A Rhetorical Approach to Gameful Design

Paul Coulton

Changing behaviour through design

Banksy

PIXELS by Patrick Jean 1 Billion

“To play a game is to engage in activity directed towards bringing about a specific state of affairs, using only means permitted by rules, where the rules prohibit more efficient in favour of less

efficient means, and where such rules are accepted just because

they make possible such activity…playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome

unnecessary obstacles.”

Bernard Suits

The Magic Circle

‘the place dedicated to the performance of an act apart’

Huizinga

The Magic Circle Myth

game play

ludic activities

being playfulAgon Alea Mimicry Illinx

Paida

Ludus

Salen and ZimmermannRoger Callois

Phillip Toledano

Gamification

Serious Games

Games for Change

PersuasiveGames

Paths

generally break down problems into simple personal goals often expressed through self

interest arguments

HighAbility

LowAbility

HighMotivation

LowMotivation

TargetBehaviour

Desire

d Traje

ctory

of Use

rs

FACILITATOR

SPARK

SIGNAL

SIGNAL

Fogg Model

The Facilitator is a trigger that also makes the desired behaviour

easier to perform.

The Signal is a trigger that identifies an appropriate time to

perform a particular behaviour for those already motivated to

perform that behaviour.

The Spark is a trigger that provides the initial inspiration to change

behaviour.

persuasion example

Accuracy 83% 50 Points 3rd Time Tonight Bonus 10 Points

!

Poppinsification in every job that

can be done there is an

element of fun…

OMG! twig collecting is just not letting me grow as a

Robin

“Games aren't the monosodium glutamate of fun that you can

simply add to an activity to make motivating and engaging”

Will Wright

MasochismExpression

Discovery

Fellowship

ChallengeNarrative

Fantasy

Sensation

Mark LeBlanc

Fiero

Wonder

Thrill

Surprise

Purification

NachesPossibilty

Humour

Gifting

Schadenfreude

Anticipation

Nurturing

Destruction

Jesse Schell

Designing games through which players can rehearse possible/ plausible futures

Rhetor Audience

Speech

Intent

Expectations

Rhetoric

Visual Rhetoric

Rhetor Audience

Image

Intent

Expectations

Rhetorical Design

Designer Users

Product

Intent

Expectations

“design is rhetoric”

Richard Buchanan

Procedural Rhetoric

“a games basic representational mode is procedurality (rule-based

representations and interactions)”

Ian Bogost

Game Designer Player

Game

Rule

sInteraction

Rhetorical Design Tools

Aristotle

Pathos(empathy)

Ethos(credibility)

Logos(logic)

CONTEXT

Climate Change

Weather

Flow

Storage

Scale

Charles and Ray Eames Powers of 10

BARTER

Currency Value

Watermark TransparentRegister

Ultra VioletMarker

Metallic Thread

RaisedLettering

Motion Thread

Micro Lettering

Information

ProtectionPhysical C

urrency IData Sym

bol

Flow Time Location

Digital Inform

ation

Digital/ Physical C

urrency Data Sym

bol

Gameful Design

Game Designer Player

Game

Rule

s

Interaction

HighAbility

LowAbility

HighMotivation

LowMotivation

TargetBehaviour

Desire

d Traje

ctory

of Use

rs

FACILITATOR

SPARK

SIGNAL

SIGNAL

OR

Extrinsic motivation rewards the results of an activity

Intrinsic motivation is the joy of the activity itself

choose wisely!

QUESTIONSBanksy