus -- the will of the player to move through the level. Threat -- the notion of danger. Tension -- the atmosphere and mood of the level or perceived danger which is reflected in the player. Tempo -- the level of actual action currently being experienced by the player.

Game Pace elements that increase impetus to move: Introduce a threat from behind - Present an objective Impose a time limit Narrow physical options Draw the eye Architectural pressure Snatch desired NPC leads the way

Game Pace elements that decrease impetus to move: Wow moments. Obstacle. Altered movement Introducing a threat ahead Increased tension Multiple Routes / Open World NPC halts player Taking stock of inventory (collecting items) Dialog / Roleplay Story exposition

Game Pace Threat pace of the game can also be increased by the sense of peril that is experience by the player. The more threat the player believes they are under, the quicker their pulse, the more nervous and often more panicked them are Generally the level of threat felt by the player is determined by whether the threat is being caused by an external force -- an enemy, an encroaching hazard, etc., or whether is a danger that will result from the player's own mistake

Game Pace Tension (Perceived Danger) Tension occurs from the belief in an unknown danger and can be difficult to achieve, but the result of achieving it can be incredibly immersive. Tension works particularly well in creating the right pace for a horror game Audio can help a great deal in building tension. Music in particular can create tension by playing to well known triggers that people have learnt from years of films and TV shows

Game Pace Tempo describes the level of intensity of action -- how much concentration is required by the player to achieve their goal. Low tempo gameplay tends to be that which requires serious thought and contemplation -- generally puzzles. High tempo gameplay is generally gameplay that requires fast reactions and split-second decisions. High tempo action often induces stress or panic and often at its highest level might be termed "frantic"

Game Pace Structure of Pacing The key to creating a well paced level is to provide moments of action interjected with calm –peaks & troughs as they are often called pacing a level is much like composing a piece of music, i.e. verse followed by chorus, followed by verse, etc.

Music Rhythm -- in music rhythm is the timing of particular notes. In gameplay this could translate as the timing of events that determines game pace. Melody -- describes notes in a successive series to create phrases of sound. This could be comparable to a sequence of events in a level to create phrases of gameplay -- something that might be termed Flow in game design. Harmony -- is the combination of notes of different pitches to create pleasing sounds, something that can easily be equated to combinations of game mechanics within a sequence to create a pleasing play experience. Some mechanics will gel well together and some will not -- much like musical notes.

Music Form -- the structure of a piece of music. Potentially this could be applied to the organization of gameplay events to form particular patterns. Timbre -- the quality of the note. This is generally related to the type of instrument that creates it. This could be applied as the different types of mechanics used to produce the desired gameplay. Dynamics -- refers to the volume or sound of a note. This could translate to game design as the specifics of a particular piece of gameplay, such as the numbers of enemies used in a combat sequence or the height and length of jumps in a platforming sequence. Texture -- describes the amount that is going on in a piece of music at any one time. In gameplay this can simply translate as how many different things are happening at any one time.