Ask your self these Questions

• Why can’t you put the game down?– See Goals

• Why do you get better as you play?– See Learning

• How can I die so many times?– See Second Chances

• First lets look at some games.

Confused?

• These are just some of the games I have played in my life time.

• Just by looking at them they seem quite complicated.

• Lets make it easier

• What the Player wishes to achieve.– Main goals

• I want to win!

– Sub-Goals• Shiny things

– Sense of purpose.

– Reason to go on.

Goal

• Something that impedes the player’s progress.

• Example:– Spike pit– A Monster

– A challenge of sorts.

– Feeling of Accomplishment

Obstacles

• Tools are what the player use to get to a goal.

• Examples:– A Sword– A Spell– A Jump– Your vocabulary…

– Learn to use them properly.

Tools

• Goal:– Cure Cancer– Comfort Patient

• Tool:– Chemo Blaster– Antibiotic Rockets

• Obstacle:– Cancer Cells– Bacteria

Examples

• The Player’s ability to fail and try again.

– Its just a game.

– Examples:• Extra Lives• Health Bar

– Quest for perfection

Second Chances

• The process of acquiring skills and knowledge through gameplay.

• This learning translates – to similar games.– Played one FPS played them all.

• The next few slides will clarify

Learning

The SetupHow the concepts work together

What should happen

What usually happens

Another chance

A touch of insight

It’s learning!

In Other Words?

• The learning process in games is accomplished by making mistakes and learning from them.

• The game keeps the player from progressing until they get it right.

Failure Loop

• If the player keeps failing they will be stuck in this loop.

• The player can’t progress until they overcome this obstacle.

Success Loop

• When the player over comes the obstacle they prove to the game that they have learned.

Balance

• The best games balance these failure and success loops to generate game flow.

• Portal by Valve is one of the best examples. – Go play it or any game with this model in mind.