just another meme vector v 1.0. coming up game demographics: who plays? game dynamics: what makes...
TRANSCRIPT
Just Another Meme Vector
v 1.0
Coming up
Game demographics: Who plays?
Game dynamics: What makes games fun?
Some examples of a maturing medium
The future: Where games are going
Demographics – Who?
What age is the average gamer? The average age of a British gamer is 31.
What percentage of the UK’s population is composed of “gamers”?
Gamer = has played video games in the last 6 months, on any platform
There are currently over 27 m gamers in the UK.
Demographics – How Many?
12%40%
59%89%
How much do they play?
Of the UK’s entire population (gamers and non-gamers combined):
. . . 48% play at least once per week
. . . 7% play 1-3 times per month
. . . 4% play less than once a month
97100
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65
51
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6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 24 25 to 35 36 to 50 51 to 65
. . . what’s behind the shape of the distribution?
% of each age group in UK playing games, 2005:
Demographics – Who?
97100
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65
51
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0
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80
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100
6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 24 25 to 35 36 to 50 51 to 65
grew up without video games
grew up with ‘niche’ games
Grew up with video games everywhere
Demographics – Who?
. . . this shape is a growth bulge.
Every year the distribution shifts up the age brackets
What about the girls?
52 5356 56 55
5248 47
44 44 4548
0
10
20
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40
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6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 24 25 to 35 36 to 50 51 to 65
Male Female
STATEMENTS % AGREE 6-10 11-15 16-24 25-35 36-50 51-65
I get more enjoyment out of video games than other forms of entertainment
33 45 25 25 18 19
I spend more time playing video games than watching TV
19 26 20 16 15 13
Gaming Attitudes
STATEMENTS % AGREE 6-10 11-15 16-24 25-35 36-50 51-65
I prefer playing video games with friends as a social activity rather than on my own
54 44 53 34 21 13
I think games could be used for education as well as for entertainment
76 67 69 78 80 68
Gaming Attitudes
The gender split is pretty even
Most people take games seriously
The average game buyer is 38
We are in the middle of a demographic shift from a society of non-gamers to a society of gamers.
Summing Up - Gaming Demographics
Gaming isn’t just for kids
Gaming isn’t just for boys
The average game player is 31
Coming up
Game demographics: Who plays?
Game dynamics: What makes games fun?
A maturing medium: Some examples
The Future: Where games are going
Why does this game suck?
Why are games fun (or boring)?
Games are puzzles
Once you’ve got the pattern, the game is boring
In tic-tac-toe, there are only 26,830 possible games
Games are about pattern recognition
. . . so it gets boring pretty fast.
(Chess = 1050 possible games)
Raph Koster, Game Designer
This game is about the geometry of tetrads
Once you can rotate tetrads in your sleep, the game becomes boring
This game is about precise aim and timing
Once you can shoot so straight you’re invincible, the game becomes boring
This game is about thorough explorationOnce you’ve explored everywhere, the game becomes boring
Fun is Learning
Games are challenges
That’s why key moments in gameplay are achievements: “I got it! I beat level 10!”
The process of gaining skills is what makes games fun.
To overcome the challenges, you must develop skills
Gameplay is the process of practising and applying these skills
This feeling is your brain’s reward for success.
Three Learning Modes
Storytelling Playing
Lecturing
Games are the most advanced form of investigation.
-Albert Einstein
That’s why we’re interested.
But can a game really deliver journalism?
. . . or any serious message, for that matter?
Games are stupid, right?
Not all of them.
In some games you have to perform subtle, complex tasks.
Sim City Is About
And it sold 18 million copies
Tax policy
Infrastructure networks
Zoning laws
Game challenges can be very sophisticated.
To complete them successfully, you have to learn.
You can learn about all sorts of things.
How about some examples of games teaching socially relevant lessons?
Games are Teachers
Coming up
Game demographics: Who plays?
Game dynamics: What makes games fun?
A maturing medium: Some examples
The Future: Where games are going
Darfur is Dying Cost £25,000
Took 10 weeks
250,000 hits per month
Over 2 m unique viewers in 2006
The War on Terror
A game making an editorial point . . .
Historical Debate
(How is this different?)
Coming up
Game demographics: Who plays?
Game dynamics: What makes games fun?
A maturing medium: Some examples
The Future: Where games are going
Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.
- Neils Bohr
The medium will mature further
Movies, 1927
The Return of Social Gaming
-20
-15
-10
-5
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
DVD Sales CD Sales Video Game Sales
A Good Year% growth in each medium in UK, 2007:
Virtual WorldsNormalized Integrated Taxed
Ubiquitous Gaming
Convergence – waning of the console
Browser-based, Flash taking over
Reality is the interface
This woman (and others like her) is hacking real life to become more game like
Alternate Reality Games
Using massively multiplayer game dynamics to motivate, inspire, lead large numbers of people
Further Reading
Raph Koster, A Theory of Fun for Game Design
Steven Johnson, Everything Bad is Good For You
Jane McGonigal, Why I Love Bees
