Date post: | 29-Nov-2014 |
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Entertainment & Humor |
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Systems &Inputs & Outcomes &Rewards &Balance.(How to trick People into accomplishing their health goals)
Why Games as a solution?- Great games mask boring and
often repetitive tasks.
- Great games are engaging – they require users to interact, and give them just enough reward to want more.
- Great games are accessible and ‘addictive’ even though they are voluntary.
A framework to Examine/Dissect Games…- The System
- What is the goal of the game? What are the rules?
- The Input
- What actions can the player take to accomplish the goal?
- The Outcome
- When the player performs an action, what happens?
…and How to get it all ‘Sticky’- Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Rewards
- What happens when the player performs the “right” action?
- Balance versus “Fairness”
- What happens when the player performs the “wrong” action?
Or…?
How to beat the game
1. Press Start
2. Push Buttons
3. ???
4. Become This :
Exposing the System- What is the System?
- Goals + Rules
- What is the player supposed to accomplish?- What are the boundaries the players have to work within?
It’s a-Me, Mario!- Goal: Get as far right as possible.
- (and also get as many coins as possible)
- Rules:
And More rules
Challenge Accepted- Enable player to form a mental roadmap to the goal.
- After a few moments, player should be able to look at this:
and think to themselves, “Okay, I think I know how I’m going to tackle this. “
Make the System Obvious
- Believe in yourself, player!
- Makes the game accessible.
Getting Input- What are my options here?
- Available Actions
- At each moment in the game, what can the player do to affect the state of the game?
Moving Mario
-Right
-Left
-Jump
-Wait
Enable Planning- Add detail/direction to mental roadmap
- And empowers the player to move forward.
- “Okay, this is what I can do to affect the game state”
Why important- Interaction is the key distinguishing factor of games from
all other forms of authored media.
- Agency
- Feeling control over things that happen
- Leads to engagement
The outcome- What happens when the player jumps right now?
- Level is completed
- Position on flagpole is assessed
- Sounds play
- Fireworks!
- Points awarded
But how does it make you *FEEL*?- In the moments before:
- Relief- Pride- Pressure!
- The moment after:
- Relief (again)- Satisfaction- Okay, now what’s next?
Why both extrinsic and intrinsic Matter
How Are Players rewarded?- Extrinsically, sure
- Nothing inherently wrong with extrinsic rewards
- But, should also intrinsically remind us why we are playing.
- Why do we play Mario?
- Note: Numbers don’t always mean Extrinsic
How *much* are players rewarded?- Balance is important
- Rule of Thumb
- Reward extrinsically for small victories- Reward intrinsically for big victories
- Analog Example
- Paying for Thanksgiving Dinner
Sugarcoat things- Commend effort even if it’s the wrong effort.
- Show them what they did wrong
- Action -> [black box] -> Result
- Black box should never be too ambiguous.
- Example: Rubberbanding in Mario Kart
- Designed to give/release tension.
In other words, help them cheat :)- Well, not ‘cheat’.
- What happens when a player is not performing well?
- “It got too frustrating.”- “I couldn’t find my way out.”
- Beauty of digital medium is ability to respond dynamically
- Fail-proof your game
But Again, not too much.- Reinforce importance of input.
- Don’t lose the sense of agency
Let’s look at the framework again.- Angry Birds
Flinging Birds- Input
- “Circle of Touchability”
Crushing Pigs- Outcome
Why So Angry?
- This guy:
Words with Frenemies- Everyone loves Scrabble right?
- But.
- Problems
- Limited roadmapping- Limited agency- Powerless against Scrabble word experts.
So we broke it down
[ wordoff screen ]
New Dynamics- Two goals
- Two ways to win.
- Allows defensive play
- More options for words
- “Narrative”
Tying it All Together- Examining game design as a structure
- Helps clarify/predict user experience- Identifies possible points for improvement/balance
- Always keep agency in mind
- Action/result cycle should be unambiguous
- Reward the right behaviors, in the right way
- Extrinsic (points) for small victories- Intrinsic (feelings) for big victories
General Tips from Game Production- Test early, test often
- Polish your tutorial or how-to
- Simplify
- Also, scope down
Resources-Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics (Hunicke)
- http://www.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf
-Formal Abstract Design Tools (Church)
- www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3357/formal_abstract_design_tools.php
-Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivators (Predictably Irrational, Ariely)
-BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits
- http://tinyhabits.com/
Activity:- Break down an existing game
- What is the goal? What are the rules?- What are the available actions?- What are the results? How are “wrong” actions
discouraged, and how are “right” actions rewarded? What are the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards?
- Then, make it better
- Identify areas where a player might be frustrated (even if it’s “part of the game.”)
- Suggest improvements in the system, input, outcomes, rewards or balance that would help alleviate it.