Game Theory: Keeping the Audience Engaged Eric Chan

Not Focusing Only On One Group “It’s important for these players to have the best experience [too]…you run the risk of becoming niche.” - Platinum Games’ Co-founder, Atsushi Inaba Platinum Games’ guide to action game design Keeping it challenging I.E. – Call of Duty, Diablo 3 uses difficulty selection Likeable protagonist that people can identify with "Ultra casual" gamers have great potential for further exploitation; they have clearly demonstrated at least some interest in gaming. However, much needs to be done to determine the factors that turn the "ultra casual" into the "casual".  Casual gamers are not ignorant or indifferent about games, but simply show a reserved level of interest. "Moderate" gamers would generally have greater knowledge and experience of games than the preceding categories, but don't necessarily have the latest games or keep up with news about the game industry itself. http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131397/from_casual_to_core_a_statistical_.php?print=1

How to Keep Players Engaged? “Every game must find a balance between the two opposing forces of luck and skill. You might not care, but your players do: if you don't consider this dynamic, then you risk alienating a large portion of your audience.” – Darran Jamieson, Indie game developer Balancing ‘skill’ and ‘chance’ Should provide a notion of mastery as player increases their skill Facilitate randomness to keep things different Interactivity - Actively engages the player through the user input or narrative or many other game aspects - I.E. Quick-time events (Until Dawn) Danny’s game has a creepy feeling, causing heighten sense & always the possibility of jumpscare Barock’s game is more of a platform to display his work, it inherently keeps people engaged with the videos http://gamedevelopment.tutsplus.com/articles/when-i-win-its-skill-when-you-win-its-luck--gamedev-322

Niche – What makes it different? Focusing on an aspect of the game sets it apart from the others while maintaining a high standard for other aspects of the game Create mechanics to keep skilled and unskilled players close (in terms of a race) I.E. – Shells in Mario Kart Mechanics that allow those who are behind to interact with others and not just left on an island (don’t want to completely isolate people) I said not to focus solely on one specific audience, rather everyone – so focusing an aspect shouldn’t isolate people Theory of Fun Book

Interesting Narrative Engaging Dynamic - Player plays an active role in the narrative Interactive vs passive narrative (cinematic) Compelling story Refer to Jeremy’s presentation Increases replayablity

[Strategic] Depth vs Breadth Depth – the combination and layering of gameplay elements and mechanics of varying complexities, or deep gameplay to provide constant change and challenge Breadth — A long game with not much complexity or growth (same mechanics through the whole game) Can become boring to casual players http://game-wisdom.com/critical/breadth-vs-depth-in-game-design

Immersion – Fantasy or Reality? Games reflect society and its ideals Should sexualized characters be censored? It represents a portion of society’s desire Gamification Selling the polarizing sides of life, good vs evil Social critique or selling a fantasy Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality pumps up immersion Open world exploration, more substance behind story Don’t force the player to do something, but rather make them want to Overwatch’s Tracer Victory Animation Changed - http://www.pcgamer.com/overwatch-victory-pose-cut-after-fan-complains-that-its-over-sexualized/?utm_content=buffere7854&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamer Reaction of gamers was against this move, with spoofs of male characters in tight pants looking back.