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Writing the Romance-able NPC:ICING on the Content Cake
Heidi McDonaldGame Designer, Schell Games LLC
=
Heidi is a n00b
What this talk is NOT about
COM106 Assignment:“Examine an area of media that interests you and report on your results.”
ZOMG!!! I can studiezGAMEZ for GRADEZ!
Why study this?Learn about player motivation and behavior
Learn how important NPC romance actually is
Identify patterns and models that can help improve NPC romance
OK, so…“Relationships in
Games…”1. Analyzed my own gaming behavior.
2. Asked a few other people about their gaming behavior.
3. Realized…hey, this could be a legit study!
Who here has ever had a crush on an
NPC in a video game?
ROGUE
ROGUE
EMO
EMO CHASTE
EVIL
EXTREMIST
VIOLENT
Jesse Schell
Jennifer Brandes Hepler
Sheri Graner Ray
Yes! You might be on to something!
Study it some more!
Cool! You go for it, girlfriend!
Need help with your survey questions?
No, BioWare doesn’t collect data like this. But if you happen to collect some…let us
know!
Using SurveyMonkeyPRO’s+ Easy design+ Easy participation+ Anonymous+ Data makes sense
CON’s- Honesty-dependent- Not scientific - People can skip questions- People can re-take survey
The Respondents• 525 Respondents• All gamers and/or game developers• 62% female, 33% male• 71% straight• 57% romantically attached• 85% 18-40 with a 40% majority of 18-24
FEMALE
MALE
What gender character do you prefer to play when you are playing a single-player RPG?
Again: Respondents are 62% female, 33% male in real life. But 69% prefer to play a female!
Do you, or would you ever role play a character with a gender different to your real-life gender?
Again: Respondents are 62% female, 33% male in real life.
Only 18% said NEVER, meaning that 82% of players are changing it up at least some of the time!
Sometimes Often
NeverAlways
Do you, or would you ever romance a different gender character than you would in real life?
Often
Always
Sometimes Never
Which romance combinations have you, do you, or would you play?
MalePlayer,Female
NPCMale
Player,MaleNPC
FemalePlayer,MaleNPC
FemalePlayer,Female
NPC
Identity Tourism“The process of appropriating another identity on the web, and more specifically, an identity involving another gender and/or race other than one's own, particularly on the internet and in video games.”
~Lisa Nakamura
Identity TourismLet’s flip it on its head:
Can Identity Tourism be a GOOD thing?
Safe Spaces?
TAKEAWAY #1
Identity Tourism CAN BEa good thing that
helps people’sself-awareness and tolerance.
How important is romance to your overall experience in a
single-player RPG?
Somewhat
Take or Leave
Very
Not much
Not at all
Romance is IMPORTANT
• 89% romance to see where the narrative goes.• 80% say romances add depth to their gameplay.• 76% romance for entertainment and to
experience as much content as possible.• 60% HAVE had felt connection to a romance-
able NPC.• 53% find NPC romance emotionally stimulating.
What is most appealing about
NPC romance?
• 86% NPC’s personality• 77% Dialogue• 71% Integration of romance into game narrative• 65% Voice/accent• 55% NPC’s back story• 49% Facial features• 32% Body type
Maslow’sHierarchy of Needs
TAKEAWAY #2
Romance is important in single-player RPGs.
ROGUE
ROGUE
EMO
EMO CHASTE
EVIL
EXTREMIST
VIOLENT
PEOPLE BOTH AVATAR
PEOPLE BOTH AVATAR
Use these!
Dr. Jane McGonigal’s TED Talk, based on her book.
Use these!
Dr. Carolyn Kaufman’s work in using Jungian Archetype and the concept of the Shadow Personality in romance writing.
A Note onUniversally Disliked
Descriptors• Chaste• Childish• Helpless• Needy• Religious
Use these!
Jason VandenBerghe's "5 Domains of Play" Lecture at GDC 2012 using Big 5
Theory to address player motivation.
Applying VandenBergheTo Romance
Big 5 Category Player Motivation Type of Romance Openness Novelty Unconventional characteristics
with strange or funny backstories
Low Openness Predictability More predictable, archetypal
Conscientiousness Challenge "Hard to get" character that must be actively wooed and won
Low C-Score Ease of play Damsel in distress to be saved
Extravterted Stimulation Lots of fun banter
Low Extraverted Low Social Engagement Aggressive NPC
Agreeableness Harmony Uncomplicated romance that ends well every time
Low Agreeableness Discord Tumultuous romance such as Neuroticism Threat Dark stories or bad endings
TAKEAWAY #3Heidi’s Research
Gaming Scholarship
WritingScholarship
ICING…on the content cake
The ICING Recipe
The Writing Processas I’ve experienced it in games
• Character development
• Interactive component
• Player perspective
• Story construction
• Ending
ICING
nclusiveness(Lisa Nakamura)
haracter perspective (Dr. Jane McGonigal)
nterference (Dr. Carolyn Kaufman)
ot using universally-hated descriptors (Heidi’s research)
ratifying endings (Jason VandenBerghe)
Now that we know…1. People like experimenting2. Romance is important3. We can make tastier ICING on the content cake
Let them eat cake!
Special Thanks:• Jesse Schell / Schell Games / ETC• Sheri Graner Ray / Schell Games• Schell Games Co-Workers• Jennifer Brandes Hepler / BioWare• BioWare Social Network• Brenda Garno / LootDrop• Jason VandenBerghe / UbiSoft• The CA’s from GDC 2012• Phyrra.com• Feminists in Games• Dr. Katie Cruger / Chatham University• Dr. Prajna Paramita Parasher / Chatham University• Alex McPhearson / Catalina Games• My kids, who taught me to keep asking “why”
WORKS CITED:Alexander, Phill. "He's The Kind of Girl Who Wants Matching Daggers." World of Warcraft and Philosophy. By Luke Cuddy and John Nordlinger. Chicago: Open Court, 2009. 153-64. Print.
Benedetti, Winda. "Is 'World of Warcraft' the Future of Online Dating?" Ingame. Msnbc Digital Network, 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.ingame.msnbc.msn.com/technology/ingame/world-warcraft-future-online-dating-123662>. Kaufman, Dr. Carolyn. Archetype: The Fiction Writer's Guide to Psychology. Archetype Writing, 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://www.archetypewriting.com/articles/articles_ck/archetypes3_anima-animus_partI.htm>.
"Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs." Motivation Theory. Project Management Course, 2005. Web. 21 Mar. 2012. <http://www.abraham-maslow.com/m_motivation/Hierarchy_of_Needs.asp>.
McGonigal, Jane. "Gaming Can Make a Better World." TED2010, Long Beach, CA. 18 Feb. 2012. Lecture. Nakamura, Lisa. Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet. New York: Routledge, 2002. Print.
Rosenbloom, Stephanie. "It's Love at First Kill." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 22 Apr. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2012.
"The Attitude-Behaviour Gap: Why We Say One Thing But Do The Opposite." PsyBlog. PsyBlog, 24 Mar. 2008. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. <http://www.spring.org.uk/2008/03/attitude-behaviour-gap-why-we-say-one.php>.
VandenBerghe, Jason. "The Five Domains of Play." Game Developers' Conference. Moscone Convention Center, San Francisco, CA. 7 March 2012. Lecture.
Heidi McDonald@Death_Bow ~ hmcdonald@schellgames.com
www.deathbow.com
Thank You!
Heidi McDonald@Death_Bow
www.deathbow.comhmcdonald@schellgames.com
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