Emotions and Agents in Games Rui Prada
Who am I?
Professor at Ins0tuto Superior Técnico Dep. Computer Science and Engineering Applica0on Area on Games h5p://ajist.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/ 7 years, 2 courses
>200 students, > 50 game prototypes
Senior Researcher at INESC-‐ID Intelligent Agents and Synthe0c Characters Group h5p://gaips.inesc-‐id.pt/
Who am I?
Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências dos Videojogos (Est. 2009) Co-‐Founder and Current President Promo0ng
Knowledge and understanding CollaboraHon of peers Teaching and research
www.spcvideojogos.org
Who am I?
Author of Design e Desenvolvimento de Jogos Carlos MarHnho, Pedro Santos, Rui Prada FCA, 2014
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/nanagyei/5199156473
Who am I?
Experience? Why?
Games are means to live experiences Voluntary Subjec0ve
Gameplay Experience
Game Designer
Player
Experience? Why?
Design for the experience A good game is one that promotes a good
experience
Gameplay Experience
Player
Game Designer
Fulfill a dream
Do something that cannot be done
Feel special
Live and acquire something unique
Player Experience
Doing/Performing Create moHvaHon, opportuniHes, incenHves for acHon
Feeling/Assessing Promote interesHng choices Define consequences of choices
Remembering/Learning Promote re-‐use and combinaHon
Crafting the Experience
A good experience elicits pleasure
Brain rewards “desirable” situaHons and behaviours
A Good Experience
Achievement. Achieve milestones, finish tasks. Power. Have an impact on the world, improve skill. Affilia0on. Maintain posiHve interacHons with others. Avoidance. Self-‐preservaHon, seeking certainty.
Balance Novelty and Control
Pleasure: Satisfaction of Needs
Internal sensa0ons linked to assessment of situaHons
People have needs of emo0onal regula0on (to relax or get excited)
Regulate engagement (a5enHon and moHvaHon)
Pleasure: Emotions
Achieve a desirable situaHon Complete a level Give the players what they desire Nice rewards (e.g. rare items)
Achieve an undesirable situaHon
Lose something important Lose an opportunity
Stronger if the situaHon is irreversible
Eliciting Emotions
Obstruct/deny players’ goals Hurt/damage what they like The blame is not a5ributed enHrely to the self Belief that the situaHon is recoverable
Promote anHcipaHon of an undesirable situaHon
Threaten what is important for the player Creates tension
PotenHates other emoHons (e.g. Happiness)
Eliciting Emotions
Create unexpected situaHons Framed in the expectaHons of players and uncertainty PosiHve or negaHve surprises
Create uncomfortable situaHons Not clearly undesirable, but to avoid Social disgust: related to social values
Eliciting Emotions
All emoHons ma5er Go beyond primary emoHons
Social emo0ons (Guilt, shame, pride, love…)
Which Emotions?
Playing is a learning ac0vity (players learn controls,
mechanics, strategies, story…)
Pleasure: Learning
The experience is ruined if
There is nothing to learn It is impossible to learn (noise, sensory overload) There is no interest in the things learnt (are not applied in the game)
Learning
Visceral: moHon, heat, relaxaHon Cogni0ve: problem solving, memory challenges Social: social status, sense of belonging, interacHng with others Moral: follow ideals, moral code
Types of Pleasure
The Flow
Skill Level
Experience
Degree of Challenge
Skill Level
Anxiety
Boredom
Flow Channel
Experience
Models For Believable AI h5p://agsandrew.deviantart.com/art/Emergence-‐of-‐ArHficial-‐Intelligence-‐0007-‐382222119
Individualism/collecHvism Power distance
Uncertainty avoidance Long term/short term orientaHon
Masculinity/femininity Indulgence/restraint
SI Model: Culture
Physical embodiment Face to face interacHon Verbal and non-‐verbal
behaviour: gaze, a5enHon
EMYS Robotic Player
EmoHonal appraisal: luck, social relaHons, state of the game Social memory: players and
past experiences Social roles: helper, dominator
EMYS Robotic Player
Games are means for experience Emo0ons and learning have a crucial role Believable agents may improve the social experience of games
Concluding
People have social expecta0ons of agents To achieve believability: idenHty personality, emoHons, social awareness, social skills, social needs, balanced behaviour
Concluding
h5p://gaips.inesc-‐id.pt/rprada h5p://spcvideojogos.org
h5p://ajist.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/
Contacts