Since I was part of Bungie when they sold-out at the beginning of the halcyon Halo era, a large slice of my retirement portfolio is in Microsoft, makers of the Xbox game console. A scant few weeks after I joined them, my new employer Sucker Punch sold-out to Sony, creators of the PlayStation game console. … Continue reading
Achievements (and other platform reward structures like Trophies) satisfy a very important human need for validation. We want social approval and an “official” recognition of our accomplishments is valuable to us, it endorses our decisions and allows us to believe that we make a worthwhile contribution to our community. Achievement points may not have material … Continue reading
In his excellent, exhaustive (though ultimately inconclusive) GDC 2010 lecture “Achievements Considered Harmful?“ Chris Hecker raises the issue of extrinsic rewards, specifically platform achievements/trophies, and asks whether they might be having a negative effect on the industry as a whole. (Chris is sort of the unofficial conference gadfly and often uses his talks to generate further debate.) … Continue reading
Now that we have seen how games meet a player’s needs through gratification and rewards, how can a game be improved to do a better job of meeting those aspirations and therefore appeal to more players? There are four aspects of how a need is met that make it more likely. Expected Would you rather … Continue reading
The primary difference between gratification and reward is the timing of the need fulfillment. If the need is satisfied during the activity, then the player experiences gratification. If the need is satisfied as a result of the activity, the player feels rewarded. A well-designed game will satisfy the player’s needs through both methods at the same … Continue reading
Previously, we’ve defined games as “interactive experiences constrained by mechanics designed to reliably satisfy common exotelic aspirations“. In other words, humans have needs. Some of those needs are aspirational, meaning they aren’t necessary, but produce a positive emotion when met. And some of those aspirations are exotelic, meaning they are not fulfilled by getting something, but … Continue reading
Game An interactive experience constrained by mechanics designed to reliably satisfy a common teleological aspiration. Merriam-Webster says a game is “an activity engaged in for diversion or amusement” which is hopelessly broad. Try pitching ”Punching My Younger Brother: The Game” the next time you meet with a publisher. Raph Koster claims that “fun is just another word for learning” … Continue reading
If you are not a game designer: Fun (see also: Enjoyable, Cool, I Like It) Something that I think is cool; something that I imagine other people would think is cool, if a designer would just listen to my idea If you are a game designer: Fun (see also: Blah Blah, Nice) A completely meaningless term … Continue reading
In 1964, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled that a certain French film called Les Amants wasn’t just risqué, it was obscene, and banned it from being shown in the state. They were reversed by the Supreme Court in Jacobellis vs Ohio, which is known not just because it restrained the ability of government to censor … Continue reading
