SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg Games as Experience Engines Nikolaj Hyldig R&D Director OpenStory Group

MA Communication & Digital Media, AAU ½ PhD Interaction Design & Games, AAU Ericsson Research & Innovation Lab OpenStory Group SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Evolutionary Psychology Survival necessitates expedient behaviour Evolution: Expedient behaviour SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Evolutionary Psychology Survival necessitates expedient behaviour –Goal & Resource oriented –Learning from experience Evolution: Expedient behaviour SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Games as models of the world –Rules –Goals –Resources –Obstacles –Frame Games as tools for learning expedient behaviour SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Evolutionary Psychology Survival necessitates expedient behaviour –Goal & Resource oriented –Learning from experience –3 rd person perspective Evolution: Expedient behaviour SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

We automatically project ourselves into fictional worlds Presence SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

We automatically project ourselves into fictional worlds Requires optimal challenge Presence SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

We automatically project ourselves into fictional worlds Requires optimal challenge –Game mechanics provide optimal challenge –Access to game mechanics need to be optimal Ie: challenge from the game, not from interacting with it Presence SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg Core Mechanics: the singular interactions with the game –‘walk’, ‘pick up’, ‘aim’, ‘shoot’ Core mechanics need to be fun! Corresponds to good Interaction Design! –Content of the game should challenge the player –It should not be challenging to interact with the content Example: walking –Realistic: tapping two buttons alternatively, one for each foot –Problem: effort without any meaningful impact on the game world –Bigger problem: it does not match the experience of walking – our natural mental focus is on navigating environment, not on moving feet –Better solution (simpler): map walking to analogue stick, emphasizing directional navigation of environment –Running however does take a bit of effort, implemented in GTA as the need to tap a button in order to accelerate to maintain running speed

Organisation of information Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Clear goals –Specific –Measurable –Actionable –Realistic –Short & long term Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Clear goal progress –Present goal –Tell why it matters –Tell where to go (actionable next steps, to get the player going) –Tell how to achieve it (actionable next steps) –Give proof of completion [feedback] –Give reward Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Meaningful reward system –Meaningful within the fictional world –Comparable to the challenge overcome Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Clear status –Progress –Spatial –Skills –Items Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Excessive feedback: instant, continuous, meaningful –Numerical –Graphical –Auditory Procedural feedback Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Marc LeBlanc: Mechanics – Dynamics – Aesthetics 8 Qualities (8 kinds of fun) –Sensation: Game as sense-pleasure –Fantasy: Game as make-believe –Narrative: Game as unfolding story –Challenge: Game as obstacle course –Fellowship: Game as social framework –Discovery: Game as uncharted territory –Expression: Game as soap box –Submission: Game as mindless pastime Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

World of Warcraft –Sensation: Game as sense-pleasure The graphics of WoW present the player with detailed exotic locations –Fantasy: Game as make-believe WoW offers a rich alternative universe to imagine walking around in and interacting with –Narrative: Game as unfolding story The gameplay in WoW is placed in a detailed narrative frame, giving deeper meaning to the actions of the player –Challenge: Game as obstacle course WoW is filled with challenges serving as opportunities for the player to exercise his creative problemsolving skills Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

World of Warcraft –Fellowship: Game as social framework The Multiplayer aspect of WoW makes it a highly social game, where the toughest challenges can only be overcome by teaming up with other players –Discovery: Game as uncharted territory The vast gameworld in WoW offers an abundance of opportunities for exploring diverse and exotic locations –Expression: Game as soap box The possibility to endlessly customise the player character forms the basis for expression of identity –Submission: Game as mindless pastime The repetition of “grind” and constant supply of new challenges makes WoW a game it is easy to lose oneself in Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Desirable states, Professor Steven Reiss –Acceptance, the need for approval –Curiosity, the need to learn –Eating, the need for food –Family, the need to raise children –Honor, loyalty to the traditional values of one's group –Idealism, the need for social justice –Independence, the need for individuality –Order, the need for organized, stable, predictable environments –Physical activity, the need for exercise –Power, the need for influence of will –Romance, the need for sex –Saving, the need to collect –Social contact, the need for friends (peer relationships) –Status, the need for social standing/importance –Tranquility, the need to be safe –Vengeance, the need to strike back/to win Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Aesthetic qualities, Abraham Maslow –Wholeness (unity) –Perfection (balance and harmony) –Completion (ending) –Justice (fairness) –Richness (complexity) –Simplicity ( essence) –Liveliness (spontaneity) –Beauty (rightness of form) –Goodness (benevolence) –Uniqueness (individuality) –Playfulness (ease) –Truth (reality) –Autonomy (self-sufficiency) –Meaningfulness (values) Qualities of good games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Emotion/motivation system (EMS) guides behaviour: Joy Condition: reaching goal, Motivation: keep doing it Anger Condition: intentional hindrance, Motivation: remove hindrance Fear Condition: Goal threatened, Motivation: avoid threat Sorrow Condition: loss of goal, Motivation: apathy Emotional Experience SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Emotion/motivation system (EMS) guides behaviour: Joy Condition: reaching goal, Motivation: keep doing it Anger Condition: intentional hindrance, Motivation: remove hindrance Fear Condition: Goal threatened, Motivation: avoid threat Sorrow Condition: loss of goal, Motivation: apathy Experience of emotion: 3 dimensions –The situation –Physical arousal –Urge to act Emotional Experience SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Emotion/motivation system (EMS) guides behaviour: Joy Condition: reaching goal, Motivation: keep doing it Anger Condition: intentional hindrance, Motivation: remove hindrance Fear Condition: Goal threatened, Motivation: avoid threat Sorrow Condition: loss of goal, Motivation: apathy Experience of emotion: 3 dimensions –The situation –Physical arousal –Urge to act Emotional intensity –Urgency –Difficulty –Seriousness Emotional Experience SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Tool for learning through the experience of others Goal-oriented structure Stories SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Stories are focused on people: breadth of emotion Games are personal: intensity of emotion Video games: merging stories and games, but… Stories & Games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Solution? Stories & Games SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

Game world of resources Goals, plans, actions Emotion process Scenarios enable personal influence OpenStory Group SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg

contact OpenStory Group SpilBar Shareplay Aalborg