Fabiano Dalpiaz and Joske Houtkamp f.dalpiaz@uu · 8 Basics of game design Many theories exist Some...

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Designing serious games

Fabiano Dalpiaz and Joske Houtkamp

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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Outline

1. Basics about game design

2. Designing serious games

3. Serious game design patterns

4. Formal elements

5. Dramatic elements

Lecture contents

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Basics of game design

Envision how a game will work during play

Objectives

Rules

Procedures

Dramatic elements

The orchestration of these elements should deliver the immersive experience of the game

i.e., the whole is more than the sum of the parts

What does a game designer do?

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Look at the game through the player’s eyes

Often ignored principle

Essential to create solid gameplay

Graphics, story line, features are secondary

Be objective

Hard to do after some time spent on the game

To cope with this, use playtesters

The designer as an advocate for the player

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Principle: involve the player in the design process

Proposed by Tracy Fullerton in her book

Other design processes exist

• Look at the literature!

The design process

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Irrespective of your (team’s) skills, a game design is never good enough prior to testing

How to do that? Via prototypes

Not only digital prototypes

Physical prototypes are the starting point

Playtesting: starting physical

Card-based prototype of battleship

First-person

shooter

prototype

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The final game will be a digital game

Once the physical prototype has been refined, go digital

The task is to map the ideas so far and the mechanisms / rules of the physical prototype into a videogame

But a prototype is not a complete game!

Focus on some areas

Playtesting: going digital

Focus areas (not all need to be covered)

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Many theories exist

Some approaches propose a (finite) set of game elements

E.g., Tracy Fullerton’s formal and dramatic elements

Formal = rules, objectives, procedures, resources, …

Dramatic = challenge, premise, play, …

Some works do not provide such a list but focus on the adoption of multiple perspective to look at a game

E.g., Jesse Schell’s book of lenses

What is exactly a game design?

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Outline




4. Formal elements


Lecture contents

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All the principles from game design apply

A serious game is still a game!

We will cover this part later

The issue is how to encode the non-entertainment purpose into the game

What is the purpose? It depends on the type of game

Educational game Contents are learned

Advergame persuasion, brand recall

Exergame fitness

Pain relief game distraction from painful surgery

Awareness game knowledge is obtained about…

…

How to?

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Where to start from?

Understand the intended learning outcomes

• Intended, by the instructor

• Outcomes, to indicate the expected result

Focus on educational games here

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Learning outcome = a statement of a learning objective contains a verb (an action) and an object (usually a noun)

The verb generally refers to [actions associated with] the intended cognitive process

The object generally describes the knowledge students are expected to acquire or construct

Examples:

Students will be able to exemplify all the game genres

Students will be able to recognize if a software system is a game

Learning outcomes, Bloom’s taxonomy

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Two dimensions: knowledge and cognitive process

Learning outcomes, Bloom’s revised taxonomy

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What type of knowledge is being imparted?

Not all knowledge is the same

Learning outcomes, the Knowledge Dimension

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Learning outcomes, the Cognitive Process Dimension

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Consider an educational game that teaches about renewable energy

Think of the differences in terms of serious game design

To list the X main types of renewable energy sources

To recognize if a power plant uses renewable energy

To illustrate renewable energy sources with practical examples

To criticize and compare different renewable energy sources

To construct a combination of renewable energy sources for a given sample scenario

…

Learning outcomes, exemplified

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Learning outcomes are not game objectives

The challenge is to translate learning outcomes into game objectives

Corollary: we also need to translate the learning process into the game mechanics

A direct mapping may exist

“To recognize if a power plant uses renewable energy” could be mapped to a mission in the game

But sometimes direct mappings would be inadequate

“To repeat the X main types of renewable energy sources” would make the game quite boring!

Learning outcomes vs. game objectives/goals

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SimcityEDU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NhiHuw12e4

What are the intended learning outcomes?

How are they mapped to game objectives and mechanics?

Learning outcomes in existing serious games

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NhiHuw12e4

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Outline




4. Formal elements


Lecture contents

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Serious game design patterns

Best practices to design the mechanics of serious games

Based on the analysis of 20 serious games about basic life support training

[Huynh-Kim-Bang et al., 2010]

How is a pattern defined?

Context: when does the pattern apply?

Problem: what is the problem to be solved?

Force: what is the rationale behind the pattern?

Solution: what does the pattern consist of?

Key idea

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Context: define possible game designs for action phases

Problem: how to exploit interaction that is conductive to learning?

Force: not all types of interaction are instructional, and not all types of knowledge can be assimilated with interaction

Solution: use modes of interaction adapted to the type of knowledge to be acquired

a) [low budget] Questions and answers

b) [memorize] Pavlonian interaction (repetitive tasks with stimulus)

c) [more abstract concepts] In-situ interaction (detailed narrative, emotional context)

d) [awareness] Build/modify a microworld

e) [discovering viewpoints] Social pedagogical interaction

f) Serious varied gameplay (mixing a-e)

Instructive gameplay

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[low budget] Questions and answers

[awareness] Build/modify a microworld

[discovering viewpoints] Social pedagogical interaction

Instructive gameplay, examples

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Context: high-level knowledge has to be included

Problem: how to teach high-level knowledge?

Force: cognitive overload may prevent learners/players from concentrating on game interactions while being engrossed in high-level thinking

Solution: use intensive action phases for practice and training, and create less intensive phases for thought and reflection

Time for action / time for thought

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Context: -

Problem: how to help users become more aware of their acquired knowledge?

Force: -

Solution: represent items of knowledge or competencies (skills) with virtual objects to be collected

Reified knowledge

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Context: -

Problem: how to make players discover knowledge that is not related to the game objectives?

Force: some items of knowledge cannot be easily inserted into the game without breaking the rhythm

Solution: exhibit this knowledge in virtual places consistent with the game world, e.g., an exhibition place (a museum). The museum has to evoke the atmosphere and prolong the environment of the game world; it shall not be perceived as a totally separate location

Museum

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Context: -

Problem: how to provide players with incentives to help them advance in the game?

Force: -

Solution: entice players with the promise of rewards. The latter would bring some form of satisfaction or pleasure.

BTW, fun/enjoyment can be caused by many things to which people are more or less sensitive

Fun reward

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Outline




4. Formal elements


Lecture contents

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Formal elements

These are the elements that play an essential structure in traditional (non-video) games

Players

Objectives

Procedures

Rules

Resources

Conflict

Outcome

This is just one classification

What are formal elements?

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Formal elements

Invitation to play

How to make a person become a player?

Create an engaging invitation

Number of players

Should be very clear, as it is a key determinant for success

E.g., think of a single-player-only version of World of Warcraft

Tetris is mainly single player though…

Roles of players

Not all the players adopt the same role!

Players

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Formal elements

Player interaction patterns

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Formal elements

Objectives give players something to strive for

They define what players have to accomplish

Within the rules of the game

They should be

Challenging

But achievable

Different players may be assigned different objectives

Objectives can be self-determined!

Objectives

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Formal elements

The methods of play through which players achieve their objectives

Questions to consider

Who can use the procedure?

What exactly does the player do?

Where and when?

How to access the procedure?

Types of procedure, depending on the game progress

Starting action

Progression action

Special actions

Resolving actions

Procedures

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Formal elements

Rules define game objects and allowable actions by the players

How are rule learnt?

How are rules enforced?

What type of rule works best?

Think in relation to the players

Too many rules confuse players

Good communication is key

Rules

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Formal elements

Assets that can be used to accomplish certain goals

Just like in real world

Virtual (usually)

Should be appropriate for the game genre

Potions wouldn’t make much sense in Fruit Ninja

Resources shall have

Utility: why having useless resources?

Scarcity: if infinite, no challenge for the player

Resources

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Formal elements

Conflicts emerge when players try to accomplish the goals within the rules and boundaries

Conflict can be designed

E.g., to inhibit easy solutions

Create sense of competition or play

How to create conflict?

Obstacles

Opponents (AI bots or other players)

Dilemmas

Conflict

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Formal elements

Must be uncertain to hold the players’ attention

Not all games have a definite outcome though

Think of massive multiplayer online role-playing games

... or of simulation games

The outcome depends on the interaction pattern

Single player vs. game: win or lose, or score

Player vs. player: win or lose

Outcome

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Outline




4. Formal elements


Lecture contents

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Dramatic elements

Dramatic elements engage the players emotionally

Give a context to gameplay

Integrate the formal elements into a meaningful experience

Challenge and play are in all games

Other techniques are only in certain games

Premise

Character

Story

Definition

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Dramatic elements

A non-challenging game is hardly going to be successful

Challenge is individual

A child who is learning to count may find a math educational game for kids challenging… but not an adult

Challenge is dynamic

The same obstacle may be challenging at the beginning of the game, but unchallenging later on

The theory of flow

[Csikszentmihalyi]

Challenge requires skill!

Challenge

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Dramatic elements

Play can be seen as the freedom of movement within a more rigid structure

Emergent experience

Personal expression

Types of play [Salen and Zimmerman]

Play

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Dramatic elements

Establishes the action of the game within a setting or metaphor

Without premise, many games would be too abstract

The player would consider the game anonymous

Premise

Simple (yet effective) premise:

Space Invaders – defending your

planet from aliens

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Dramatic elements

The agents through whose actions a drama is told

How to devise the right characters?

Psychological: the character as a mirror for the audience’s fears and desires

Representative for a segment of people

Historic

…

Protagonist vs. other characters

Character

Vs.

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Dramatic elements

The story should be uncertain

However, traditional storytelling methods are hard to apply

In a movie, the director resolves the uncertainty in the story

In a game, the player has to resolve this uncertainty

Backstory (extended premise) Vs. Branching story

Story

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Dramatic elements

All the dramatic elements mentioned above are important

But the most important is conflict

We have seen the notion of formal conflict before

Dramatic conflict

Create an antagonist

Increase narrative tension

Face the antagonist at the end of the game

The dramatic arc

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Summary

1. Define the intended learning outcomes

2. Map the ILOs to game objectives

3. Map the learning activities to game mechanics that combine fun and learning

For example, consider formal and dramatic elements

4. Playtest and refine!

How to design serious games?

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References

This material is partially based on the book by Tracy Fullerton entitled “Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games”, 3rd edition

Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1990.

Salen, Katie, and Zimmerman, Eric. The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2006.

Bartle, Richard. “Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players who Suit MUDS.” April 1996. http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm.

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References

Huynh-Kim-Bang, B., Labat, L-M. & Wisdom, J. (2011). Design Patterns in Serious Games: A Blue Print for Combining Fun and Learning.

Winn, Brian. "The design, play, and experience framework." Handbook of research on effective electronic gaming in education 3 (2008): 1010-1024.

Mitgutsch, Konstantin, and Narda Alvarado. "Purposeful by design?: a serious game design assessment framework." Proceedings of the International Conference on the foundations of digital games. ACM, 2012.

Van Staalduinen, Jan-Paul, and Sara de Freitas. "A Game-Based Learning Framework: Linking Game Design and Learning." Learning to play: exploring the future of education with video games 53 (2011): 29.

Fabiano Dalpiaz and Joske Houtkamp f.dalpiaz@uu · 8 Basics of game design Many theories exist Some...

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