1. Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya Sophie Houlden. And I'm going to talk to you about...

2. Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya Sophie Houlden. And I'm going to talk to you about... SURPRISES!

3. YAAAAAY SURPRISES!

4. Wait... what?

5. Why Surprises? - Being surprising is something games can do really well - But nobody is really thinking about it as they make a game - So, this talk is like a 'hey guys, just keep it in mind yeah?'

6. What is surprise anyway? Surprise is AN EMOTION! When I say 'do something surprising', It means make someone 'Feel surprised' Its all in the emotions they feel. Emotion.

7. What is surprise anyway? EMOTION!

8. What is surprise anyway? Surprise DOES NOT LAST LONG!

9. What is surprise anyway? Surprise DOES NOT LAST LONG! If it did, we call that 'shock'

15. So um, surprises! Surprise DOES NOT LAST LONG! But the memory can last a long, long time Sometimes they last a lifetime.

16. So um, surprises! surprises are wonderful because they take us to new places emotionally

17. So um, surprises! surprises are wonderful because they take us to new places emotionally Places we weren't expecting

18. So um, surprises! surprises are wonderful because they take us to new places emotionally Places we weren't expecting This keeps things FRESH.

19. So um, surprises! surprises are wonderful because they take us to new places emotionally Places we weren't expecting This keeps things FRESH. Prevents boredom! :D

20. So um, surprises! NOT FOR MAKING KEEPING PLAYERS GLUED TO A BORING GAME.

21. So um, surprises! NOT FOR MAKING KEEPING PLAYERS GLUED TO A BORING GAME. If you don't value your player's time...

22. So um, surprises! NOT FOR MAKING KEEPING PLAYERS GLUED TO A BORING GAME. If you don't value your player's time... F%*K you.

23. So um, surprises! NOT FOR MAKING KEEPING PLAYERS GLUED TO A BORING GAME. If you don't value your player's time... F%*K you. It's all about trying to get them to FEEL.

24. SCIENCE!

25. University of Southern California looked into it.

26. SCIENCE! University of Southern California looked into it. 1 unit of surprise = a “wow” :D

27. SCIENCE! University of Southern California looked into it. 1 unit of surprise = a “wow” :D Not really useful to us but...

28. SCIENCE! University of Southern California looked into it. 1 unit of surprise = a “wow” :D Not really useful to us but...

29. SCIENCE! For a definition of surprise, 2 things needed:

30. SCIENCE! For a definition of surprise, 2 things needed: 1) Uncertainty.

31. SCIENCE! For a definition of surprise, 2 things needed: 1) Uncertainty. (important to us because we influence this)

32. SCIENCE! For a definition of surprise, 2 things needed: 1) Uncertainty. (important to us because we influence this) 2) People react differently

33. SCIENCE! For a definition of surprise, 2 things needed: 1) Uncertainty. (important to us because we influence this) 2) People react differently (less important, but keep it in mind)

34. SCIENCE! “an event is surprising when the distance between posterior and prior distributions of beliefs over all models is large.”

35. SCIENCE! “an event is surprising when the distance between posterior and prior distributions of beliefs over all models is large.” In English:

36. SCIENCE! “an event is surprising when the distance between posterior and prior distributions of beliefs over all models is large.” In English: surprise is a big change in what you expect.

38. SURPRISE!

39. SCIENCE! Expectation of X Time

40. SCIENCE! Expectation of X Time This is the Surprise

41. SCIENCE! Expectation of X Time This is the Surprise We can influence both of these

42. SCIENCE! Engineering surprise is really...

43. SCIENCE! Engineering surprise is really... Engineering EXPECTATIONS

44. SCIENCE! Engineering surprise is really... Engineering EXPECTATIONS so...

45. SCIENCE! DO SOMETHING UNEXPECTED!

46. Remember, It's easy to know what will be expected And do something different,

47. Remember, It's easy to know what will be expected And do something different, We have a lot of influence over what is Expected.

48. Remember, It's easy to know what will be expected And do something different, We have a lot of influence over what is Expected. So if we wish to 'master' surprise, the trick Is in everything we do BEFORE the surprise

49. Oh, also... What if someone is already expecting your surprise?

50. Oh, also... What if someone is already expecting your surprise? I'm of course talking about...

51. Oh, also... What if someone is already expecting your surprise? I'm of course talking about... Antici-

52. Oh, also... What if someone is already expecting your surprise? I'm of course talking about... Antici-

53. Oh, also... What if someone is already expecting your surprise? I'm of course talking about... Antici- -pation!

54. Oh, also... Anticipation = surprise

55. Oh, also... Anticipation = surprise People expect the change,

56. Oh, also... Anticipation = surprise People expect the change, The uncertainty is in the timing.

57. Oh, also... Anticipation = surprise People expect the change, The uncertainty is in the timing. Anticipation

58. Let's Move on! We now know just what surprise is (hopefully)

59. Let's Move on! We now know just what surprise is (hopefully) Let's learn from the masters of surprise!

60. Let's Move on! We now know just what surprise is (hopefully) Let's learn from the masters of surprise! THE NINJA! THE NINJA! THE NINJA!

61. NINJAS! Let's examine the 'ninja surprise' then:

62. NINJAS! Let's examine the 'ninja surprise' then: Ninja: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER!

63. NINJAS! Let's examine the 'ninja surprise' then: Ninja: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr-

64. NINJAS! Let's examine the 'ninja surprise' then: Ninja: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Ninja: DEATH SURPRISE BETCH!

65. NINJAS! Let's examine the 'ninja surprise' then: Ninja: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Ninja: DEATH SURPRISE BETCH! *swoosh swoosh*

66. NINJAS! Let's examine the 'ninja surprise' then: Ninja: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Ninja: DEATH SURPRISE BETCH! *swoosh swoosh* Let's contrast what we do...

67. Game Devs Dev: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER!

68. Game Devs Dev: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr-

69. Game Devs Dev: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Dev: FRIGGING COOKIES!

70. Game Devs Dev: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Dev: FRIGGING COOKIES! *world explodes from awesome*

71. Game Devs Dev: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Dev: FRIGGING COOKIES! *world explodes from awesome* As you can see, our goal is different (usually),

72. Game Devs Dev: SURPRISE MOTHERF&%KER! Guy: Oh Cool, what kind of surpr- Dev: FRIGGING COOKIES! *world explodes from awesome* As you can see, our goal is different (usually), But more importantly...

73. Game Devs We control everything the player expects.

74. Game Devs We control everything the player expects. Ninjas have to deal with the expectations of their victim and try not to disturb them.

75. Game Devs We control everything the player expects. Ninjas have to deal with the expectations of their victim and try not to disturb them. Ninjas (outside of Naruto magic) can't influence what their victims expect.

76. Game Devs We control everything the player expects. Ninjas have to deal with the expectations of their victim and try not to disturb them. Ninjas (outside of Naruto magic) can't influence what their victims expect..'. we are potentially cooler than ninjas.

77. Be aware Influencing a person to expect/believe something untrue is deception.

78. Be aware Influencing a person to expect/believe something untrue is deception. A small deception sure, but you should always be aware when you are lying.

79. However, The deception we practice is much like the most awesome type of deception,

80. However, The deception we practice is much like the most awesome type of deception, MISDIRECTION! As used by magicians since forever.

81. Magic A Magician is in complete control of everything they present to their audience.

82. Magic A Magician is in complete control of everything they present to their audience. Their actions both serve to make the audience expect something,

83. Magic A Magician is in complete control of everything they present to their audience. Their actions both serve to make the audience expect something, and also to hide reality from them.

84. Game Magic We don't have to worry about hiding reality.

85. Game Magic We don't have to worry about hiding reality. 1 million virtual rabbits can be pulled out of a virtual hat no problem.

86. Game Magic We don't have to worry about hiding reality. 1 million virtual rabbits can be pulled out of a virtual hat no problem. The player has already chosen to 'believe' the reality we present to them.

87. Engineering Expectations So I should probably explain a couple of ways to do this huh?

88. Engineering Expectations So I should probably explain a couple of ways to do this huh? First of all, it starts before the player even starts the game.

89. Engineering Expectations So I should probably explain a couple of ways to do this huh? First of all, it starts before the player even starts the game. Feature Lists, Screenshots, Videos etc tell the player what to expect.

90. Engineering Expectations So I should probably explain a couple of ways to do this huh? First of all, it starts before the player even starts the game. Feature Lists, Screenshots, Videos etc tell the player what to expect. Don't tell them everything!

91. Engineering Expectations What you tell a player before they play is like a shopping list.

92. Engineering Expectations What you tell a player before they play is like a shopping list. Put enough on it to get them interested in going shopping,

93. Engineering Expectations What you tell a player before they play is like a shopping list. Put enough on it to get them interested in going shopping, But leave stuff for them to find for themselves, the experience is much more personal for them then.

94. Engineering Expectations What you tell a player before they play is like a shopping list. Put enough on it to get them interested in going shopping, But leave stuff for them to find for themselves, the experience is much more personal for them then. Make the shopping trip memorable.

95. Engineering Expectations Reviews can potentially ruin surprises,

96. Engineering Expectations Reviews can potentially ruin surprises, but don't worry about it too much.

97. Engineering Expectations Reviews can potentially ruin surprises, but don't worry about it too much. If a reviewer values the surprises they had,

98. Engineering Expectations Reviews can potentially ruin surprises, but don't worry about it too much. If a reviewer values the surprises they had, They won't want to ruin them for their readers.

99. Engineering Expectations Reviews can potentially ruin surprises, but don't worry about it too much. If a reviewer values the surprises they had, They won't want to ruin them for their readers. Don't forget you can LIE about your game. ;)

100. Engineering Expectations So then, onto actual game design stuff (took long enough I know, sorry)

101. Engineering Expectations So then, onto actual game design stuff (took long enough I know, sorry) Decide what you want the player to expect.

102. Engineering Expectations So then, onto actual game design stuff (took long enough I know, sorry) Decide what you want the player to expect. Present it consistently.

103. Engineering Expectations So then, onto actual game design stuff (took long enough I know, sorry) Decide what you want the player to expect. Present it consistently. This can be applied to ANY part of the game.

104. Plot Surprise For putting surprise in narrative, I won't go into it, there's enough out there already. ;)

105. My Favourite

106. “It's not over yet Snake!”

107. It's not over yet! You saved the world, beat the big bad, rescued all the kittens...

108. It's not over yet! You saved the world, beat the big bad, rescued all the kittens... You feel awesome,

109. It's not over yet! You saved the world, beat the big bad, rescued all the kittens... You feel awesome, But the game keeps going.

110. It's not over yet!

113. Sure don't outstay your welcome and all.

114. It's not over yet! Sure don't outstay your welcome and all. But sometimes an encore is an awesome surprise.

115. That's it! - surprise is an emotion.

116. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly

117. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises

118. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect.

119. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect. - That starts before they even play the game

120. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect. - That starts before they even play the game - present something consistently and the player will expect it.

121. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect. - That starts before they even play the game - present something consistently and the player will expect it. - Surprises dont have to be big, use them to add accents to something else

122. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect. - That starts before they even play the game - present something consistently and the player will expect it. - Surprises dont have to be big, use them to add accents to something else - Consider giving them more than they asked for.

123. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect. - That starts before they even play the game - present something consistently and the player will expect it. - Surprises dont have to be big, use them to add accents to something else - Consider giving them more than they asked for. - There are at least 300 ninjas in this room right now.

124. That's it! - surprise is an emotion. - Different to shock in that it is over quickly - big changes in expectations makes for big surprises - we get to decide what our players expect. - That starts before they even play the game - present something consistently and the player will expect it. - Surprises dont have to be big, use them to add accents to something else - Consider giving them more than they asked for. - There are at least 300 ninjas in this room right now. Thanks for your time :)