Chapter 2.0 Understanding Fun “Funativity” – thinking about fun in terms of measurable cause and effect
Jan 15, 2016
Chapter 2.0Understanding Fun
“Funativity” – thinking about fun in terms of measurable
cause and effect
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Natural Funativity Theory
Basic concept is that all fun derives from practicing survival (and social, cuz it helps) skills
Key skills relate to early human context, but often in modern guise
Three overlapping categories Physical, Social, and Mental
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Hunting and Gathering
For most of our species’ history we were tribal hunter/gatherers
Current popular games reflect this Shooters, wargames = hunting Powerups, resources = gathering Sims, MMO = social, tribal
interaction
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Physical Fun Sports generally enhance our str,
con, dex, etc. Exploration is fun
Both of local area and knowledge of exotic places
Precondition of hunting/gathering Hand/eye coordination and tool
use are often parts of hobbies etc.
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Social Fun
Storytelling is a social activity A way to learn important survival and
social lessons from others Gossip, sharing info w/friends
popular Flirting, showing off, finding mates
is a key interest in social fun Language is paramount
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Mental Fun
Our large brains make humans unique, improves our scalability
Kinds of fun that enabled civilization
Pattern matching and generation Music, Art, and Puzzles all pattern
based Gathering also depends on memory
Various optimization problems
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Multipurpose Fun
Games that mix several kinds of fun tend to be very popular
--> Incorporate ways to practice these skills to increase the popularity of your game
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Definition of a Great Game
A great game is a series of interesting and meaningful choices made by the player in pursuit of (a clear and compelling?) goal
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Interesting and Meaningful Choices
Choices convey interactivity Choices may be dull and
uninteresting because it was easy to code that way, or they may be the reflection of a lazy designer (!?!)
Meaningful choices are perceived by the player as having significant consequences
May not have actual consequences…
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Clear and Compelling Goal
Clear goals it is not fun to flounder aimlessly
Avoid the “protagonist with amnesia” cliché
Compelling goals usually follow the concepts in Natural Funativity
Survival is always a compelling goal
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A Series of Choices
No choice
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A Series of Choices
Meaningless choices Obviously fold back into same
path Players discover this quickly
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A Series of Choices
Infinite choices Quickly become unmanageable
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A Series of Choices
Choose wisely Kill off player with any wrong
choice Better but frustrating (Dragon’s
Lair)
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Classic Game Structure
A convexity Starts with a single choice, widens
to many choices, returns to a single choice
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Convexity Qualities Go from one to many to one Can be a level, an act, an episode Can be any kind of choice
Geography, weapons, tools, skills, technologies, quests
Examples Exploring an island Technology build tree
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A Series of Convexities
Many games are chains of convexities
Points of limited choice (A) alternate with points of many choices (B)
A A A A ABB B B
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A Series of Convexities
Many overlapping or nested convexities in great games
Examples include Halo, Zelda games, Civilization, Diablo II, many others
Player can be starting one task or area, in the middle of another, and at the end of a third, all simultaneously
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Why Is This Structure So Good?
Give the player choice but not an infinitely expanding set of choices
Mix of some “any order” choices (B) and some in fixed order (A), blending freedom with linear storytelling
Can be structured so players see most of the game, minimizing waste
Can have difficulty go up in new levels
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Psychological Advantagesof Classic Structure
Alternating intense learning (A) with time to practice (B) is the best way to master new skills
Gradual learning and introduction of new skills at the heart of fun game play
“Easy to learn, difficult to master”
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Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi His book “Flow: The Psychology of
Optimal Experience” Flow is a state of exhilaration,
deep sense of enjoyment Usually when a person’s body or
mind is stretched to its limits to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile
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The Flow Channel
Start with relatively low level of challenge to match starting skill levels
Gradually increase challenge Fast enough to prevent boredom Not so fast as to induce frustration
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The Flow Channel
To o E as y (B o r ing)
To o H ard (Frus trat ing)
Inc re as ing Tim e (and P laye r Skil l )
In
cre
as
ing
Dif
fic
ulty
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The Flow Channel
Flow state is common while developing same Physical, Social, and Mental skills noted in Natural Funativity
Best to introduce skills one at a time, let player master them, move on to new
This results in staggered increase in difficulty (wavy difficulty line)
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Difficulty Increase Varies
A = Rapid D ifficu lty Increase, B = S lower Increase
A A A ABB B B
Ide al G am e D if f ic ul ty P ro gre s s io n
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Typical Game Mechanisms
High difficulty increase: Boss monsters, climactic battles, quest resolutions
Low difficulty increase: Bonus levels, new resource- and treasure-rich areas, series of easy “minion” enemies
Overlap introduction of new skills, areas to explore, tools, enemies
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Story and Character
Back to “interesting choices” and “compelling goals” – how to achieve?
Story and character can add emotional association, strengthen reaction
Storytelling has long history, but interactive storytelling can differ critically from traditional linear modes
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Interactive Storytelling
Blend storytelling with design early Use experienced interactive
writers “Do, don’t show” – let players
experience story through interaction
Make it personal by having players make key choices, events affect them
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It’s All About Interactivity
Don’t make choices for the player Story should add emotional
context to the choices Keep any cut scenes brutally short Break up non-interactive
sequences by adding interactivity, even if very simple
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Characters
Characters can make the game world seem more real and exciting
Bold stereotypes may seem crude but are better than colorless characters, and can help avoid boring exposition
Bring out character through action, not description or exposition
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Gameplay Trumps Story If you have a conflict between
gameplay or story, first look for a compromise that favors both
Failing that, make sure that the gameplay is good at expense of story
Always signal player clearly in narrative to interactive transitions with visuals, audio