a practical guide to winning and losing how players deal with shame, glory, and each other game...
TRANSCRIPT
A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WINNING AND
LOSINGHOW PLAYERS DEAL WITH SHAME, GLORY,
AND EACH OTHER
GAME LECTURE
JONAS HEIDE [email protected]
AGENDA
THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING
THE REALITY OF PLAY
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
WHAT DO PLAYERS WANT?
1: A Challenge2: To socialize
3: A dynamic solitary experience
4: Bragging Rights5: An emotional
experience6: To explore7: To interact
RICHARD ROUSE
TO WIN?
HOW DO PLAYERS BEHAVE?
“[letting] the objective guide our behaviour in the game [is] the basic transaction we make with Games”
“Gamers’ own thinking about styles of play and the identities they underwrite are a conflation of design characteristics and emergent culture of the context of the MMOG they inhabit, situated within the myriad of contexts they themselves encounter with others, with some configurations of constructs evoked for sense-making in some social/material contexts, other configurations evoked in order to explain others. They are therefore complicated and necessarily messy.”
GREG COSTIKYAN
CONSTANCE STEINKUEHLER
HOW DO PLAYERS BEHAVE?
Rational Player model(Game-
centered approach)
Active Player model(Player-centered
approach)
Game design Game studies
GOALS
Ultimate Proximate
OBJECTIVE GOALS
SUBJECTIVE GOALS
AGENDA
THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING
THE REALITY OF PLAY
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR
Mashed: Drive to Survive
Champions of NorrathFifa 2004
Fully competitive
Semi-cooperative
Fully cooperative
A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR
A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR
Player 1: ()... Sådan! Nu ved jeg hvordan man gør. Det er bare r1 lige så snart I har et våben. Player 2: (kigger på sin controller)Player 1: Bare den her (viser knap på controller)Player 2: OkayPlayer 3: Hvad så bruger man det?Player 1: Så bruger man sit våbenPlayer 2: Det synes jeg ikke fungerer ()Player 1: ()Player 3: Nå det virkede meget fint, nå okayPlayer 1: He. Arrh come on (ærgerlig, læner hovedet tilbage). Pis. Jeg glemmer hele tiden det der fucking sving.
Observation of model-contradicting behaviour
Statistical test of relationship between
code and gameReflections on code
function and particular instances
3 types of test
Do players want to win?
Yes, but fairly
Victory should not be a consequence of information
assymetry
Magic circles?
How do you win and lose?
Previous research suggests:
• Conspicuous self-handicap
• Goal redefinition
How do you win and lose?
How do you win and lose?
My research supports the idea that: Losers become
very frustrated
SUPERIOR PLAYERS
Play to win
Nobility handicap
Visible sacrifice
Concrete handicap
How do you win and lose?
Rational play is mitigated by verbal communication.
But the ”game contract” defines the inter-player relationship
What have we learned?
• Players understand and accept objective
goals
• Players seek a level playing field
• Winners may handicap themselves
• Losers may lose interest (or redefine
the game goals)
AGENDA
THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING
THE REALITY OF PLAY
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Study the dynamics of goal redefinition
Study the effects of group size
Study the effects of competitiveness (vs. casualness)
Study how player perceptions match player behaviour
Study the effects of gender distribution
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Design interesting handicaps for superior players
Design interesting activities for inferior players
