The Mechanics of Magic

7 lessons from game design

@cwodtke www.eleganthack.com

I do not have New Year’s Resolutions

These are the wise people I learned fromSome I interviewed, some I read their books, some I watched their videos, some reviewed this talk…

I have New Year’s projects. One year it was games

What is the first game you can remember?

FIND YOUR NORTH STAR

Every project needs a goal that everyone agrees is worth doing.

FUN

Go here to watch full talk: http://youtu.be/VWu4Nu0F4eg

Brenda Romero nee Braithwaite at TEDx Phoenix @br

DESIGN FOR AN EMOTION

Conversion is a crap north star

Surprise & delight

AFFECTIONATEcompassionatefriendlylovingopen heartedsympathetictenderwarm

ENGAGEDabsorbedalertcuriousengrossedenchantedentrancedfascinatedinterestedintriguedinvolvedspellboundstimulated

CONFIDENTempoweredopenproudsafesecure

EXCITEDamazedanimatedardentarousedastonisheddazzledeagerenergeticenthusiasticgiddyinvigoratedlivelypassionatesurprisedvibrant

HOPEFULexpectantencouragedoptimistic

GRATEFULappreciativemovedthankfultouched

INSPIREDamazedawedwonder

JOYFULamuseddelightedgladhappyjubilantpleasedtickled

EXHILARATEDblissfulecstaticelatedenthralledexuberantradiantrapturousthrilled

PEACEFULcalmclear headed

comfortablecentered

contentequanimousfulfilledmellowquietrelaxedrelievedsatisfiedserenestilltranquiltrusting

REFRESHEDenlivenedrejuvenatedrenewedrestedrestoredrevived

AFFECTIONATEcompassionatefriendlylovingopen heartedsympathetictenderwarm

(c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org    

PEACEbeauty communion ease harmony order

There is no shortage of “organization

porn” on the web.

We have a deep seated dream of a

place of tidy harmony.

There is big business in

selling peace and order

Frustration

AFRAIDapprehensivedreadforebodingfrightenedmistrustfulpanickedpetrifiedscaredsuspiciousterrifiedwaryworried

ANNOYEDaggravateddismayeddisgruntleddispleasedexasperatedfrustratedimpatientirritatedirkedCONFUSEDambivalentbaffledbewildereddazedhesitant

lostmystifiedperplexedpuzzledtorn

DISCONNECTEDalienatedaloofapatheticboredcolddetacheddistantdistractedindifferentnumbremoveduninterestedwithdrawn

EMBARRASSEDashamedchagrinedflusteredguiltymortifiedself-conscious

DISQUIETagitatedalarmeddiscombobulateddisconcerteddisturbedperturbedrattledrestlessshockedstartledsurprisedtroubledturbulentturmoiluncomfortableuneasyunnervedunsettledupset

YEARNINGenviousjealouslongingnostalgicpiningwistful

PAINagonyanguishedbereaveddevastatedgriefheartbrokenhurtlonelymiserableregretfulremorsefulSADdepresseddejecteddespairdespondentdisappointeddiscourageddisheartenedforlorngloomyheavy heartedhopelessmelancholyunhappywretched

TENSEanxiouscrankydistresseddistraughtedgyfidgetyfrazzledirritablejitterynervousoverwhelmedrestlessstressed out

VULNERABLEfragileguardedhelplessinsecureleeryreservedsensitiveshaky

AVERSIONanimosityappalledcontemptdisgusteddislikehatehorrifiedhostilerepulsed

FATIGUEbeatburnt outdepletedexhaustedlethargiclistlesstiredwearyworn out

ANGRYenragedfuriousincensedindignantiratelividoutragedresentful

(c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org     

Should we avoid negative emotions? Can negative

emotions be fun?

• More pleasure and excitement inactive failure than in success• However: passive experience offailure makes players disengage.• Attaining a goal DECREASES

player arousal and interest.Ravaja, Niklas, et al. The Psychophysiology of Video Gaming: Phasic Emotional Responsesto Game Events. Digital Games Research Association International Conference 2005. Read it:http://tinyurl.com/7rsfz

Obviously Mr. Right

Could Coffee meets bagel play up the anguish of missing a match in a fun way that engages you more deeply?

“People find role playing cheesy, makes them self conscious. The game forces you into uncomfortable situations.

You take a situation and a pattern and match them up.. It might be a pattern you avoid because you aren’t good at it. And it creates much more teachable scenarios.”Dan Brown’s Communicating Design Game

PICK YOUR NORTHSTAR

Until my players feel _____, I will not ship

TYPES VS PERSONAS

Grace (62/ female/ widowed/ Little Rock, AR.)“I like playing my favorite games online, but if I can play with friends, well that’s even better!”  Personal Background: Her husband has passed on. She has two grown kids, both of whom live far away. She misses the kids, but has a fairly large circle of friends that she spends time with. Technical Proficiency: Limited. Can use her browser and her email. MS Word confuses her, and she doesn’t like using it. Doesn’t know what an OS is. Tends to click yes if the browser prompts her to do anything, and will click wildly until things work.History with games: Plays crossword puzzles daily and saves them. Plays card games, PhotoJam, but is offended by South Park cartoons

Game’s opportunity: If Grace can be convinced to participate in community activities, she will become a loyal user of the site. She needs to be sheltered from the sick and twisted content, however.   

2001

Richard Bartle http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm Drawing: Frank Caron http://frankcaron.com

4 Key Engagement Styles in Social Gaming

Compete

CollaborateExplore

Express

Amy Jo Kim amyjokim.com @amyjokim

Satisficers

Self-discoveryOptimizers

Socializers

What if Amazon was a Game?

WHO ARE THE PLAYER TYPES?

LOOPDELOOP

This is a core loop for a very simple game. Start with fish eggs, that you grow into fish that you sell to buy more valuable fish eggs

Will Wright on Game Design: full talk: http://youtu.be/CdgQyq3hEPo

Build defense and offence

DefendAttack

SHOP

BUYREVIEW

SHARE

REACT CONSUME

WHAT IS YOUR CORE LOOP?

I get knocked down

You ain't ever gonna keep me down.

But I get up again

MECHANICSSome of the more sleezy gamification gurus use this term as mind-control tricks. But really they are just what

makes games tick.

Rules are Mechanics

Just in case you need ithttp://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/generic/

b597/

SOMETIMES MECHANICS ARE CONSTRAINTS

Pinch

The pinch is the place where you run out of something. I.e. You run out of lives in the arcade, and you reach in your pocked for a quarter. Or twelve.

SOMETIMES MECHANICS ARE MANIPULATIONS

But it’s ok because I feel something?

6 key principles of persuasion by Robert CialdiniReciprocity Social ProofCommitment and Consistency AuthorityLiking Scarcity 

ACHIEVEMENTSReward me

Celebrate microwins!Actions taken successfully create mini-rewards in the form of doobers (stars and slot-machine sounds).

Celebrating

CELBRATING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!

LeaderboardsThere is a certain satisfaction in kicking a friends bum. However, if you have a place where not much social is happening, be sure to motivate me by making me beat my own high score. Not feel lonely.

Leaderboards are used extensively to motivate behavior

But it can lead to abuse

Amazon handles it by retiring players. Digg got rid of their leaderboards

ART FROM THE START

WEB$ITE

We treat designer like flip this house:

give them wireframes and tell

them to make it pretty

Grace and Glory enemy concept designs by Yusuke Hashimoto. From the upcoming video game Bayonetta.

Concept design by Min Zhouhttp://minzhouportfolio.blogspot.com/

Learn how to teach

In Bubble Witch Saga,

they give you only a couple instructions in the first

level

And in the next level they teach you a few

more game elemnts, slowly

revealing the play.

In Tiny Wings, the first level has your finger light up when you should touch the screen

To play Dance Central, you have to learn the moves

They make the learning into a game too– if you can decode the picture, you can get a diamond

and skip the practice

SO YOU THINK YOU ARE USER CENTERED?

Playtest like you mean it

Sid Meir, Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong.

Full talk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY7aRJE-oOY&feature=BFa&list=PL8E8E672C0031DC3A

HOMEWORKPlay Bastion http://supergiantgames.com/index.php/media/How do these principles apply?1.What was the North Star?2.What Emotion(s) do you feel?3.Who are the Player Types?4.What’s the core loop?5.How did you learn to play?6. How does the art/music shape the game?

CHRISTINA WODTKEwww.eleganthack.comwww.boxesandarrows.com@cwodtke

I can’t be bought, but I can be rented. Image form Baston: great game!https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bastion/id537773100?mt=8