Gamelogs: Blogging About Gameplay Definitions of Games and Play Magic Circle

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1 Gamelogs: Blogging About Gameplay Definitions of Games and Play Magic Circle Foundations of Interactive Game Design Prof. Jim Whitehead January 11, 2008 Creative Commons Attribution 3.0

2 Upcoming Assignments Due Monday (Jan. 14): first Gamelog assignment Game of your choice Details on web site (Analysis > Game session logging) Will discuss this in class today Course web site: Following Friday (Jan. 18): team selection Find your partner for your game project Pick team name, know contact info

3 Online blogging tool for games Multiple, parallel blogs (one per game) Can help you: Increase your vocabulary for discussing games Develop skill at analysis of design elements of games Connect game elements across multiple games Gain insight on how the experience of playing a game changes over time

4 Blog entry

8 Gamelog Assignment Details High level overview Play a game for 45minutes to an hour Write about this gameplay experience Summary of game Your gameplay experience Play the same game for an additional 45-60min Write about the gameplay experience some more Your gameplay experience Observations on the game s design

9 First gamelog entry Summary 1-5 sentences summarizing the game. Gameplay style, goals Gameplay 2-5 paragraphs about personal subjective gameplay experience DO NOT write a play-byplay description Boring! Thoughts on emotional state, characters, storyline, gameplay, social interactions, whether game was fun, etc. Gamelog Template Second gamelog entry Gameplay 2-5 more paragraphs about the second round of gameplay Design 2-5 paragraphs about the design of the game Your thoughts on: Innovative aspects What makes this a good game Challenges How game creates conflict Level design, use of space Emergent complexity Reward structure, etc.

10 Creating Gamelog Username When creating your gamelog site username Use any username you want Must enter correct name Must also select which class you re taking If you don t do this, we won t be able to grade your gamelogs. Demo of gamelog site.

11 Gamelog Writing Your gamelog entries must: Use conventions for standard written English Correct capitalization, especially I, first word of sentences Use of paragraphs to organize writing Correct punctuation (remember the period?) N0 l337 sp33k f0r gamelog n00bs First gamelog entries due by midnight, Monday, Jan. 14 Game of your choice Many games/consoles available at Science and Engineering Library

Consider these activities: Children playing with dolls

kids. Instead of bullets, a pair of feet come out the

12 Consider these activities: Children playing with dolls Jumping rope Are these games? Using a slot machine in Las Vegas Russian roulette Playing Monopoly Driving Kaba Kick: Russian roulette for kids. Instead of bullets, a pair of feet come out the barrel. If gun doesn t fire, player earns points. Source: /russian-roulette/index.html

13 Challenges in creating definitions of games What are unique qualities that make a game a game? How to differentiate games from play, conflict, and merely rule governed activities? Some qualities of games Has rules Has a goal Involves decision making Safe, outside of ordinary life Voluntary Outcome is uncertain Ideally, definitions of games should address these

14 Clark Abt Definition In Serious Games, Clark C. Abt defines games as follows: Reduced to its formal essence, a game is an activity among two or more independent decision-makers seeking to achieve their objectives in some limiting context. A more conventional definition would say that a game is a context with rules among adversaries trying to win objectives. Key elements of definition Activity Game is a series of actions taking place over time Decision makers People playing the game are actively making decisions Objectives There is a goal to the game, a desired outcome Limiting context Rules exist that structure and limit the activity of the game

15 Abt Definition Applied Reduced to its formal essence, a game is an activity among two or more independent decision-makers seeking to achieve their objectives in some limiting context. How does this definition apply to the six activities from earlier this lecture? Children playing with dolls Jumping rope Using a slot machine in Las Vegas Russian roulette Playing Monopoly Driving Which of these would Abt consider to be a game?

Costikyan Definition A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in pursuit of a goal.

16 Costikyan Definition A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in pursuit of a goal. Key elements Art Games are a form of art, hence creating culture Decision making players Players actively participating and making choices Resource management Decisions made depend on resources available, and manipulate resources Game tokens Goal Representation of the state of the game, affordances for user action Objective of the game costik.com

17 Costikyan Definition Applied A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in pursuit of a goal. Apply to class list of activities Children playing with dolls Jumping rope Using a slot machine in Las Vegas Russian roulette Playing Monopoly Driving Which of these would Costikyan consider to be a game?

18 Jesper Juul s Classic Game Defintion From Half-Real, Jesper Juul, MIT Press, 2005, p. 36 Rules Games are rule-based Variable, quantifiable outcome Games have varying endings, with different numbers assignable to specific outcomes Valorization of outcome The different potential outcomes of the game are assigned different values, some positive and some negative Player effort The player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome Games are challenging jesperjuul.net

19 Juul s Classic Game Definition (2) Player attached to outcome The player is emotionally attached to the outcome of the game in the sense that a player will be a winner and happy in case of a positive outcome, but a loser and unhappy in case of a negative outcome. Negotiable consequences The same game [set of rules] can be played with or without realworld consequences. Examples Poker: Can play this game without betting real money. Once money is bet, the game has real-world consequences.

20 Application of Juul s Classic Game Definition Juul s Classic Game Definition (overview): Rules Variable, quantifiable outcome Valorization of outcome Player effort Player attached to outcome Negotiable consequences Apply to set of six activities Children playing with dolls Jumping rope Using a slot machine in Las Vegas Russian roulette Playing Monopoly Driving

Game Design

Game Design http://www.cs.chalmers.se/idc/ituniv/kurser/09/speldesign/ Staffan Björk Some General Points Teachers Staffan Björk (staffan.bjork@chalmers.se) Locations Lectures at Torg 3 10.00-12.00 Tuesdays