GDC09 presentation by Scott Rigby at Immersyve
Powerpoint deck and white paper available at:
http://www.immersyve.com/downloads/
– Fun can have negative aspects – not always positive
– work involved, stress, etc – all can be fun
– Collecting Behaviorial Data (telemetry)
– Outcome based rather than Causal
– The underpants Gnome Dilemma (South Park reference)
– 3 part business plan
– Collect Underpants
– Something
– Collect Profit
– We know that if we make the game fun then people will love it, but what is the middle part – how do we ensure fun
– Motivational Research is happening at the academic level
– Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) Model
– Competence – to grow in skill
– Autonomy – experience personal agency/choice
– Relatedness – meaningful connection to other players – real or NPC
– Just tracking fun is not an indicator of retention – using PENS is better
– long term and short term (they had data from their study to back claim)
Competence
– efficiency, growth, mastery
– High intention to outcome ratio
– Mastery in Moment-to-monent gameplay
– getting good feedback in wins and loses
– granular, sustained, cumulative
– w/i session, w/i game, global
– guitar hero is a good example of this
– Rewards
– not just happy things, but also info to get better works well as a reward
– Challenge
– stretch, don’t overwhelm
– watch for boring and anxiety extremes
– sustained challenge is high on fun, but low on PENS
– player gets exhausted if challenge is sustained too long
– being able to express mastery is key
– PWNAGE 🙂
– Shaming is not helpful
Autonomy
– sense of personal agency or volition
– I am the cause of my actions, not the game design
– Opportunities for Action (OFA)
– Interactive opportunities x Possible Actions = OFA
– Not about creating more, but about perceived opportunity
– density of choice
– Make sure schemas are met
– If in other situations things work a certain way, make sure that it consistent
– in one game when you shoot at a box on the wall it explodes, but in another level the box is just a texture on the wall and does nothing when shot
– player is reminded of his place in the game at that point and enjoyment decreases
Relatedness
– connected/mattering to other people, either real or NPC
– Give positive contextual feedback – especially in the case of NPC, don’t make them just filler
– Random dialogue and serious attitude in NPCs is demotivating to players
Application
– Ask questions during game design phase
– How will overall or specific game play satisfy needs?
– Can I satisfy multiple needs simultaneously?
– Heat Maps in Game
– Push Short Surveys in game in different areas to gauge what needs are being met or not in what areas of the world
These concepts were found to be fundamental – across geography, age and game genre
Joi Podgorny 