11:15 am – 11:30 am

Game Verbs for Change

Lindsay Grace (Miami University)

Director Persuasive Play Lab @ Miami University

AIMS Games Center @ Miami University

Moving to American University (Washington DC)

to help start a Persuasive Play Graduate program

In my 10 years of teaching game design I have taught two basic principles to game designers:

1. Game design is about interesting problems

2. Games are about Doing

1. Interesting problems

2. Doing

Game designs begins with:

1. Goal2. Obstruction to goal 3. Means to achieving your goal

Example:

Goal : Save the Princess

Obstruction: Distance, Platforms, Enemies

Means: Run, Jump and shoot

Goals

Goals are often best when they are

familiar and

easy to understand

Common Goals

• Get to the end• Collect as many items as you can• Find an object or person• Complete a collection of items

*Goals often relate to Sutton-Smith’s 7 Rhetorics of Play

Obstruction

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________hungry food

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________hungry food

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________weak strength

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________Sad Passion

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________troubled resolution

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________angry revenge

Obstruction is often situational

Your character is _______ and needs _________lonely company

If the obstruction is compellingwe will want to play

If your means is enjoyable,

we will want to continue to play

Means = Game Verbs

Game Verbs

Verb: RunVerb: Jump

Game Verbs

Verb: Run

Verb: Jump

Game Verbs

Verb: Run

Verb: JumpPlatformer

Game Verbs

Verb: Run

Verb: JumpVerb: Shoot

Platformer(earned verb)

Only 2 solutions to your problem:

Run Jump

… and shoot if you are good

Shoot

Game Verbs

Verb: Run

Verb: JumpVerb: ShootFPS – 1st Person Shooter

What’s the rhetoric to solving these problems?

Run, jump and shoot your way to succsess.

What arguments are we making about creating change and facilitating change?

If you want to enact change, you need to examine your verbs

Game Verbs Universe

Run

JumpPlatformer

Hide

ShootHeal

TellSave

Learn

Attract

Love

FreeEvaluateEmpathize

Game Verbs Universe

Run

Jump

Hide

ShootHeal

TellSave

Learn

Attract

Love

FreeEvaluateEmpathize

RunHide

Goal: Collect WaterObstruction: Janjaweed militia

Game Verbs Universe

Run

Jump

Hide

ShootHeal

TellSave

Learn

Attract

Love

FreeEvaluateEmpathize

Run

Heal

Verbs of Political Change

Goal: Provide for your familyObstacle: Examining

Allow Deny

Goal: Manage the company

Plow FeedCorrupt

Verbs of Empathy

Move Blend

Calm

Verbs of Affection

Goal: Get to the endObstacle: Environment

Hug

What you allow the player to do is as important as what you don’t

Goal: (none – this is a toy)Obstacle: Terrorism

Do NothingShoot

Move Wait

Are your verbs enticing? Interesting to players?

Verb: Flirt

Complicated & nuanced

Flirt!

Flirt!• HEar

"Heart” of the verb?

Are my verbs interesting?

Verbs: Shoot,Canvas, Steal

Verbs: Shoot,Canvas, Steal

Canvas = lousy verb

No point in packaging grape flavored medicine

Don’t mask the meaning, make the meaning integral to a good experience

If we look at the fundamentals

we can get the formula right

Remember:

Digital game verbs are far less limited than analog verbs

What games verbs will you create?

Thank You.

Questions?Lindsay D. GraceFall 2013 – Associate Professor, American University

Former:Armstrong Professor of Creative ArtsDirector, Persuasive Play Lab at Miami UniversityDirector, Games Center-Miami University

Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies LGrace.comhttp://www.ProfessorGrace.com@Mindtoggle