1. 7 Play and Game Culture

2. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Factors Driving Game Design The point of a game build is that the game be played Games are not always made to meet the needs of the market Three main factors drive game design: Market Designer Technology

3. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Market-Driven Game Design Game features determined from market Called player-centric designplayer-centric design Based on market researchmarket research Designed to meet player needs and wants Market research methods Surveys Focus groups Sight studies

4. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Survey Determine trends in public opinionpublic opinion Questing players Mail-in forms Personal interviews Telephone interviews Online forms

5. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Focus Groups Small group Participants from target market for game Group discusses issues with game or idea

6. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Sight Studies Watch people play Record player eye movement Document positive and negative expressions while playing (www.freeonlinegames.com)

7. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Designer-Driven Game Designs Designer-centric games focus on design, not player needs and wantsDesigner-centric games Designer driven Technology driven

8. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Designer Driven Might be what the designer likes to play May not meet the market needs Could be too difficult for most players Designer is a game expert Newbs may not understand gamingNewbs Novice players do not have enough skill Design may not match to technology

9. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Technology Driven Tests new technology May not focus on immersion Technology may not be perfected Speech recognition Movement scanning (Daniel Brown)

10. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Purpose and Soul Purpose of play Makes a game important to the player Emotional effect on player Thought-provoking connection to player Engages player even when not playing Soul of the game Makes the game come alive What is important to the player

11. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Social Interaction Social networking games use the idea of soul to keep players coming backSocial networking Underlying liking, social consciousness, or empathy for other characters (Reproduced under Creative Commons license)

12. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Designing Soul Involves moral choices Often controversial Difficult choices, not simple answers May be no right or wrong answer Presents true-to-life issues

13. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Defining play Engage in recreation Participate Fake Recreational activity Fool around Pretend Theatrical production Perform

14. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play to Engage Amuse yourself by doing something Have fun with a toy Example: playing on a slide

15. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play to Participate Participate in an activity with others Example: “let’s go outside to play” Example: play the stock market

16. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Is Fantasy Play objects Non-real or fantasy objects Toys of real objects (toy hammer, etc.)

17. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Is Structure Structured activity with formal rules Has a goal or purpose Example: softball game with your friends

18. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Is Being Foolish Not paying attention; a distraction Goofing around instead of doing your work In this case, play is a negative activity Example: teacher tells you, “stop playing and get to work”

19. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Is Pretend Action is a pretend action Adverb form of the word Not serious Example: play fighting (www.freeonlinegames.com)

20. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play Is Theater A dramatic performance Form of entertainment you watch Example: go see a play

21. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Play to Perform Role or duty Responsible part of a team or project Example: Jim plays an important role as leader of the team

22. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Importance of Play Immersion away from real world problems Repeated trials to train for situations Relieve stress Balance

23. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Video Games as Stress Relievers Trains physical reaction to stress Fight response Flight response

24. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Video Games as Stress Relievers Builds tolerance to stress Repeating stressful situations safely Builds up body tolerance React quicker React calmer

25. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Game Addiction Psychological disorder Play is out of balance Feeling that you must play the game Feeling that you cannot stop playing Lose track of the real world

26. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Game Addiction Video game addicts may chose gaming over friends, family, food, and sleep

27. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Signs of Addiction Spend more and more time playing Obsessing about events in games Angry or depressed when unable to play Not eating or sleeping to keep playing Prefer virtual life over real life Lying about time spent playing

28. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. MMO Game Addiction Massively multiplayer online (MMO) games MMORPG: role-playing games MMORTS: real-time strategy games MMOFPS: first-person shooter games MMOSG: social games and networks

29. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. MMO Game Addiction Popular MMO games World of Warcraft Second Life RuneScape

30. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. MMO Game Addiction Immersion through online persona or avataravatar Communication with other players Obsession can occur over improving status or leveling upstatus Reward-conditioning behavior

31. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Reward-Conditioning Behavior Pavlov’s dog experiment Ring bell before feeding Dog associates bell ringing with food Dog expects food whenever the bell rings

32. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Reward-Conditioning Behavior Game reward conditioning Games reward players for time spent playing Players feel good about game achievements Avatar improvement or increasing levels is a reward for playing the game

33. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Development Membership Economy Rule enforcement

34. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Membership Members People who contribute to conversations Interaction between players creates the game Community fails if there are too few members End user license agreement (EULA) Set of rules for members of the community Violators of the rules may be removed

35. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Membership Most online communities have a EULA

36. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Economy Provider economy is how the game manufacturer gets paidProvider economy Sponsors Advertisements Click through User fees

37. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Economy Player economy Buying and selling inside the game world Exchange game money for real money

38. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Economy For the game Second Life, players can use real money to purchase Linden dollarsLinden dollars

39. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Rules EULA International legal issues Internet-based games reach around the globe Laws apply in the country of origin Taxes

40. © Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only. Online Community Rules Internet gameplay is international with users from many different countries