How To Pick A Lock Creating Intuitive, Immersive Minigames -Kent Hudson

About Me  Creative Director, Midway Austin  Unannounced Title (Soon, though!)  Designer, Ion Storm  Deus Ex: Invisible War (Level Design, Game Data)  Deus Ex PS2 (Firefighting)  Thief: Deadly Shadows (Firefighting)

Minigames  What is a minigame?  A small game within a game, with custom rules and controls  Why use a minigame?  Variation  Player Expectation  Immersion

What makes a good minigame?  Ease of Understanding  Does the player get it at first sight?  Does it meet logical expectations?  Ease of Use  Is it simple to use?  Is it well tuned and balanced?  Immersion  Few, if any, layers of abstraction  Smooth transition between game and minigame

What makes a good minigame?  Rewarding of Player Skill  Can the player get better at it?  If so, why does that matter?  Meaningful Consequences  Do success and failure matter?  If so, inside or outside the minigame?

Goals  Ease of Understanding  Ease of Use  Immersion  Rewarding of Player Skill  Meaningful Consequences

Analysis  The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion  Thief II: The Metal Age  Deus Ex  Saints Row  Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory  Thief: Deadly Shadows

But first, a disclaimer....

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 Ease of Understanding - Medium  Ease of Use - Low  Immersion - Medium  Rewarding of Player Skill - Low  Meaningful Consequences - Low

Thief II: The Metal Age

 Ease of Understanding - Low  Ease of Use - High  Immersion - Medium  Rewarding of Player Skill - Low  Meaningful Consequences - Medium

Deus Ex

 Ease of Understanding - Medium  Ease of Use - High  Immersion - Medium  Rewarding of Player Skill - Low  Meaningful Consequences - Low

Saints Row

 Ease of Understanding - High  Ease of Use - High  Immersion - Low  Rewarding of Player Skill - Low  Meaningful Consequences - Low

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

 Ease of Understanding - Medium  Ease of Use - High  Immersion - High  Rewarding of Player Skill - Medium  Meaningful Consequences - Low

Thief: Deadly Shadows

 Ease of Understanding - Low  Ease of Use - Medium  Immersion - High  Rewarding of Player Skill - High  Meaningful Consequences - Medium

Goals - Recap  Ease of Understanding  Ease of Use  Immersion  Rewarding of Player Skill  Meaningful Consequences

The End  Questions?  Comments?  Snide remarks?