My Avatar and Me. Toward a Cognitive Theory of Game Characters

My Avatar and Me

Toward a Cognitive Theory of Game Characters

Felix Schröter, University of [email protected]

Conference "Games, Cognition, and Emotion"July 5-6, 2013, University of Hamburg

Introduction

http://www.feministfrequency.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Tropes-vs-videogames.jpg

Introduction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUMOHSL53L8

Introduction

4

Introduction

How can we systematically analyze game characters?

Introduction

How can we systematically analyze game characters?How do players perceive game characters?

How can these categories inform the development of a heuristic model for game characters analysis?

Why Cognitive Film Studies?


• Ecological models of CFS are universal.



• Many models of CFS can tackle the video game‘s interactivity.


10Grodal 2009: 147




• CFS can help explain character engagement and emotions.





• CFS models simplify and categorize character perception.






„That‘s just what I do!“

Game

Designer


• Games & emotions: Frome 2006, Grodal 2003, Perron 2012

• Games & embodiment: Gregersen 2008, Gregersen/Grodal 2009

• Gameplay patterns: Lindley/Sennersten 2008, Betts 2011

• Game design: Lankoski 2010, Isbister 2006

Cognitive approaches to video games:


basic perception

• no object recognition

• color, sound, movement, contrast

arousal, affective

responses

cf. Grodal 1997; Persson 2003; Eder 2008


object recognition, memory matching

basic perception



,person‘

emotional associations

arousal, affective

responses

• object recognition• association,

activation oflong-term memory


17

Dead Island (Techland/Deep Silver 2010)



basic perception

mental character models



,character‘,person‘


arousal, affective

responsesfiction emotions



• situation and character models

• temporal and causal relations




more complex representations

basic perception






artifact emotions,,meta emotions‘, ...

arousal, affective






• symbolic interpretation• reflection on

production and reception contexts




basic perception







arousal, affective










• Gary Alan Fine (1983): Shared Fantasy. Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds



primary frame (reality)social context




game frame(game context)

rules, goals




fictional frame(socio-dramatic frame)

rules of the fictional world, make-believe

keying

game frame(game context)

rules, goals


Salen/Zimmerman 2004

Ermi/Mäyrä 2005

Linderoth 2005

Lindley/Sennersten 2008

Thon 2008

Ekman/Lankoski 2009

Calleja 2011

Perron 2012

character player person

imaginative immersion challenge-based immersion ---

fictive character equipment presentation of self

story schemas gameplay schemas ---

narrative Immersion ludic immersion social immersion

narrative comprehension goal-driven evaluation ---

narrative involvement ludic involvement shared involvement

fiction emotions gameplay emotions ---

„Three-fold framing of player consciousness“ (Salen/Zimmerman 2004):


Three modes of experiencing game characters:

Characters as...

mental models consist of...

prevalent cognitive processes

prevalent emotions

fictional beings

body, mind, socialityof a fictional character

narrative comprehension

fiction emotions

narrative mode



Characters as...



prevalent emotions

fictional beings game pieces


game mechanics,‘ludic‘ properties,

character-related goals

narrative comprehensiongoal-driven evaluation,

problem-solving,strategic planning

fiction emotions gameplay emotions

narrative mode ludic mode



Characters as...



prevalent emotions

fictional beings game pieces avatars


game mechanics,‘ludic‘ properties,

character-related goals

‘social‘ attributes of avatar/player, real-life interactions

narrative comprehensiongoal-driven evaluation,

problem-solving,strategic planning

mentalizing,social attribution

fiction emotions gameplay emotions ‘social‘ emotions

narrative mode ludic mode communicative mode



basic perception







arousal, affective









gameplayemotions


objec

t rec

ognit

ion,

m

emor

y m

atch

ing

basic

pe

rcep

tion mental character models

,cha

ract

er‘

,per

son‘

emot

iona

l as

soci

atio

ns

artif

act

emot

ions

,,m

eta

emot

ions

‘, ...ar

ousa

l, aff

ectiv

e re

spon

ses

fictionemotions

mor

e co

mpl

ex

repr

esen

tatio

ns

fictional being

game piece

avatar

‘social‘emotions

A Heuristic Model for Game Character Analysis

aesthetics of the game/character: music, sound, colors, shapes, contrast, movement, controller feedback, ...

body, mind, sociality

rules,character-related goals, interaction structures

'social' properties of player/avatar, patterns of communication/interaction

motifs, metaphors, themes, pragmatic contexts...

connected to each character aspect?


basic perception mental character models more complex

representations

fictional being

game piece

avatar


Aesthetics of the game/character: music, sound, colors, shapes, contrast, movement, controller feedback, ...






representations

game piece

avatar

Limbo (Playdead/Microsoft 2010)


aesthetics of the game/character: music, sound, colors, shapes, contrast, movement, controller feedback, ...






representations

fictional being

game piece

avatar




Aesthetics of the game/character: music, sound, colors, shapes, contrast, movement, controller feedback, ...




basic perception


September 12th (newsgaming.com 2003)



Putting the Model to Use

game analysis

media effects research game design

Putting the Model to Use: Game Analysis

• Example: How to analyze Menschenbilder ('images of human nature') in video games?



Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011)




The Last of Us (2013)




The Last of Us (2013) Bioshock (2007)

Putting the Model to Use: Media Effects

• Example: cultivation effects and content analysis



Jansz/Martis 2003



Grimes 2003

Jansz/Martis 2003



Grimes 2003

Jansz/Martis 2003

Lachlan et al. 2005



Grimes 2003

Jansz/Martis 2003

Lachlan et al. 2005

Thompson/Haninger 2001



Grimes 2003

Jansz/Martis 2003

Lachlan et al. 2005

Malliet 2007

Thompson/Haninger 2001

Putting the Model to Use: Game Design

• Example: eliciting emotions in game design

gameplayemotions



arousal, affective

responses

fictionemotions



• Example: eliciting emotions in game design

gameplayemotions


arousal, affective

responses

fictionemotions



Solarski 2012

gameplayemotions


arousal, affective

responses

fictionemotions


Moore 2011

Team Fortress 2 (2007)

gameplayemotions


arousal, affective

responses

fictionemotions



The Last of Us (2013)

Summary

• CFS can by adapted for a cognitive theory of game characters.

• Such a theory can inform the categories of game character analysis.

• The „three-fold framing of player consciousness“ is a useful heuristic concept.

References• Betts, Tom (2011): "Pattern Recognition:

Gameplay as Negotiating Procedural Form". In: Proceedings of Digra 2011 Conference: Think Design Play.

• Calleja, Gordon (2011): In-Game. From Immersion to Incorporation. Cambridge, MA, London: MIT Press.

• Eder, Jens (2008): Die Figur im Spiel. Marburg: Schüren.

• Ekman, Ingmer / Lankoski, Petri (2009): "Hair-Raising Entertainment. Emotions, Sound, and Structure in Silent Hill 2 and Fatal Frame". In: Perron, Bernard (Ed.): Horror Video Games. Essays on the Fusion of Fear and Play. Jefferson, NC, London: McFarland & Co., pp. 181–199.

• Ermi, Laura; Mäyrä, Frans (2005): "Fundamental Components of the Gameplay Experience. Analysing Immersion." In: Proceedings of DiGRA 2005 Conference: Changing Views – Worlds in Play. Online: http://www.digra.org/dl/db/06276.41516.pdf.

• Fine, Gary A. (1983): Shared Fantasy. Role-Playing Games as Social Worlds. Chicago, IL, London: The University of Chicago Press.

• Frome, Jonathan (2006): Why Films Make Us Cry But Video Games Don’t: Emotions in Traditional and Interactive Media. Madison, WI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, dissertation.

• Gregersen, Andreas L. (2008): Core Cognition and Embodied Agency in Gaming: Towards a Framework for Analysing Structure and Function of Computer Games. Kopenhagen, Kobenhavns Universitet, dissertation.

• Gregersen, Andreas L. / Grodal, Torben (2009): "Embodiment and Interface". In: Perron, Bernard / Wolf, Mark J. P. (Eds.): The Video Game Theory Reader 2. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 65–83.

55

• Grimes, Sara M. (2003): „,You Shoot Like A Girl!‘: The Female Protagonist Action- Adventure Video Games“. In: Level Up Conference Proceedings, Utrecht: University of Utrecht. Online: http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05150.01496.pdf.

• Grodal, Torben (1997): Moving Pictures: A New Theory of Film Genres, Feelings, and Cognition. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

• Grodal, Torben (2003): "Stories for Eye, Ear, and Muscles: Video Games, Media, and Embodied Experiences". In: Wolf, Mark J. P. / Perron, Bernard (Eds.): The Video Game Theory Reader. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 129–155.

• Grodal, Torben (2009): Embodied Visions: Evolution, Emotion, Culture, and Film. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

• Isbister, Katherine (2006): Better Game Characters by Design. A Psychological Approach. San Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

• Jansz, Jereon / Martis, Raynel (2003): „The representation of gender and ethnicity in digital interactive games“. In: Level up: Digital games research conference. Utrecht: Utrecht University, pp. 260–269.

• Lachlan, Kenneth / Smith, Stacy / Tamborini, Ron (2005): „Models for Aggressive Behavior: The Attributes of Violent Characters in Popular Video Games“. In: Communication Studies, Vl. 56, No. 4, pp. 313–329.

• Lankoski, Petri (2010): Character-Driven Game Design. A Design Approach and Its Foundations in Character Engagement. Online: https://www.taik.fi/kirjakauppa/ images/05b242aa4f26a8e03f8499599462f5f2.pdf.

• Lindley, Craig A. / Sennersten, Charlotte C. (2008): "Game Play Schemas. From Player Analysis to Adaptive Game Mechanics". In: International Journal of Computer Games Technology 2008, pp. 1–7. Online: http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ijcgt/2008/216784.pdf.

• Moore, Christopher (2011): "Hats of Affect: A Study of Affect, Achievements and Hats in Team Fortress 2". In: Game Studies 11 (2011), Nr. 1. Online: http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/moore.

• Perron, Bernard (2012): Silent Hill. The Terror Engine. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

• Persson, Per (2003): Understanding Cinema. A Psychological Theory of Moving Imagery. Cambridge u.a. : Cambridge University Press.

• Salen, Katie / Zimmerman, Eric (2004): Rules of Play. Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, MA, London: MIT Press.

• Solarski, Chris (2012): Drawing Basics and Video Game Art. New York, NY: Watson-Guptill.

• Thompson, Kimberly M. / Haninger, Kevin (2001): "Violence in E-Rated Video Games". In: Journal of the American Medical Association, Vl. 286, No. 5, pp. 591–598.

• Thon, Jan-Noël: "Immersion Revisited. On the Value of a Contested Concept". In: Fernandez, Amyris / Leino, Olli / Wirman, Hanna (eds.): Extending Experiences. Structure, Analysis and Design of Computer Game Player Experience. Rovaniemi: Lapland University Press, pp. 29–43.

http://www.digra.org/dl/db/06276.41516.pdf








https://www.taik.fi/kirjakauppa/

https://www.taik.fi/kirjakauppa/

http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ijcgt/2008/216784.pdf




http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/moore

http://gamestudies.org/1101/articles/moore

Thank you!

Felix Schrö[email protected] @felixjswww.felixschroeter.de

www.cognitivegamestudies.comwww.facebook.com/cognitivegamestudies

My Avatar and Me. Toward a Cognitive Theory of Game Characters

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