GAMEPLAYCOMP 585: Serious Games

WHY DO WE PLAY GAMES?

Entertaining Simplified models Easier to focus Keep focus as long as possible

FLOW THEORY (CSIKSZENTMIHALYI)

Pronunciation: CHEEK-sent-mə-HY-ee

SCHELL’S TAXONOMY

Space Objects Actions Rules Goal (he includes this under rules) Skill Chance

SPACE: MAGIC CIRCLE

Continuous vs. discrete Number of dimensions Boundaries Sub-spaces Multiple models

SPACE: SOME EXAMPLES

Tic-Tac-Toe Monopoly Billiards Lacrosse Rock, Paper, Scissors

OBJECTS: THE NOUNS

Characters Weapons Power-ups Objects Tokens HUDs, dashboards …

OBJECTS: WHAT ABOUT THEM?

Attributes (the adjectives) States of attributes

Static or dynamic State diagrams: transitions and triggers

Communicating states What should the player know?

How much state can a person track? Secrets: who knows what

STATES: WHO KNOWS?

3 classes: Private Public Unknown

Secrets: who knows what Design Issues

What should the player know? How much state can a person track?

STATES: EXAMPLES

Chess Poker

Draw Stud

Blackjack Concentration Rock, Paper, Scissors

ACTIONS (EMERGENT PLAY): THE VERBS Two types:

Operative (movements) Resultant (intents): capture strategy

Interesting games are defined by resultant actions

KEYS: Probably the key to innovative games How to make the player feel they have

unlimited options with limited actions

HOW TO IMPROVE EMERGENT PLAY

Add more actions Let actions act on more objects Multiple ways to reach a goal

Avoid dominant strategies Many subjects (active objects) Side effects changing

constraints

RULES

Foundational

(abstraction)

Operational (how you

play)

Behavioral(how you

act)

Conceptual Written UnwrittenSniderman

RULES

Different for Different Modes Full game Within game

Minimize time spent there or lose the bigger game

Enforcement Players Referees Computer (architecture)

GOAL

Simply stated and understood Between a tag line and a tweet!

Must be Concrete Achievable Rewarding (both in gaining and seeking)

Choices: Series or single Short or long term But if more than one, MUST be related

SKILL

Types Physical (sports, controllers) Mental (problem solving) Social (reading opponents, psyching

opponents) Goal is improvement Real vs. virtual

Balance!

CHANCE: LITTLE BIT OF PROBABILITY Probability =

looked for possible outcomes

OR = add probabilities AND = multiply probabilities Probability distributions Expected values

CHANCE: HOW IT PLAYS

Probability Skill of understanding chance Human element

NOT just expected value Risks and regrets