1. CS 445/656 Computer & New Media
Games
CS 445/656 Computer & New Media

2. Today’s Topics Game technologies Game design Game studies
What makes a game fun?
Funativity, Concrete rules, narrative, MDA
Analysis of fantasy sports

3. Game Technologies Game engine vs. interface Game engine Interface
Runs the simulation
Can be simple or very complex
Interface
Graphics
Interaction

4. World Simulation Moving objects Friendly (and not) characters
Animations for water, fire, etc.
Physics engines for determining non-character movement
Friendly (and not) characters
Scripts and triggers for behavior
Interactions between non-player characters becoming ever more complex

5. Game Interface Point and click Keyboards
Direct manipulation
Palettes of options
Keyboards
Lots of options, faster response
Must be learned
Vision and sensor based interfaces
Activity of player is more aligned with activity in game

6. Game Design Game design teams are specialized much like movie teams
Lead designer
System/simulation/user interface designer
Level/environment designer
Writer/scriptwriter
Graphic artist
Sound engineer
Tester

7. Serious Games Games for serious purposes
A game designed to teach real-world events or processes to adults
Goal: Motivate “players” to learn or to act more by delivering an immersive/engaging experience

9. Game Studies Studies of stories/interpretation
Studies of settings/worlds
Studies of individual activity
Studies of social interactions
Studies of rhetoric in/surrounding games

10. Game Studies != Game Theory
Don't confuse "game studies" with "game theory". They are not the same thing.
Game studies: The discipline of studying games; in particular their design, their players and the role they play in society.
Game Theory: A mathematical method of decision-making in which a competitive situation (could be a game) is analyzed to determine the optimal course of action for an interested party (agent). Game theory is often used in politics, economics and military planning.

11. Game Studies Game studies is a "huge" field.
Psychology, Sociology view
The effects of games on people (and vice versa)
"What makes games fun?"
Structure, Dynamics view
games as artifacts, "affordances", critical analysis
"How do you define a game and it's rules?"
Industry/Engineering view
design and development of games, how to make better games, games as drivers of technological innovations
"Can we come up with a method to make great games?"

12. "Funativity" (psychology/sociology)
How, why is something fun?
Do these kittens look like they are having fun?

13. "Theory of Natural Funativity"
All fun derives from practicing skills that (previously) insured species survival.
Skills may relate to earlier context, but appear disguised in a more modern form.
Games are safe way to "practice" skills.
Applied to Cats: Adult cats need to be able to catch small prey for food and fight for territory/mates.
Thus kittens practice:
Hunting -> Chasing feather, ball of string, tail
Fighting -> Attacking each other, ball of string, your leg.

14. Funativity & Humans
For most of our species’ history humans have been tribal hunter/gatherers.
Many current popular games reflect modern incarnations of these ancient skills:
Hunting:
Shooters, sports games, hand-eye-coordination
Gathering:
Pattern games, powerups, resources
Tribal Interaction:
High scores, head-to-head, Sims, MMO 

15. Funativity & Humans (cont)
In humans we can identify three overlapping categories into which we can divide aspects of game play.
People like (or find fun) games that have components that fall into these categories (realms):
Spatial Reasoning (Physical)
Pattern Recognition (Mental)
Social

16. 1. Spatial Reasoning (Physical)
Abstract Definition: Reasoning about objects in 3D space and how they might interact (includes your own body, hand-eye coordination).

17. 2. Pattern Recognition (Mental)
Abstract Definition: Recognizing patterns in organized sets of data, remembering chains of linked events that are significant.

18. 3. Social
Abstract Definition: Practicing interpersonal communication skills, competing/cooperating with others or modeling dynamics of social situations.

19. Other "psychological" aspects.
Suspension of disbelief (immersion).
A game isn't "real", and yet we can have "real" physical/psychological responses (anger, fear, pride).
"Immersive" and "flowing" gameplay.
Emotions and feelings.
We are more likely to play a game, if it can make us "feel" an emotion (change our internal state).
Anxiety and frustration are bad, but...
Indifference is the ultimate enemy.

20. Gameplay Immersion: Point of View
The first person view does not focus our attention as much on the game character as e.g. the view used in ‘third person shooters’ (see Tomb Raider style of games)‏.
Doom has very transparent interface: the player focus is strongly on the task and a feeling of immersion in virtual space is created.
Image credits: Core Design, Crystal Dynamics; sources:

21. Components of Gameplay Immersion
Three main components:
sensory immersion in the sounds and interactive images of virtual space
challenge-based immersion in the actions of play (sometimes close to an optimal, 'flow' experience)‏
Imaginative immersion in the world of fiction in a game (this immersion can be created e.g. by text alone)‏.
Together, these different components contribute to games having considerable immersive potential.

22. The concept of "Flow"
“Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Flow is a state of exhilaration, deep sense of enjoyment.
Keeps player immersed in the gameplay.
Start with relatively low level of challenge to match starting skill levels. Then gradually increase challenge.
Fast enough to prevent boredom
Not so fast as to induce frustration

24. Concrete Components (structure/dynamics)
Research has identified many concrete things that can improve a players perception of a game:
Multiple clear achievable goals.
The illusion of choice.
Clear punishments and rewards.

25. 1. Goals (multiple, clear, achievable)
We are a goal-drive species and find psychological reward in completing objectives.
If it takes too long to achieve a goal, player may get bored, so, create many simultaneous goals.
Player should always have at least one clear objective.
One "unbeatable" boss or board, one "impossible" jump or goal can ruin a game.

26. 2. Choice (or at least the illusion)
Players want to think that their decisions matter.
If you don't have choice, game is just a complicated slide presentation.
Different choices or actions sequences that results in identical results will frustrate players.
Complaints about "linear" gameplay.
Character customization, alternate endings, good vs. evil dynamics.
"Game is a series of interesting choices" - Meier

27. A convexity of choices
Starts with a single choice, widens to many choices, returns to a single choice

28. 3. Rewards and Punishments
Value of an item (to an individual) closely correlates with what it cost to acquire (money, time, effort).
A player who has spent time and effort on completing a task, expects to be rewarded.
Likewise a player who has failed in an objective, expects to be punished.
If actions don't have consequences, then the game-play is meaningless.

29. 3. Beyond Rewards and Punishments "The Skinner Box"
Some researchers suggest that modern game design is moving beyond "funativity" and moving towards direct conditioning of players aimed at getting them to play all the time (game addiction).
(15 minute reward loop)
Random rewards
Punishment for not playing.
Operant conditioning chamber

30. Narrative in Games It’s All About Interactivity!
“Do, don’t show” – let players experience story through interaction
Make it personal by having players make key choices, events affect them
Blend storytelling with design early
Use experienced interactive writers
Keep cut scenes BRUTALLY short.
Break up non-interactive sequences by adding interactivity, even if very simple

31. A methodology for creating successful games?
Q: Knowing what we know now, can we create a formula or a pattern for creating great game.
A: No. Many useful game design methodologies have been suggested (MDA), and they do help insure that a game gets developed consistently and within time and budget limitations. 
But every great game starts with a great idea, and nobody can predict where those come from.

32. MDA Mechanics, Dynamics & Aesthetics
MDA is a game development paradigm designed to help developers make the most out of a game idea, and proceed efficiently through the complex process of bringing a game to market. 
MDA is one of many development paradigms that are used by large game development companies.

33. Mechanics
Before a single line of code is written the mechanics that will be used by the game should be well thought out and documented.
This includes:
The programming language
The programming libraries, engines, tools
The hardware required/available
The logical programming components
The storage/retrieval/initialization methods
The interfaces (software and hardware) supported

34. Dynamics
Before a single line of code is written the dynamics that will be used by the game should be well thought out and documented. All objects and axioms need to be detailed!
This includes:
The domain of the game.
The players in the game.
The rules of the game.
The objects in the game.

35. Aesthetics
Before a single line of code is written the aesthetics that will be used by the game should be well thought out and documented. This is the "narratological" part of MDA.
The "art bible" which should contain every detail of the "look" of the game will come out of this development area.
This includes:
Color Palette
Physical looks for all players
Lighting plots, schemes, etc.

36. What's your idea?
Remember, there is no proven method for creating a great game.
Every great game started out as someone's great idea.
We have no proven way of generating great ideas.
IF you have a great idea, there are things you can do and methods you can apply to make it into the best game possible:
Apply "theory of funativity" (Spatial, Mental, Social)
Apply concrete rules (goals, choices, punishments & rewards)
Include a compelling narrative (what should player feel?)
Use a methodology such as MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics)

37. Ideology in a Game
Civilization has been a highly popular and influential game.
It has also been criticised, e.g. for simplifying complex historical processes into a ‘toy version’ history, with organically-developing miniature civilizations.
Ideological critique has pointed out that to succeed in the game, the player has to adopt principles of Western industrialised society.
Civilization would thus implicitly teach Western, imperialistic values and lifestyles.

38. Controversy Continued
The violent, adult-oriented themes of FPS style games continue to evoke debate.
FPS action has become part of ‘family games’, like those in the Harry Potter franchise (produced by Electronic Arts)‏.
Popular contemporary games like Grand Theft Auto III and its follow-ups often feature FPS style of gameplay, but combine it with quests familiar from adventure games.
Also Grand Theft Auto III has created controversy with its violent and sexual content.

39. Blending the Real and Virtual in Games: The Model of Fantasy Sports

40. Real and Virtual: Together
“Real or virtual” vs. “real and virtual”
Decades of comparisons of on-line communities to physical communities
Computer games vs. in-person games
Separation is artificial – forms of entertainment and art can integrate the physical and digital
This is not news … we see it all the time.

41. Existing Methods for Combining Real and Virtual
Using real people
Playing against other people
Basing people in game on real people
Using external personal contacts
Friends lists
Using physical location
Location aware games/arts
Clearly not an exhaustive list

42. What are Fantasy Sports?
Fantasy sports: a derivative entertainment
Players of fantasy sports take on the role of coach
Draft actual sport players for team
Decide which players start each week/game
Get points based on player statistics that week
Trade players to other teams/waiver wire
Many other variants of fantasy sports exist

43. Why Fantasy Sports? Fantasy sports rely on real sports
Fantasy sports can / will change the real sport, perhaps to the point where real sports rely on fantasy sports …
A big, mainstream phenomenon
33.5 million players in the US in 2013 survey
75% played on-line in 2008
Billion dollar industry
Magazines and TV shows devoted to topic
Yet, rarely discussed in gaming literature

44. History of Fantasy Sports
Dates
1962: paper-based fantasy football game
1979: start of Rotisserie baseball
Characteristics:
Leagues among local friends and colleagues
Significant effort of collecting statistics and computing winners
Trophies and prizes for winners (and losers)

45. Digitization A natural fit Effect
Automatic collection and manipulation of statistics reduces overhead of leagues.
Network provides easy access for players from around the world to create leagues.
Effect
Low overhead, no knowledge of other players
Low consequences results in lower interest
Players abandon teams early in season

46. Recapturing What Was Lost
New interfaces aid sense of community
League statistics / power ratings / transactions
League newspapers / polls
League message boards
Integrating virtual and real sport news
News of injuries, anticipated changes to starting players, and weather forecasts
Alongside articles about fantasy teams

49. Rhetoric in Fantasy Sports
Empowerment
“becoming the team's manager, owner, and president all in one”
“have star athletes working for you”
Competition
“ever thought you could do a better job than the people running the teams?”
“show the world just how smart you are”
Participation
“In Fantasy Sports, you can be as much the beneficiary of an athlete's performance as the athlete himself!”

50. Framework for Games and Sports
Real Action
Virtual Action
Player Control
Playing sports
Playing games
External Control
Watching sports
Observing game playing
Fantasy sports combine spectatorship with gaming
Players must understand and anticipate the real sport
Players act in the virtual sport based on this knowledge

51. Emotion and Engagement
Lessons from fantasy sports
Ease of playing resulted in less commitment to game
Community presence and surrounding context can increase engagement
Real consequences increase engagement (e.g. financial or other awards)
Connection to events in the real world can remove the boredom that results from predictable game engines

52. Potential Effects of Fantasy Sports on Real Sports
Audience:
Greater interest driving larger television audiences
Spectators via multiple media
Game:
Rule changes to better support fantasy sports (e.g. injury reports, starting line-ups)
Viewing:
Personalized presentations of real sports events

53. Games as Derivative Forms
Simple model
Real world acts as data source for game engine
Model maps data to game
Collection of Data from
Event
Model Mapping
Data to Game
Context
Real-World
Event
Virtual
Event

54. Examples of Model Simple mappings Streaming or querying data
Fantasy stock markets
Fantasy elections
Streaming or querying data
Weather and traffic in racing or other simulation
Play/action selection in sports game based on database of play selections retrieved by similarity of conditions

55. Fantasy Sport meets Reality TV
Information flow in model is in single direction
What if:
An Alternative “XFL”
Vote for next play, or player substitutions
Audience communication with players on the field

56. Fantasy Sports Summary
Fantasy games have 45 year history
10s of millions of players in US alone
Billion dollar industry
Connecting the real and digital
Using the real world as data for or part of “game engine”
Community, context, and consequence result in engagement
Potential for digital games to be combined with existing modes of entertainment
New forms of data-driven entertainment