Formal Elements - Players

Section C: Game design culture and play

Recognize social game interaction

Engagement Activity

Introduction to formal elements:Gin rummy

SOCIAL GAME FORMATS

Many games are played with more than one player. These games have a social aspect that allows players to interact with other player.

1.Online multiplayer• players connect home PC’s to the Internet. • played by thousands of players at the same• Crazy Arcade

SOCIAL GAME FORMATS

Online multiplayer (cont)• usually run 24/7 • subscription-based system -

players play a monthly fee • encourage players to form

groups to solve problems • these relationships formed are

strong incentives for continuing the game

SOCIAL GAME FORMATS

2. MMOGs, MMORPGs , MMORTSs and MMOFPs.• biggest issues related is how to balance social

interaction with immersion. • benefits -meet new people from everywhere• problem -is player misbehavior. • The Internet allows player anonymity resulting in

rude, cheating, or fraudulent behavior.

SOCIAL GAME FORMATS2. MMOGs, MMORPGs ,

MMORTSs and MMOFPs.• Puzzle Pirates -MMOPG. • game master (GM) -player that

acts as an organizer, arbitrator, or rules official.

• MMOG -massively multiplayer online games.

• MMORPG -massively multiplayer online role-playing games.

SOCIAL GAME FORMATS

2. MMOGs, MMORPGs , MMORTSs and MMOFPs.

• MMOFPS stands for massively multiplayer online first-person shooters games.

• MMORTS stands for massively multiplayer online real-time strategy games.

The Game Community

• develops any time players get together to play a game.

• continually changes - may be as small as two players playing a dance game or as large as an internet poker community.

• developers control the boundaries with the game rules and roles.

The Game Community

• evolves depending on the player’s personality, the interactions between the players, and the larger social context of the game.

• more like a convention where players drop in and out instead of a sports team where the players are constant.

The Game Community

closed and open systems. • closed environment - -no outside

exchange with the environment. • open when the community of

players continually changes. • The play can be both open and

closed. • A closed play game would be

bounded.

The Game Community

closed and open systems. • The community starts as the game begins and

disappears as the game concludes. • The rules of the game have a big influence on

the outcome. • The open play game has a group of players

across several games and many different game sessions

The Game Community

Metagames • games beyond the basic

game, interplay that arises outside the rules

• tactics that uses features that lie outside the intended game use or that exploit errors in programming

The Game Community

Metagames • Ex: A player discovers - when a

weapon is fired at the ground, jumping power are increased

• the increased power allows them to overcome obstacles normally were not reachable.

• this was not the intended purpose of the game..

The Game Community

Audiences• game developers must

consider the target audience. • to understand the makeup of

the audience, researchers study demographics of a population.

•

The Game Community

Audiences• Demographics include

relevant economic as well as social statistics about the population.

• Age, gender, and income, are used to separate the audience into target groups called markets.

The Game Community

Audiences• Besides demographics, players

of the game have special classifications.

• Player interest for playing a specific game falls into categories such as explorers, collectors, competitors, jokers, storytellers, and so forth.

The Game CommunityIndustry has divided players into 2 groups:

1. Hard Core Players• play games over AND OVER AGAIN• many long sessions and have frequent discussions• knowledgeable about the gaming industry and usually possess

all of the latest games. • have desires to extend existing games creatively. • have a higher frustration level than casual players• engage in competition with themselves, the game, and others

2. Casual players. These are the rest of the game players who are not hard-core

The Game CommunityDisabilities • one area that has a niche in the

game market. • can add accessibility options• Research has discovered that

playing sports or fighting games helps distract children suffering from chronic pain (The Edmonton Journal, Feb 13th 2006).

The Game CommunityDisabilities • being used for cancer treatment,

weight control, and improved motor coordination.

• Dance Dance Revolution has helped many children lose weight and gain motor development.

• Adding these accessibility features can increase sales as well as improved PR

Players• Games designed for players. Without

players, games have no reason to exist.• When designing a game that you need to

consider – How many players does the game

require?– How many total players does the game

support?– Do various players have different

roles?– Do players compete, cooperate, or

both?

Virtual Reality

The simulation of reality through technology. Many reasons VR has become popular in games.

• Lessen Dangers associated with the real experience - flight simulation for combat helicopter pilots.

• provide a training environment where mistakes are less permanent and costly - management of nuclear power stations or s chemical plants.

Virtual Reality

• History-can provide a useful and exciting way of teaching history, in a school or a museum.

• Ethics- users might have the freedom to commit rape and murder within the VR environment.

• In the near future, it may be technically possible to construct VR in such a way that almost every possibility of the user's imagination can be fulfilled.

• Will designers or society place arbitrary limits on what is possible within VR? VR can also heighten the experience and pleasure in a virtual world not possible in the real world VR thus proposes exciting, intriguing, but dangerous possibilities.

Formal Elements

Players

Number of Players

• A game designed for one player is different than a game designed for two, four, or 10,000 players.

• A game designed for a specific number of players has different considerations than a game designed for a variable number of players.

Roles of Players

• Most games have uniform roles for all players in the game.

• Some games have more than one role for players to choose between. In Mastermind, one player chooses to be the code-breaker, while the other chooses to be the code-maker.

• Role Playing Games (RPG’s) have a variety of roles for players to choose between.

Player Interaction Patterns

• When you design a game, what will be the interaction between a player, the game system and any other players?

• There are seven major player patterns:

1. Single Player vs Game

• Most common pattern for digital gaming(use Cards)

• Includes puzzles and other game structures to create conflict. (solitaire)

2. Multiple Individual Players vs Game

• Multiple players compete against the game in the company of each other.

• Action is not directed at each other.• No interaction between players is required.• Essentially, this pattern is a single-player game played in

the company of others. (Race)

3. Player vs Player

• A game where two players directly compete.• Classic structure for strategy games and good for competitive

players.• One-on-one makes competition a personal contest.• The intense competition marks this pattern for focused, head-to-

head play. (war)

4. Unilateral Competition

• Two or more players compete against one player.• Examples include tag and dodge ball.• Interesting model for combining cooperative and

competitive gameplay.

5. Multilateral Competition

• Game structure in which three or more players directly compete.• This pattern is what people think of when they think of multiplayer

games.• Board games are multilateral for between three – six players

usually. (Hearts-Spades)

6. Cooperative Play

• Two or more players cooperate against the game system. (Farmville)

• Often found in children’s board games.

7. Team Competition

• Game structure in which two or more groups compete.• Includes soccer, basketball and charades.• This game structure can provide fun for fans of the teams as

well as the players. (Spades)

Activities:

• Play games with each type of player interaction. See handout.