gamifying the world: from simcity and the sims to the future

GSummit 2013

-Will Wright

Gamification

SongificationHot dogs, Armour hot dogsWhat kind of kids eat Armour Hot Dogs?

Characterification

Storyfication

Gamification

Gives a shitification???

We want to feel more like a gaming experience.

tax preparation

homework

medical examsshopping

exercise

eatingpersonal hygiene

M S G

eemame-like

ake it

Boring Activity

Magic Engine

MSG

movie elements

Stories Games

Empathy Agency

EmotionDrama

PrideGuilt

Camaraderie

experience

toyexperiences

others

Play

experience

toyexperiences

Play

Story

Educational Technologies

James Paul Gee (2005)

- Pleasantly Frustrating - System Thinking - Explore, Think Laterally, Rethink Goals - Smart Tools and Distributed Knowledge - Cross-Functional Teams

- Identity - Interaction - Agency

- Production- Customization

- Risk Taking - Performance before Competence

- Well-Ordered Problems - Challenge and Consolidation

- Situated Meanings- "Just-in-Time" and "On Demand"

Games are a subset of play

Games

Play

Game = A set of interesting decisions

Possibility Space

possibilities

Senet3500BC

Models – build – test - replace

Science

F = Gm m1 2

r 2

compression

Scott Diddams

Quantum – Optical interactions

Timmy

Properties of magnetic interaction

Physics model Comprehensive World Model

Physicist - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Toddler (3yrs.old) –

Carolina Day School

Games

if ((fdLen = DFANgetfdslen(dfanFileID, 1)) == FAIL) { if (verbose) cout << "There is no file desc annotation.\n"; } else { numFd++; DFANgetfds(dfanFileID, cdesc1, fdLen, 1); while((fdLen = DFANgetfidlen(dfanFileID, 0)) != FAIL) {numFd++; }

} // endif desc1 phase space - player perception

Mental Model

Games Mental Models

?Ramping the model

10 sec.FAILPASS

1 min.FAILPASSPASS

10 min.PASSPASS

Nested complexity

– Can I play it offline?

Failure

Success

10sec.

10min.

1hr.

10hrs.

Basic Control

Needs

Job/SkillsEconomy

Social -Friends

Family

PeeCollapseLonelyStarve

DemotionLose JobRepo ManElectrocution

ArgumentInsultJealousyFight

BreakupSocial ServicesAffairMilitary School

HappyFree Time

ObjectsHouseEfficiency

MarriageChildren

FriendshipRomanceParties

Success

Failure

MoveInteract

$$$

$$$Problems

Size of Solution Space

SocialMaterial

Success

Gameplay Landscape (Sims)

Start

Real design target

Ramping the model

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

H. L. Mencken

No game designer ever went wrong by overestimating the narcissism of their players.

Will Wright

Size of solution space(open ended)

Each players path unique

Reflection of the Player

Sharing

Prey on the player’s positive self-esteem

Early win ---

--- Showcase accomplishments

“This is what I’m good at” ---

2 week contagion period

1 week contagion period

% infected 50%

10%

Richard Bartle – “Bartle's Types”

The Future?(next week or so)

1700 1800 1900 2000 2100

The Future is becoming less predictable

is to…

is to…

as

Media(movie)

Platforms

Technology Culture Psychology

Immersive gaming

Non-immersive gaming

Blended Reality

Big Data / Deep Metrics

Real Life Gaming

- Deeply Personal

- Relevant

- Ubiquitous

- Effective

- Fun

Gaming/Play

End

Symbolic

evolution

Good Samaritan Psychopath

Manic Depressive

evolutionSocial Interactions