Post on 11-Aug-2014
description
It is all about the experience player experience in game design Rui Prada (IST, SPCV)
Who is this guy?
Professor at Ins,tuto Superior Técnico Dep. Computer Science and Engineering Applica,on Area on Games h5p://ajist.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/ 7 years, 2 courses
>200 students, > 50 game prototypes
Who is this guy?
Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências dos Videojogos (Est. 2009) Co-‐Founder and Current President Promo,ng
Knowledge and understanding CollaboraHon of peers Teaching and research
www.spcvideojogos.org
h5p://www.ipca.pt/videojogos/
Who is this guy?
Author of
Design e Desenvolvimento de Jogos Carlos MarHnho, Pedro Santos, Rui Prada FCA, 2014
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/nanagyei/5199156473
Who is this guy?
Avid Player Game Collector
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/merydith/5875929614
Player Experience h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesHmbrell/8314586801/
Experience? Why?
Games are means to live experiences Voluntary Subjec,ve
Gameplay Experience
Game Designer
Player
Experience? Why?
Design for the experience A good game is one the promotes a good experience
Gameplay Experience
Game Designer
Player
1. Doing/Performing
2. Feeling/Assessing
3. Remembering/Learning
Experience? What?
Fulfill a dream
Do something that cannot be done
Feel special
Live and acquire something unique
Player Experience
Doing/Performing Create moHvaHon, opportuniHes, incenHves for acHon
Feeling/Assessing Promote interesHng choices Define consequences of choices
Remembering/Learning Promote re-‐use and combinaHon
Crafting the Experience
Pleasure h5p://pixabay.com/p-‐110303
A good experience elicits pleasure
Brain rewards “desirable” situaHons and behaviours
A Good Experience
Achievement. Achieve milestones, finish tasks. Power. Have an impact on the world, improve skill. Affilia,on. Maintain posiHve interacHons with others. Avoidance. Self-‐preservaHon, seeking certainty.
Balance Novelty and Control
Pleasure: Satisfaction of Needs
Internal sensa,ons linked to assessment of situaHons People have needs of emo,onal regula,on (to relax or get excited) Regulate engagement (a5enHon and moHvaHon)
Pleasure: Emotions
If something has emo,onal impact
it is relevant!
Emotions and Engagement
Primary Emotions
a. b. c.
d. e. f.
Anger Fear Disgust
Surprise Happiness Sadness
Achieve a desirable situaHon Complete a level Give the players what they desire Nice rewards (e.g. rare items)
Achieve an undesirable situaHon
Lose something important Lose an opportunity
Stronger if the situaHon is irreversible
Eliciting Emotions
Obstruct/deny players’ goals Hurt/damage what they like The blame is not a5ributed enHrely to the self Belief that the situaHon is recoverable
Promote anHcipaHon of an undesirable situaHon
Threaten what is important for the player Creates tension
PotenHates other emoHons (e.g. Happiness)
Eliciting Emotions
Create unexpected situaHons Framed in the expectaHons of players and uncertainty PosiHve surprises: the situaHon becomes be5er NegaHve surprises: the situaHon becomes worst
Create uncomfortable situaHons
Not clearly undesirable, but probably to avoid Social disgust: related to social values
Eliciting Emotions
All emoHons ma5er Go beyond primary emoHons
Social emo,ons (Guilt, shame, pride, love…)
Which Emotions?
Playing is a learning ac,vity (players learn controls, mechanics,
strategies, story…)
Pleasure: Learning
Support learning in your game Balance guidance and
self-‐explora,on
Learning
The experience is ruined if
There is nothing to learn It is impossible to learn (noise, sensory overload) There is no interest in the things learnt (are not applied in the game)
Learning
Visceral: moHon, heat, relaxaHon Cogni,ve: problem solving, memory challenges Social: social status, sense of belonging, interacHng with others Moral: follow ideals, moral code
Types of Pleasure
Sensa,on: game as sensory pleasure Fantasy: game as make believe Narra,ve: game as drama Challenge: game as obstacle course Fellowship: game as social framework Discovery: game as uncharted territory Expression: game as self-‐discovery Submission: game as pasHme
Types of Pleasure (MDA)
Progression h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/usafe/14050607788/
The experience changes with Hme
Progression
Selec,on: build expectaHons Assump,on: establish grounds based on previous experience (genre, world metaphors) Abstrac,on: idenHfy the mechanics, (dis)confirm assumpHons Strategy: build strategies combining the mechanics Reduc,on: ignore “irrelevant” informaHon
Phases of the Experience
Challenge and Novelty (keep the learning)
Managing the Progression
The Flow
Degree of Challenge
Skill Level
Anxiety
Boredom
Flow Channel
Experience
Design the experience considering ,me (play sessions, replays)
The Experience Through Time
Define ,me steps (storyboard): the beginning, the mid game, the end…
For each define:
what to do, how to feel and what to remember.
The Experience Matrix
Games as Communication Tools
Theme (subject) Thesis (perspecHve, an idea)
Game conveys the message
Game Design as Communication
Theme and Thesis
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/enricjuve/2695421587/ h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesboyes/13931401969/ h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/jonycunha/3880522914/ h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/mene5rier/6382539855/
Supports the meaning of the experience
Establish a culture (interests, values, symbols, heroes,…)
Bound the dreams that the game supports
Theme and Thesis
Gameplay is crucial for the experience The presenta,on is important as well
Theme and Presentation
Players are not all Alike h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/popculturegeek/7640586630
A good game is one that promotes a good experience Satisfaction of needs, emotional impact, learning
Well balanced in time Meaningful message
Rui Prada rui.prada@tecnico.ulisboa.pt http://gaips.inesc-id.pt/rprada