We talked about formal elements last time, it would be rather straightly describing the game's content. This time we will introduce dramatic elements, which will explore the emotional aspect more.
Dramatic Elements
Challenge
We have mentioned challenge in the previous chapter, it comes from conflict, it blocks the way of the player to reach goal and player needs to overcome challenge in order to reach the objective.
Challenge is not a task that is hard to accomplish.Otherwise it will acts like challenges of everyday life. In different games, we need to think how people really enjoy themselves and which types of activities make them happy. Challenge is determined by the skill of player, and the skill of player increases during gameplay. So challenge need to be increased to hold the player interest.
There are three situations between the ability of player and the challenge:
Ability ~ Challenge: flow
Ability > Challenge: boredom
Ability < Challenge: frustration
At the start of the game, ability of player is low so challenge is also rather easy. As player plays more, their skills increase, so challenge need to be increased too. If a challenge is too easy, player will be bored. If a challenge is too big that player can't achieve, player will be frustrated. If the ability matches the level of challenge, player will engage into a state called "flow". Player's will be concentrated and pay high awareness on what they are doing.
If the games does not require skill, players will carry on the action automatically. They do not pay awareness on what they are doing. Finally, they will be separated from the actions they are performing. No emotion appears from what they are doing in the game.
Clear Goals and Feedback
The goal should be clear and the procedure to goal is clear. Thus the player will know what is need to done in order to reach goal. When there is immediate direct feedback after the player's action, it further confirms their procedure to goal. Player will be more motivated to reach the goal.
These two elements (clear goals and feedback) make game’s goal is much more clear than life’s goal. That's why we will have much more motivation on dueling with game's challenge but not life's challenge.
Higher Concepts in Gameplay (Concentration, Control, Time)
Based on the elements we include, it forms some higher level concepts which describe the gameplay more specifically.
- Concentration on the Task at Hand
Considering clear goals and procedures, it helps player to be concentration on dueling with the challenges. Also, the number of tasks should be considered when we design the game. If there are too many tasks and being dispersed, players will be distracted and has a higher chance to exit the magic circle.
- The Paradox of Control
There is a funny concept about Control - We know it is under control when it is not actually in complete control. As we know there are alternative outcomes, we know it is in our control when those alternative outcomes do not appear. Therefore, a game should show there will be accidents and alternative outcomes, then the player will understand in which situation, they are controlling the games and avoiding other outcomes.
- The Transformation of Time
Usually, hours seem to pass by in minutes. But occasionally it reverses. When the challenge is challenge-able, player will put all concentration on dueling with the challenge, they value each small action and decision they made. When they overcome the challenges, they will gain a large sense of accomplishment and think they have put a lot of effort. While the truth is what the player experienced may be only last for a few minutes, player was experiencing a longer and slower transformation of time. (In films, they use slow motion shot to reproduce that kind of feels.)
Play
We talked about the differences between play and game in the last chapter. Also, various play represents various forms of fun.
First, there two natures of play:
Children’s play: focus on skills learning, acquiring knowledge, socialize, problem solving, which it gives us laughter and fun.
Serious play: it requires the player to make a process of experimentation, pushing boundaries and trying new things.
There different types of players, and what fun they are seeking are different.
1. The Competitor: beat other players.
2. The Explorer: curious about the world, loves to go adventure, seek outside the boundaries – physical or mental approach.
3. The Achiever: plays for varying levels of achievement; ladders and levels incentivize the achiever.
4. The Joker: plays for the fun of playing, may annoy serious players, on the other hand can make the game more social than competitive.
5. The Artist: Driven by cre ativity, creation, design.
6. The Director: wants to be in charge, direct the play.
7. The Storyteller: create or live in worlds of fantasy and imagination.
8. The Performer: put on a show for others.
9. The Craftsman: build, craft, engineer, or puzzle things out.
Different players also have different levels of engagement -
participate play: the common ways that players participate in game
spectator mode: watching other plays, in designing a game, we can also think about how to make a game still make fun when the players are in spectator mode.
ultimate goal: a deep level of play, it is a transformational play, player's value is affected by the world of game. How the game shapes the character will also shape the players. Player will learn life lesson through play. Both participate play and spectator mode can also achieve ultimate goal.
Premise
It gives context to the formal elements. Most Players are not interested in pure numbers like 1 and 0. Some objects that have resonance with the players will attract the players more. For example, in chess game, the pieces of chess are not treated as simple stones or woods. They have their position, the queen, the king, etc.. It betters help players to put their emotion into the game. Also, it helps player to understand the properties of the objects in the game and easier to understand the rules.
Characters
Characters can be classified in two types - Rounded(real), flat (stereotype).
Character also works as two roles:
1. Agency: characters do what the player wants to do, let player achieve what they want to achieve. Thus players will think of themselves when they control the characters.
2. Empathy: characters have its own decision(implied plot). It develops player’s emotional engagement. Player will think of the characters when they play
For Agency Character, typically it would be Player-created characters: It provides the function of role-playing, growth, customization, Agency. However, after you put great investment of time and money into the character. You will develop an emotional attachment to the character.
For Empathy character: typically it would be Predesigned characters: There will be backstories, characters' own motivation. Player treats them as real person. But player may have less control on them, character’s desire may not be the same as player.
There are 3 types of control on the characters:
1. Free will: AI-controlled. (makes character believable, emotional engage player)
2. Automation: Player-controlled (act as player’s agency, achieve player’s goals)
3. Mixture: player-controlled characters with elements of simulation that develop a “character”
So usually, a rounded character can provide Empathy function, but it gives less control to the players. The player's will may be different from the character's will. While a flat character mainly achieve the function of Agency, players can still develop empathy on them.
Story
You can find much more details and materials about the structure of story online, here is just a brief introduction.
The Dramatic Arc: It describes the tension of the character (players) in the story. Formal elements build up the dramatic elements and thus it provides tension and emotional engagement.
There are 5 stages in story -
Exposition: establish rules, objectives, procedures, introduce gameplay.
Rising action: level of challenges increase.
climax: figure out the way to defeat the antagonist / to reach the goal.
Falling action: show how the climax is going to resolve.
Resolution: conflict resolved, goal achieved,
There are two ways that game unfold plot:
1. Checkpoint Story: The storytelling structure is determined. Gameplay won’t affect the story. It triggers story formally.
2. Progressive Storyline inside Gameplay: It triggers story directly by player actions. It has more interaction with players. They concern their gameplay more as it connects to the story development. Also, as the player is the one to make decision, they have self accomplishment towards the story development.
World Building
setting, atmosphere of the world
Working with System Dynamics
Game is a system. Once we figure out the formal and dramatic elements, we need to combine them and ensure they work as a whole.
System Dynamics basic elements
1. Objects: basic element, block of system, defined by properties and behaviors
2. Properties: qualities or attributes of objects
3. Behaviors: potential actions of objects
4. Relationships: how each objects relate to each other. The rules set up the range and determines the final outcome
5. System: studying relationships, the operation between every objects.
Simply increasing the number of objects and properties with similar behaviors will only make the game become more complex. As there are no new behaviors, it will not cause new terms of relationships and the system doesn't change as much actually.
For example, in poker, if we simply add in more kinds of number and patters, the game won't be more interested. On contrary, players need to duel with more data, undergo more repetitive actions. They carry on similar gameplay flow while no new elements is added. They will get bored easily.
However, we can still produce various fun if we change the behaviors and relationships while keeping the same objects and properties. Poker is a great example that it has a lot of types of game, while all of them have similar or the same objects and properties.
Economies
It relates to resources, defines the utility and scarcity of resources. There are 4 aspect to decide:
- Amount of product
- Money supply
- Prices
- Trading opportunities
For exmaple, in a simple bartering system, it could be -
- Amount of product: fixed
- Money supply: n/a
- Prices: fixed
- Trading opportunities: restricted by turn
For a more complex bartering, it could be -
- Amount of product: controlled growth
- Money supply: n/a
- Prices: player's decision, market value with cap
- Trading opportunities: restricted by turn
Bartering system only involves object trading. For more real market that include currencies, it would be much more complex.
For example, a simple market could be -
- Amount of product: fixed
- Money supply: controlled growth
- Prices: first is fixed, then depends on market value (player's decision)
- Trading opportunities: restricted by turn
For Complex market, it could be -
- Amount of product: controlled growth
- Money supply: controlled growth
- Prices: market value (player's decision) with base (system fixed range)
- Trading opportunities: not restricted
For Meta-economy (it is about economy outside the game, occurred base on humanity and environment, Examples have the collectible card game "Magic: The Gathering", "Yu-Gi-Oh!") -
- Amount of product: controlled growth
- Money supply: n/a (base on real world situation)
- Prices: market value (player's decision, no system restricted)
- Trading opportunities: not restricted
Emergent System
It refers to not designed but coming out as an extraordinary result (e.g. Conway's Game of Life, Ultimate tic-tac-toe)
It proves that a game with simple rules (simple system) can produce complex result (does not mean to be complicated).
Information Structure
How much information players get in the game -
Full: This kind of game emphasizes player knowledge and gives full disclosure on the game state.
Part: If the opponent is the players, the game emphasizes on guessing, bluffing, deceiving between players. If the opponent is the system, it emphasizes on player's prediction, immediate reaction.
Open: It allows players to use strategy to access full information
Control
Design the control system, determine the kinds and function of controller. Also, consider which elements is allowed to control by players. Is it directly? indirectly? or restricted?
Feedback
When player carries out an action, there will be feedback (the outcomes). Feedback has two kinds -
positive feeback (also called reinforce): positive feedback will allow exponential growth. Player gets advantage at first will get larger and larger advantages as game goes on. In this games, a stronger opponent/challenge should appear so that the conflict in the game can still maintain and player can still stay in the "flow". Otherwise, it should give negative feedback to those players who get advantages.
negative feedback (also called balance): For players who has an advantage, the system will give a negative feedback to these players, to weaken their powers. so that other players can still have hopes to achieve the objective. Negative feedback works for maintenance of equilibrium.
Next Step -Tuning game
As we have developed a system dynamics, we need to ensure 3 things:
1. internally complete: There is no argument between player’s objective and rules, no dead ends. We need to ensure the formal elements are logical and reasonable.
2. fairness and balance: Treating the dramatic and formal elements as a whole, we study the system dynamics, the relationship between each objects, ensure each part is fair and balanced.
3. fun and challenge to play: After all checking of the completeness, fairness and balancing of the game, we need to look back and see whether the game maintains challenge and motivation for the players to continue.
At the next chapter, we will talk about Playtesting, so that we can improve our system dynamics.
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