Game Design: Getting the Story Right… and a few other things

John Bennett

Sources: 1) Game Architecture and Design, Rollings and Morris

2) Tutorial: What is a Good Game?, Mark Overmars

3) Game Frame, Aaron Dignan

How to Approach Game Design

• Games are an intriguing blend of art, narrative, computer science, music, graphic design, etc.

–You can learn a lot of this,

–But some of it remains art

Hemingway’s Six-word Story

“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

Another Six-word Story

“Sought it; caught it; now what.”

Another Six-word Story

“Missed class; once, twice; Extra cheese?”

Some Other Six-word Stories

• Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket.- William Shatner

• Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?- Eileen Gunn

• Gown removed carelessly. Head, less so.- Joss Whedon

• Longed for him. Got him. Shit.- Margaret Atwood

• It cost too much, staying human.- Bruce Sterling

• We kissed. She melted. Mop please!- James Patrick Kelly

• It’s behind you! Hurry before it- Rockne S. O’Bannon

• The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.- Orson Scott Card

• Kirby had never eaten toes before.- Kevin Smith

• To save humankind he died again.- Ben Bova

• I couldn’t believe she’d shoot me.- Howard Chaykin

• Easy. Just touch the match to- Ursula K. Le Guin

(Wired)

What makes a game story work?

• Meaningful to audience

• Content-rich

• Story structure is apparent (usually)

• Relationship between actions and outcomes -players responding to game in interesting ways leads to game responding to players in interesting ways

• Emotionally salient material – conflicts, choices and outcomes interact in interesting ways

Good Storytelling

• Why do we even need a story? Games are supposed to be interactive… But,1) Strong setting and backstory enhance game

2) Interactivity can help user enter story

3) Good story makes better game – we want the user to suspend disbelief, but need to make the user want to do this

Ex: Star Wars is merely some sword fights and vehicle chases, unless we know who Luke is, why he’s involved, why there is an epic battle, etc.

Storytelling Techniques• Stories are not chunks of action with static facts• Details need to be revealed gradually to audience

as they figure stuff out• We want emotional involvement from audience• Storytellers knew the tricks for creating good

stories long before game designers:– Obstacles– Plot Points– Foreshadowing– Personalization– Resistance– Suspense– Dialog– Resolution– Transformation

Let’s talk about each of these…

Obstacles1. Old man runs up to hero in inn. Says “Vampires!

You have to kill them.”– Poor story design

2. Old man enters inn. Avoids hero. Purchases silver crucifix from bartender. Mumbles “you need one of these around here.”– Not great, but better. Has an obstacle

3. Player finds mute old man clutching a silver amulet on road to inn; man has strange markings on his face; player must learn about presence of vampires herself, using contextual clues; player is thus “tricked” into level of acceptance not obtained if she is just told (too artificial)

Foreshadowing

• A story depicts the intrusion of the world upon status quo

–Ex: Total Recall – fellow construction worker turns out to be a spy; wife turns out to be an assassin

• Foreshadowing occurs early, before intrusion, hints at what is to come

–Ex: Total Recall – dream of being spy

Personalization• Novice author – “the world needs to be saved”

– not very compelling, how about “only you can save the world”

– Still a little weak

• Need to add personal reason so audience cares– “you have two hours to save the world” vs. “you have two

hours to find your brother, who by strange coincidence has the Amulet of Yendor that might be helpful, who otherwise will die horribly”

– Ex: Luke told he must save galaxy. Why? Drawn in by a person of interest (Princess Leia)

• Warning: Do not put personal hook in game backstory – player might skip

Resistance

• Back of mind saying “it isn’t true”– Need to pull the audience along

• Ex: Bruce Willis, drinking at dingy strip club. Two suits say “you must save president from terrorist.” Does he jump up and get to work? No. Snarls “I’m retired.” Takes another drink.– We want him to change his mind. We are

rooting for the main character even before he joins the fray.

Plot Points (1 of 2)

• Importance of confounding expectations

– Ex: Gandalf on quest to Mount Doom. Boring if that is exactly what happens

• Gets killed early on (and comes back), not expected

• Adventure games benefit most from this, but can enrich other games as well

• Reversal, discovery, calamity

– Ex: trying to save elf princess, causing her death (reversal)

– Ex: finding Swiss account number on victim (discovery)

– Ex: bomb going off, killing hero (calamity)

Plot Points (2 of 2)• Games, too.

– Ex: strategy game – encounter cliff so army cannot retreat (reversal)

– Ex: tunnel for small commando force (discovery)

• “OMG” every 10 minutes, turns story in different direction– Big ones (“Luke, I am your father”)

– Use these to divide game into levels

• Movies usually always have setup, conflict & resolution– But many games are much longer than movies

– So in game, integrate multiple little ones, and a few big ones

• Early plot points deepen mystery, later clear it up (not always completely)

• Overarching structure is usually hierarchical

Suspense• Ex: Main character is infected with strange

parasite – likely to kill our hero.

• But, parasite turns out to be sentient, and, if player can live long enough, parasite might impart critical information, powers, etc.

• Maybe player can find a way to develop a symbiotic relationship and live. Maybe the parasite turns out to have a sense of humor, or is maybe friend, maybe foe…

Dialog• One picture worth a thousand words

– Don’t insert dialog when visual will do• Good dialog serves more than one purpose

– Ex: telling about bomb. “How long?” Plenty of time … smoke cigarette, call mom … don’t read War and Peace. Don’t tell all that you know, but also reveal

– “Do you expect me to talk?”– “No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die”

• Insert elements of surprise– “I am not left-handed either”– “She’s your sister?!?”

• Insert elements of humor– “I do not think that word means what you think it means”– “It’s Christmas; didn’t you get the memo?”– “There’s no crying in baseball!”– “I’ll have what she’s having”

Resolution• Should be:

– Hard won – no reward is satisfying if too easy (most computer games fail miserably at this)

– Not obvious – don’t want ending we have been seeing for 10 hours (yet looking back the ending should still make sense)

– Satisfying – usually morally (hero wins) but could be aesthetically (tragedy)

– Consistent – with character, style development

– Achieve closure – resolve story

• Many examples of stories/games where this fails

Transformation

• Character transformation may be the main point of story

– Not “Frodo lives in Shire with friends”, rather “learns of evil, grows from innocence to self-knowledge”

– Luke: doofus farmer to fugitive to Jedi Knight to Defender of the Galaxy

– …

How Do We Go About This?

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Game Design Stages

• Design concept

– Abstract: genre; target audience; key idea(s)

• Design summary

– Pitch

– Look and feel; player roles and actions

– Strategies and motivations

• Design specification/product specification/production document

– Functional product specification

The Concept

• Most new game ideas should be trashed– A creative idea is not necessarily a good idea

• Be hard on your your own ideas– Others soon will, so you should be first

• Design a game you want to play

• Key attributes:– New

– Better

– Feasible

– Want “I wish I had thought of that” response

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Design Specification

• Fairly formal

– What do the players do?

– What is the interface?

– What is the plot?

• Level Details

– What are the levels?

– Who are the characters?

– How do characters interact?

• Plotline detail

– List player goals and achievements and work backwards

• Story outlines for each game section

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Outlining The Game• Describe features common to every part of the game

– scoring rules– names– special powers– anything else?

• Details of every scene or game level– Name for scene– Resource details– Physical and audio appearance– Background or playfield– Foreground objects and characters– Animations present for the scenes– Music and sound effects– Script for characters– Scenes and transitions– Flow charts for story branches– Miscellaneous elements (credits, saving games, setup, etc.)

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Game Functional Specification Outline

• Table of Contents

• Introduction/Overview

• Game Mechanisms

• Artificial Intelligence

• Game Elements

• Story Overview

• Game Progression

• Bibliography

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Product Specification

• Who is the production team?

• Target audience

• Gameplay (more on this later)

• Shelf-life? (a Justin Bieber game needed to be out ten years ago, or maybe never…)

• Production tools (MonoGame, C#, HLSL, Audacity,…)

• Schedule with realistic milestones and deliverables

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Game Specification

• What is it like to play the game?

• Interface mock-up

• Story-line summary

– Major: final accomplishments

– Minor: intermediate tasks

• Storyboards

– Prototype artwork and screen sequences

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Game Specification

• Character “bibles”– Profiles and biographies for each character

• Flowcharting– What are the decision points and scene

transitions?

• Scripts– What happens in each scene, and during each

level?

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Storyboarding

• Story outline

• Draw 6-12 scenes from game and assemble them like a comic strip (in commercial games this is a big deal – for indie games this can be on bar napkins)

• Add some notes to each sketch describing the action, artwork, sounds, etc.

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Detail Questions

• What can characters do (fly, jump, invisible)?

• How many enemies does hero fight?

• What weapons are available?

• How does the player get rejuvenated?

• Multi-player stuff?

• Game perspective (side, tops, 3D, first person)?

• What kind of sound track?

• What about main character’s personality?

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Level Outline

• Name of section, level, or scene

• Physical or audio appearance

• Foreground objects and characters– Actions?

– Animation?

– Sound effects?

• Character scripts

• Transitions

So what constitutes a game?

We will get to good game later…

What is a Game? (1 of 3)• Movie? (why not?)

no interaction, outcome fixed

• Toy? (has interaction … so, why not?) no goal, but still fun (players can develop own goals)

• Puzzle? (has goal + interaction … so, why not?)strategy and outcome are the same each time

Definitions:

– Play - Interactions to elicit emotional response

– Game - Object that provides rule-bound play

– Frame - The border of a game’s context, i.e. “Magic Circle”• Inside the frame is in the game

• Outside the frame is real life (these can blur, e.g., Second Life)

– Aesthetics - Emotional responses during play

What is a Game (2 of 3)

• “A game is a series of interesting choices.” –Sid Meier

• “A computer game is a software program in which one or more players make decisionsthrough the control of game objects and resources, in pursuit of a goal.”

– Mark Overmars (Game Maker)

• “A system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules that results in a quantifiable outcome”

–Salen & Zimmerman, 2004

What is a Game (3 of 3)• A Game Needs a Goal

– What’s the point? Without goals, it’s a toy• Ex. RPG - to become the best, most powerful player• Ex. FPS - to achieve the highest “rank” position & weapons• Ex. Puzzle games - to solve difficult puzzles quickly & effectively

– Long games may have sub-goals• Tetris vs. World of Warcraft

• Playing a Game is About Making Decisions– Decisions are constrained by game frame’s rules or “Magic Circle”

• Ex: What weapon to use? Accept quest or not?

– Can be frustrating if decision does not matter • Player wants to impact outcome good gameplay

• Playing a Game is About Control– Play is voluntary; we choose to play or not– Balance between “real world” expectations & mystery

• Uncontrolled sequences can still occur, but should be rare and make (some kind of) logical sense

What a Game is Not (1 of 2)• A bunch of cool features

– Necessary, but not sufficient– May even detract, if not careful, by concentrating on features

rather than the gameplay

• A lot of fancy graphics– Games need graphics just as blockbuster movies need special

effects … but neither will save a weak idea – Again, may detract– Gameplay must work without fancy graphics, add later

• Development cycle: “Alpha” game should be fun with simple objects

“When a designer is asked how his game is going to make a difference, I hope he … talks about gameplay, fun and creativity – as opposed to an answer that simply focuses on how good it looks” – Sid Meier (Civilizations, Railroad Tycoon, Pirates)

What a Game is Not (2 of 2)

• A series of puzzles– All games have them…

– But puzzles do not by themselves represent gameplay

– Puzzles are specific, game systems spawn more general problems

• An intriguing story– Good story encourages player immersion

– But story is not a game without gameplay

What About Game Theory?• Game theory is …

– A branch of economics (and some other social sciences)

– A way of reasoning about systems governed by fixed rules

– Susceptible to mathematical analysis to determine risks and benefits at various decision points.

• Game theory assumes rational players who:

– Always try to maximize their potential utility

– Solve problems by making logic decisions

– Always are fully aware of the state of the game

– Assume all other players are rational

Gameplay

• What is Gameplay?– Collective strategies and decisions to reach certain

goals in the game

– Player decisions are activities specific to the game’s system of rules

– Direct, aesthetic feedback of “what the player does” (kinetic/visual/audio interaction w/ computer algorithm)

• What is Good Gameplay?– should be fun (entertainment flow)– should be interactive (the player actively engages in a role)– should be challenging (not too easy, not too hard)– should make sense (consistency, does not necessarily need

to be strictly rational)– should play seamlessly (story/narrative flows with player

actions)

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow• Flow is the state of concentration and

engagement that can be achieved when completing a task that challenges one's skills.

• “Time flies when you are having fun”

Designing Gameplay• Activity – something we want players to do or experience• Player Profile – a trait-based description of players• Objectives – goals toward which effort is directed• Skills – specialized player abilities• Resistance – forces of opposition that create

tension/conflict• Resources – spaces & supplies the player uses• Actions – the moves available to players (when, where,

why)• Feedback – a system response to a player’s actions• Black Box – rules of interplay between actions &

feedback• Outcomes – positive or negative results during Main

Objective

Types of Gameplay• Targets (benchmark, bulls-eye, quota)

– Usually a quantifiable, fixed goal or something specific to aim for

– Ex. Basketball hoop, revenue goal, dart board• Non-Game Ex: Kickstarter.com

– Why do they work?• Activate primal desire to hunt and pursue something

• Competition (rivalry, opponent, adversary)– A manifestation of natural rivalry created over a clash of common

desires motivation & aggression

– Ex. “Red vs. Blue;” Horde vs. Alliance; Empire vs. Rebellion• Non-Game Ex: Reality show “Top Chef”

– Why do they work?• “Survival of the fittest” instinct “Epic win” & fiero*

• Opportunity to prove skills & bragging rights sports; war

*“Fiero is what we feel after we triumph over adversity. You know it when you feel it –and when you see it. That’s because we almost all express fiero in exactly the same way:we throw our arms over our head and yell.Reality is Broken, Jane McGonigal

Types of Gameplay

• Forced Decisions (choice, preference, judgment)– Choices that have to be made in order to continue an

activity or progress

– Ex. Avatar features? Accept quest? Equip weapon? • Non-Game Ex: NCAA Tournament brackets; HotOrNot.com

– Why do they work?• Choice can increase feelings of control & intrinsic motivation

• Decisions have power, even if the choice is an imposition

• Data (information, results, indicators)– Abstract information in visible form helps make

decisions and adjust behavior – Ex. Wii Fit, Guitar Hero & Rock Band; “+10 strength”

• Non-Game Ex: Calorie count; speedometer (mph)

– Why do they work?• Quantifiable feedback helps us make sense of the world

around us and achieve our goals

Types of Gameplay

• Progress (steps, meters, percentages)– A specialized form of feedback in which a system plots

a player’s progress along a predefined path or process

– Ex. MMOG “experience” level-bar (80% to next level) • Non-Game Ex: LinkedIn profile; FedEx tracker

– Why do they work?• Visual indications of progress are powerful (A+, B, C, D, F)

• Apparent goals can lessen aversion “Well, I’ve already gone this far, why stop now?”

• Points (scores, ratings, grades)– A unit of measurement for performance, usually a

specialized kind of data awarded in a game– Ex. “Top score,” “experience points” or XP

• Non-Game Ex: Weight Watchers; BMI health score

– Why do they work?• A unique kind of reward, even when worthless

Types of Gameplay

• Chance (randomness, fortune, luck)– One of the oldest and most powerful forms of game

frame resistance

– Ex. Poker, dice, coin-flip, lottery• Non-Game Ex: ChatRoulette.com

– Why do they work?• Randomness introduces a sense of novelty (surprise)

• Lack of chance can lead to predictability and boredom

• Time Pressure (urgency, countdown, timer)– Fundamental to human experience; either a resource or

form of resistance

– Ex. Metroid: Escape under 3 minutes or death…• Non-Game Ex: Any sporting event

– Why do they work?• Creates a sense of urgency affects behavior & perception

• “Time flies when you’re having fun” fun is flow

Types of Gameplay

• Scarcity (limited, collectible, rare)– Lack of supply increased demand

– Ex. “Mining” resources in Starcraft, EVE, WoW etc.• Non-Game Ex: Ivy-league college applications (insane

competition)

– Why do they work?• Often associated with things of “real value”—food, shelter, etc.

• When anything is scarce, we assume it has value (BeanieBabies)

• Puzzles (mysteries, patterns, hints)– Puzzles are problems that promise a solution

– Ex. Sudoku, Angry Birds, Portal 2 • Non-Game Ex: Scavenger hunt, mystery novels

– Why do they work?• Cracking a puzzle “epic win” or fiero moment (YES!!!!)

• Guaranteed solution drives deeper engagement

Types of Gameplay

• Novelty (surprises, changes, curiosities)– The presence of anything new (positive or negative)

– Ex. Final Fantasy VII, Modern Warfare – unexpected death of main character

• Non-Game Ex: Trader Joe retail & grocery store (ever-changing collection of unique products and prices)

– Why do they work?• Our brains crave surprise opportunity to learn something new

• Lack of novelty leads to boredom; change “spices things up”

• Levels (stages, areas, domains)– Hierarchical and bounded domains in which we play

– Ex. Mario stages; World of Warcraft (character progression from level 1-85)

• Non-Game Ex: Ski resorts (green, blue, black, double-diamond)

– Why do they work?• Provide a predictable roadmap for player progress

• “Leveling-up” requires specific knowledge and/or skills

Types of Gameplay

• Social Pressure (peer pressure, obligation)– A form of influence and conformity by people around us the “Hawthorne effect”

– Ex. Mafia Wars (success dependent on others’ play)• Non-Game Ex: Fully booked restaurant must be delicious…

– Why do they work?• Human desire to belong in the group and “fit in”

• Lack of social pressure can lead to lack of obligation or sense of belonging

• Teamwork (collaboration, cooperation, co-creation)– More than 1 player working towards a common goal

– Ex. WoW raids, EVE factions, FPS clans • Non-Game Ex: “Crowd intelligence” Wikipedia

– Why do they work?• Share common goals, share success (human civilization)

• Knowing others count on you creates accountability & urgency

Types of Gameplay

• Currency (economy, marketplace, exchange)– A medium of exchange that represents shared value

(not static; value changes in certain circumstances)

– Ex. Any MMORPG; the Arcade (tickets for prizes) • Non-Game Ex: Frequent flier miles

– Why do they work?• Currency works out of necessity for trade

• Simplifies desire to possess and experience things

• Renewal (regeneration, iteration, boost)– A process of replenishment; ability to start over and

learn from failure– Ex. Hit-points, power-ups,“Game Over: Continue?”

• Non-Game Ex: Traffic offenses (slowly removed from license)

– Why do they work?• Do-overs help develop complex skills “If at first you don’t

succeed...” & “practice makes perfect”

• Lack of renewal can make things too serious

Types of Gameplay

• Sensation (stimulation, motion, touch)– Making use of all the senses (audio, visual, kinetic,

emotional, etc.) may create richer experiences

– Ex. Controller vibration; Wii & Kinect; 3D games• Non-Game Ex: Roller coaster; touch-screen vibration

– Why do they work?• We like to feel good & sensations make us feel that way

• Works well when players need to refocus on task at hand

• Recognition (achievements, badges, awards)– A public acknowledgement that conveys approval or

accomplishment– Ex. XboxLive & Steam gameplay achievements

• Non-Game Ex: Wikipedia “barnstars”

– Why do they work?• We like other people in our social circle pay attention to us

• Admiration & attention from others an indicator of achievement

Types of Gameplay

• Status (rank, class, reputation)– Manifestation of power & respect in a social group

– Ex. WoW rates armor by color; purple > blue > green• Non-Game Ex: Academic, corporate, and military ranks

– Why do they work?• Part of our wiring as tribal animals; need to know where we

stand

• Offers a kind of shorthand for cataloging people & experiences’

• What’s next? – What hasn’t been done before?– Will new technologies contribute to gameplay innovation?

Implementing Gameplay (1 of 4)

• Choice

– A question asked of the player

• Outcome

– The end result of a given choice

• Possibility space

– Represents the set of possible events

– A “landscape” of choice and outcome

Implementing Gameplay (2 of 4)

• Choices must be non-trivial, with upsideand downside– If only upside, AI should take care of it

– If only downside, no-one will ever use it

• Gameplay value when upside and downside and payoff depends upon other factors, e.g.,– Actions of other players

– Actions of NPCs

– Contextual information

Implementing Gameplay (3 of 4)• Well-designed choice

– Offers both desirable and undesirable effects– Should relate to player goals (but can be indirect)

• Qualities of Choice:– Hollow – lacking consequence– Obvious – leaves no choice to be made– Uninformed – arbitrary decision– Weighted – good and bad in every choice– Dramatic – strongly connects to feelings– Immediate – effects are immediate– Long-term – effects over extended period– Orthogonal – choices distinct from each other

Implementing Gameplay (4 of 4)• Should be series of interesting choices

• Ex: Use of health potion now may depend upon whether you have net for capturing more fairies,

• Having net may depend upon whether pack space needed for more arrows (for bow),

• Needing arrows may depend upon whether player has killed all flying zombie bats yet

• Thus, a well designed game should require strategy

• Game must also display complexity (approp. to target aud.)– But complexity doesn’t mean game must be complex!

• Don’t make too many rules. Less is more.

– Good complexity emerges naturally from interaction with simple rules

Good Gameplay DependsUpon Necessity for Good Strategy

• Bad: Gamer magazine articles with “10 killer tactics” or “ultimate weapon”– What’s going on?

Showing how to take advantage of flaws in the game design!

• Should never have a option not worth using– Dominated strategy

• Should never have an option that is so good, it is never worth doing anything else– Dominant strategy

Near Dominance Also Bad

• Near-dominated – useful only very narrow circumstance

• Near-dominant – used most of the time

• Ex: stun gun only useful against raptors, so only useful on raptor level (near dominated)– Do I want it used more often?

– How much effort on this feature?

– Should I put in lots of special effects?

• Ex: flurry of blows most useful attack (near dominant) by Monk– Should we spend extra time for effects?

Avoiding Trivial Choices (1 of 2)

• Horsemen Archers Pikemen– Transitive, not so interesting

• Horsemen Archers Pikemen Horsemen– Basically this is rock-paper-scissors

– Intransitive, more interesting

– Ex: from LOTR Battle for Middle Earth

• Horsemen fast, get to archers quickly with lances

• Pikemen spears hurt horsemen badly

• Pikemen slow, so archers wail on them from afar

Avoiding Trivial Choices (2 of 2)• A beats B, B beats C, C beats A (could hardwire)

– But could also have how much better

1) Single horseman can beat any number of archers: Horseman Archers ()

2) Single horseman barely beat an archer:

Horseman Archers (1.1)

• Ask: Which is better?– Trick question! Both are bad

Case 1) equal number of each, all others lose

Case 2) doesn’t matter which you choose

• Don’t want to hardwire. Sometimes A way better than B, sometimes a bit better, sometimes worse– The answer should depend upon the game situation, weather,

terrain, time … also what opponent is doing

Ensuring Interesting Choices (1 of 2)

• Kinds of choices in gameplay can involve options:1) Should sometimes be taken, sometimes not

2) Timing is critical and depends upon context (upgrade armor or build more troops)

3) Makes little difference whether taken or not

4) Always worth taking (target nearest)

5) Never worth taking (sell armor to buy beer)

• First and Second most interesting

• Third valid, but really only “chrome”

• Fourth should be handled by AI

• Fifth should seriously be considered for removal

Ensuring Interesting Choices (2 of 2)

• Interesting choices should require good judgment on the part of the player

– Correct choice must vary with circumstances

• Aim as designer is to ensure circumstances don’t stagnate and have only one right way to win

• No method for finding “best” choices

– That’s where creativity comes in …

Game Balance

• Game without balance often unsatisfying and wasted effort (parts not in balance not used)

• Broadly, game balance includes:

– Player-Player – advantage only in skill (can be luck, but should be equal to both)

– Player-Gameplay – learning curve matched by reward

– Gameplay-Gameplay – Composite longbow does twice damage, should cost twice $

Reward the Player

• Player has to learn game while playing. Will make mistakes (discouraging). We want to offset with reward when hero does something right, e.g., takes longer to learn complicated move, but complicated move has big payoff– Ex: “Now with backflip, I can use my reverse punch”

• In general, it is better to reward player for doing something right than punishing player for doing something wrong– Punishment (e.g., leveling down) can make players

not want to play

Let the Machine do the Work

• Interface should show player the world and let him/her manipulate

• Computer is tool to take care of wide-range of tedious tasks

– If tasks are not fun, don’t make player do them

• Distinguish between chore and game feature

– RPG could provide tool so player can manually draw map as she explores … but is that fun?

– Ex: Adventure: “xyzzy”; In D&D, can tell D.M. “go back to the dungeon entrance”. Easy, fun. What if a game makes player walk back over map that has been seen? Boring, no fun.

– Ex: Myst provided lightning bolt move to avoid tedium

– other examples?

• Also, if game option is no-brainer, have game take care of it

Make a Game that you Play With, Not Against

• What if we have great story, good graphics, immersion, but only progress is by trial and error … is this fun?

Ex: soldier guards exit

1. Run up and attack. He’s too fast. Back to save point

2. Drink potion. Sneak up. He shoots you. Back to save.

3. Drop bottle as distraction. He comes looking. Shoots you. Back to save.

4. Drink potion. Drop bottle. He walks by you. You escape!

– Lazy design!

• In general, player should succeed by skill and judgment, not by trial and error (although a bit of whimsy is good…)

Final Word on Gameplay

• Need to make sure choices interact

– Ex: no fun winning just because you out-optimize opponent on resource production

– Ex: no fun if winning just because you know right thing to do no game, just a forgone conclusion

• Want my choices to interact with choices of opponent in interesting ways

• Even better if it’s different every time I play (e.g., Rogue)