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Lecture 2 - Understanding Games01-Gamification.pdf
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- 2. Game Structure Genre Theme andsetting Game world (territory) and objects Narrative • Goals (quests) • Characters • Conflict Rewards Rules of the game 2
- 3. Genre • Action • Adventure •Fighting • RPG • Strategy • Stealth • Racing • Sport • Puzzle 3
- 4. Theme • The themeinvokes shared understanding • Facilitates learning and recognition • Facilitates interest and engagement • It is not constrained by genre • Consider the world, objects, actions, constraints in your imagination when you consider 1. Pirates 2. Zombies 3. WWII 4
- 5. Pirates • Players knowwhat to do in a pirate world because players understand that pirates: – raid merchant ships – get chased by the navy – fight with cannons at a distance – fight with swords and pistols at close range – steal cargo and bury treasure etc. 5
- 6. Setting • The characteristicsof the game world in which the game is set (location, architecture, geography). – Flora and fauna – History – Folklore – Mythology 6 Asylum Set in an abandoned and decaying asylum http://www.dsogaming.com/users-articles/users-articles-5-reasons- for-horror-fans-to-look-forward-to-asylum/
- 7. Theme and Setting Anappealing setting encourages engagement with the game Implies pre-existing narrative, conflict Change pirate to terrorist Set Red Riding Hood in Wall Street 7
- 8. Game World -Spatial Setting • Spatial setting is crucial for defining the game world and its boundaries along with type and positioning of objects • Spaces and objects constrain action – Open field - many attackers – Boulders - limited attackers, possibility of ambush 8
- 9. Game World -Objects • Objects in the game world must be consistent with the theme and setting and support the narrative – Some objects are interactable and some are not – Some artefacts are positioned and revealed – Some are at a fixed position – Some are constantly on screen – Some are transitory 9
- 10. Narrative • The narrativestructure provides – Context for actions – Context in which problems arise, where players must make meaningful choices with meaningful long-term consequences 10
- 11. Elements of Narrative •The following are elements that support the narrative (telling of the story) – Fictional or non-fictional world – Back story (background/history) – Plot (goal) – Characters – Character arc (growth of character) – Emotion – Dialog – Scenes – Tension (conflict) 11
- 12. Fictional Worlds &Character Arc • The setting in which the story unfolds • A backdrop for a scripted plot Fictional worlds • If a story has a character arc, the character begins as one sort of person and gradually transforms into a different sort of person in response to changing developments in the story. Character arc 12
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- 14. Scenes • The environmentor staging sets the mood. It should tell a story without a character present. • The objects and décor of a room say something about its inhabitant. – Colour scheme, furniture, location – Pictures on the wall – Old pizza trays on the coffee table – Beer cans in the rubbish • Outside - village - heads on stakes, huts burnt – still smouldering… • The scene must prime and frame the story telling process and direct the player attention. 14
- 15. Levels (Scenes) • Allowsnarrative to jump • Travel across desert to next city – No game play so skip (may show a cutscene) • Same as a scene break in a novel or play 15
- 16. Mis en scène- Theatrics • Theatrical tableau – Cinematic story telling techniques – Theatrics, drama, performance • Creates mood and ambience – Invokes emotion – Helps draw the player into the game world • Atmosphere – Foggy night, lighting, background noises, sound of approaching enemy • Production – Black and white – Retro (i.e. art-deco) 16
- 17. Conflict • Game conflictis artificial conflict in an artificial arena. • Conflict creates tension – Conflict occurs between protagonist (player) and adversary (villain, competing player, AI) • Winning may only have value in magic circle of game – Yet players still pursue it 17
- 18. Categories of Conflict •Game conflict in three categories – Territorial conflict – Economic conflict – Conflict over knowledge • These categories are neither discrete or mutually exclusive. 18
- 19. 1. Conflict OverTerritory • Pieces are moved on a limited playing field – Player strategically positions units to capture enemy and gain ground • Abstractly represent war and the territory over which the battle is waged – Go • Military simulation – Football and soccer • Strategically occupy territory in a pattern that will lead to victory – Even Tic-Tac-Toe • Conflict over game grid cells 19
- 20. 2. Economic Conflict •Economic conflict is over units of value rather than terrain – Not just money – pieces, points, cards... • Includes reducing players life to zero • Pinball - accumulating highest score • Progress through the game is often measured according to the values assigned within this economy 20
- 21. 3. Conflict ofKnowledge • Trivia, Charades • Conflicts over knowledge that lies outside the magic circle of the game may be inherently cultural 21
- 22. Identifying Conflict • Questionsto ask to identify conflict – What is being contested? – In what type of arena is contest being held? – Over what is the conflict being raged? – How is the progress of the conflict being measured? – What aspects of the conflict are being dynamically represented? 22
- 23. History of Conflictin Games • Military conquest – Fighting, shooting, conquering • Collectible economies – Magic coins, money, precious objects • Military and economic representations have a long history – But still there are countless avenues for innovation 23
- 24. Rewards It’s the rewardsof victories and treasures that make people interested in the first place. If you stop giving carrots, players may lose incentive. 24
- 25. Types of Rewardsin Games • Things you give to player that have no impact on the play itself Rewards of glory • For avatar – food, health, armour, abilities Rewards of sustenance • Allow player access to new locations and resources • Generally used only once • Have no value to player after they have been used Rewards of access • Enable avatar to do things they couldn’t do before or enhance abilities Rewards of facility 25
- 26. Rules • Define theformal structure of the game – game setup – turn taking – winning condition • Constraints on actions and feedback • Define the game play, must therefore be simple, explicit, and unambiguous 26
- 27. Rules Template byParlett • The name of the game: The name of a game is the portal through which you pass from the real world into that special world in which games are played. • Its classification: This relates it to other games and should include a brief account of its distinctive points. • Authority: State the provenance of the game. • Number of players • The gaming equipment: a brief description of how it is to be manipulated. 27
- 28. Rules Template byParlett • The aim of the game • Detailed rules of play in the normal course of events, with specification of what you may and may not do. • Special rules governing exceptional cases and occurrences. • Penalties and corrections for irregularities. • Ending, winning, scoring, continuation (of a multi-part game) • Pay-off: This may be money, title, prestige, or something else that you carry away with you into the real world. 28
- 29. Summary GENRE THEME AND SETTING GAMEWORLD NARRATIVE REWARDS RULES 29