Videogames

saving

and

damning

players

Pietro Polsinelli

@ppolsinelli

for Media Mutations 2015 http://www.mediamutations.org/

There may be different reasons for you to get into game production.

2

To

Fascinate Dupe

and

Get Rich

© Mauro Vanetti. The FDGR target.

3

To

use a new media so to

bring about change

4

DAMNING (FDGR)

Lets

Fascinate casual gamers with addictive tricks

Dupe with virtual goods through in

app purchases

and

Get Rich! 6

Target casual gamers.

Well, your target moves fast.

(check out Vili Lehdonvirta @ViliLe studies)

7

Long chat with a developer for the dark forces.

Design for betting addiction is very

simple and universal.

Simplistic combinatorial models and “almost won” feedback.

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But if you want FDGR

outside betting and scams, things are more complex.

10

There once was the idea

that all casual games were built in a serial

isomorphic way.

11

A B testing does not work? Let’s use machine learning!

http://www.kdnuggets.com/2015/03/interview-vince-darley-king-

analytics-gaming.html 12

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(BTW not a model of

scientific discovery either.)

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Reductionistic approaches are not a universal solution.

15

Not reductionistic view of gamers, but a reductionistic view of games.

(This theme will return in the applied games side, unfortunately.)

16

Beyond A/B testing

Lets go back to FDGR with different ideas.

18

Lets do a narrative based game with lots or reading, multiple

choices, simplistic tech and low quality design.

19

Will never work for FDGR!!!!

Can’t do testing nor automated learning. Will actually need a good writer!!!

Reading? On Mobile? Naaah.

DOOMED TO FAILURE

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Wrong. Relations and gossip:

narrative! (Kardashian Hollywood)

“Kim Kardashian: Hollywood is really good, and no amount of brand power or lunar gravity could have made it so popular if it wasn't” http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/232790/Gamasutras_Best_of_2014_Leigh_Alexanders_Top_5_Games.php

22

“We had iterated on this product twice before so we

knew that it would retain and monetize well.”

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/221720/QA_Keeping_up_with_hit_mobile_game_

Kim_Kardashian_Hollywood.php

23

“the economy was very well balanced after much iteration on the Stardom

product.

We optimized the monetization system for Kim Kardashian: Hollywood through the beta process, once we understood how users were responding to the content. ”

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/221720/QA_Keeping_up_with_hit_mobile_game_Kim_Kard

ashian_Hollywood.php

24

How do you feel about the whole thing?

“Media coverage of a free-to play-game, both positive and negative, drives downloads. We

turn those downloads into revenue.

Revenue is what keeps Glu Canada thriving, and that makes me happy.”

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/221720/QA_Keeping_up_with_hit_mobile_game_Kim_Kard

ashian_Hollywood.php

25

1. Test on users

2. Iterate same genre

3. Good copy

4. Good mechanics (rhythm!)

5. Mediocre graphics, tech

26

Futile attempts to resist our FDGR plan. 27

FDGR mission accomplished. 28

SAVING

Try wondering when playing a game:

Am I learning anything?

Is it a process that brings any kind of soul change?

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Games and change???

It turns out that games have a certain relationship to learning.

31

Also what is it about video games? We don’t talk about ‘social impact’ movies; nor do we talk about

‘educational’ books.

Why do we have these bipolar gaming categories?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanshapiro/2015/05/10/how-to-transform-education-with-video-games/

33

At least some games have a relationship with an interesting

learning process.

Here “saving” players in the limited sense of stimulating a learning /

transformational process. Just like a good book or movie.

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Lets get to my field:

indie and applied games

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EXAMPLES

My experience: mainly been of transforming game / gamification

concepts in something else

37

Transformation 1/3

Games for

Social Impact

Monday, May 25, 2015

… to develop and implement a

game infused e-learning tool

to promote early access to

services with neglect and

abuse for young people on the

move in Europe

Mission. 39

Kids becoming aware and capable of dealing with

situations of neglect and abuse.

40

EU project: deal with these matters harmonically and

effectively across EU.

41

One big problem in applied games is the

decorational

approach

(or gamification based)

42

Pick a mod, just change the labels ...

43

Collateral story gets in the way of play.

44

Designing Games for Social

Impact

RE-DESIGN

Beyond secondary

narrative

Inspired by ...

47

Inspired by Dumb Ways To Die. Specific mechanics.

48

Represent notions with characters

49

Inspired by Dominions: cards are characters, actions, a universe.

50

Universe made of simple atoms.

51

Build up of awareness defines the game mechanics.

52

Game loop: shit happens.

53

Deal with it and keep your universe together.

54

Your identity, your self is complex stuff.

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57

58

59

Participative Action Research

60

Monday, May 25, 2015

State of mind.

61

Monday, May 25, 2015

Profile and story.

62

Monday, May 25, 2015

Situation: sleeping out

63

Monday, May 25, 2015

Situation: sleeping out choices

64

Monday, May 25, 2015

THE SECRET: A narrative tool. 65

Designing Games

for Social Impact

TIPS

If untamed, stories kill fun in loops

67

If Games Were Like Game Stories ...

68

From Nick Case If Games Were Like Game Stories...

Games don’t’ branch, they evolve.

69

Even branching games do not have branching at their core.

70

Transformation 2/6

Games for

Health

Help people that are evolving

towards a chronic desease by

influencing behavior and

disrupting this evolution.

NDA

72

Is the romantic approach to games fit for Applied games?

My "fight" with a doctor can

make us gain information

73

Customer thinks (s)he knows what “game”

means. This is a problem. 74

Designing Games for Health

RE-DESIGN

Monday, May 25, 2015

Category, competition,

avatar, war, reward, levels

Vs.

Inclusive, mentor, path,

story, transformation

A language change. 76

Redesigned by including negative feedback,

turning avatar to mentor, building an AI. 77

What is bizarre is that it is the same doctor that explained me that learning, being informed about d_abe_es this disease

influences the cure.

78

Applied game design elicits a dialogue between designer and

customer, both evolving knowledge

#noestimates

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Designing Games for Health

TIPS

Ian Bogost: gamification is bullshit.

81

Ian Bogost “gamification is bullshit”

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Distinguish (and then merge) projective

experiences and couching. 84

Genre and inclusiveness.

85

Power of baptism. Comes in many forms...

86

the greatest invention

of the video game era

was – and continues

to be – “single-play”.

Applied game’ customers often don’t get this.

Independence, absence. 87

Beyond the avatar: Discarding the relatable avatar for a

meaningful voice learning from poetry

88

Example 3/6

Sustainability

(NDA )

Inspired by 10000000 by the way good slides

http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1020125/Making

90

The simplest addictive mechanics frequently used in FDGR can be turned and used

for a learning process with depth.

91

A sustainable world .

92

The design / development loop.

93

FINALE

So what? FDGR and TEACH, damning and saving.

The difference is not in the game

intrinsic quality.

It is in the aim of the designer, which too is not black and white.

95

You will need full game design skils – and more - to

create good games that teach something. 96

Indie games today are weird, experimental, artisanal, radical and

creatively uncompromising.

Can applied games be like that too, please?

(thanks Matteo Pozzi)

97

My twitter stream is mostly dedicated to game design:

http://twitter.com/ppolsinelli

A blog on game design

http://designagame.eu

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There are more things in games and videogames, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your

philosophy.

99

Beyond

Persuasive UIs

103

Addiction by Design Natascha Schull

http://gelconference.com/videos/2008/natasha_schull

97% is given by the slot machine – study IT

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Some

references

Monday, May 25, 2015

Dilbert:

http://dilbert.com/strip/1995-01-

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Image references

107

http://nativex.com/blog/5-important-lessons-kim-

kardashian-taught-us-about-mobile-game-development/

http://www.bustle.com/articles/29451-we-played-kim-

kardashians-iphone-game-so-you-dont-have-to

http://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-Kim-Kardashian-game-

so-successful-Is-it-a-good-game-Should-game-

development-companies-hire-celebrity-designers

Kardashian discussion references.

108

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/232790/Gamasutras_

Best_of_2014_Leigh_Alexanders_Top_5_Games.php

http://gamasutra.com/view/news/221720/QA_Keeping_up_

with_hit_mobile_game_Kim_Kardashian_Hollywood.php

http://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-Kim-Kardashian-

game-so-successful-Is-it-a-good-game-Should-

game-development-companies-hire-celebrity-

designers

Kardashian discussion references.

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