Chapter 2.1Understanding Fun

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What is Fun? Dictionary: Enjoyment, a source of

amusement – but that doesn’t help Important to consider underlying

reasons “Funativity” – thinking about fun in

terms of measurable cause and effect

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Evolutionary Roots We must look to our distant past Young mammals play to learn basic

survival skills Games are organized play Human entertainment is also at its

heart about learning how to survive Mating and social rules also critical to

us

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Education == Entertainment Life is all either work, rest, or fun Fun is about practicing or learning

new survival skills in a relatively safe setting

People who didn’t enjoy that practice were less likely to survive to become our ancestors

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Hunting and Gathering For most of our species’ history we

were tribal hunter/gatherers Current popular games reflect this Shooters, wargames = hunting Powerups, resources = gathering Sims, MMO = social, tribal

interaction

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Natural Funativity Theory Basic concept is that all fun

derives from practicing survival and social skills

Key skills relate to early human context, but often in modern guise

Three overlapping categories Physical, Social, and Mental

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Physical Fun Sports generally enhance our

strength, stamina, coordination skills Exploration is fun

Both of local area and knowledge of exotic places

Hand/eye coordination and tool use are often parts of fun activities – crafts

Physical aspect to gathering “stuff”

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Social Fun Storytelling is a social activity

A way to learn important survival and social lessons from others

Gossip, sharing info w/friends popular

Flirting, showing off, finding mates is a key interest in social fun

Language has become paramount

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Mental Fun Our large brains make humans unique Pure abstract reasoning practice is fun Pattern matching and generation

Music, Art, and Puzzles all pattern based Gathering also has mental aspect,

categorizing and identifying patterns

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Multipurpose Fun Many fun activities have physical,

social and mental aspects in combination

Games that mix these aspects tend to be very popular

Incorporate ways to practice these skills to increase the popularity of games

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Definition of a Great Game A great game is a series of

interesting and meaningful choices made by the player in pursuit of a clear and compelling goal

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A Series of … Choices in Pursuit of a … Goal Must have choice, or it is not

interactive Must be a series of choices or it is

too simple to be a game Must have a goal or it is a software

toy With Sim City and The Sims players

may bring their own goals

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Interesting and Meaningful Choices Choices may be dull and uninteresting

because it was easy to code that way Or it may be the reflection of a lazy

designer Meaningful choices are perceived by

the player as having significant consequences

May not have actual consequences…

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Clear and Compelling Goal Clear goals

Because it is not fun to flounder aimlessly Avoid the “protagonist with amnesia”

cliché Compelling goals are goals that follow

the concepts in Natural Funativity Survival is always a compelling goal

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A Series of Choices No choice

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A Series of Choices Meaningless choices Obviously fold back into same path Players discover this quickly

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A Series of Choices Infinite choices Quickly become unmanageable

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A Series of Choices Choose wisely Kill off player with any wrong choice Better but frustrating (Dragon’s Lair)

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Classic Game Structure A convexity Starts with a single choice, widens

to many choices, returns to a single choice

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Convexity Qualities Go from one to many to one Can be a level, an act, an episode Can be any kind of choice

Geography, weapons, tools, skills, technologies, quests

Examples Exploring an island Technology build tree

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Fractal Structure Large scale structure repeated on

medium, smaller scales, like a coastline In the case of convexities, each circle is

not a single choice, but a convexity Age of Empires example

Take a defensive stance, create squad to defend left flank, collect resources to build a legionnaire, etc.

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A Series of Convexities Many games are chains of

convexities

Points of limited choice (A) alternate with points of many choices (B)

A A A A ABB B B

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A Series of Convexities Many overlapping convexities in great

games Examples include Halo, Zelda games,

Civilization, Diablo II, many others Player can be starting one task or

area, in the middle of another, and at the end of a third, all simultaneously

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Why Is This Structure So Good? Give the player choice but not an

infinitely expanding set of choices Mix of some “any order” choices (B)

and some in fixed order (A), blending freedom with linear storytelling

Can be structured so players see most of the game, minimizing waste

Can have difficulty go up in new levels

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Psychological Advantagesof Classic Structure Alternating intense learning (A) with

time to practice (B) is the best way to master new skills

Gradual learning and introduction of new skills at the heart of fun game play

“Easy to learn, difficult to master” “Simple, Hot, and Deep”

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The Concept of Flow U of C professor Mihaly

Csikszentmihalyi One of his books is “Flow: The

Psychology of Optimal Experience” Flow is a state of exhilaration, deep

sense of enjoyment Usually when a person’s body or mind

is stretched to its limits to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile

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The Flow Channel Start with relatively low level of

challenge to match starting skill levels

Gradually increase challenge Fast enough to prevent boredom Not so fast as to induce frustration

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The Flow Channel

To o E as y (B o r ing)

To o H ard (Frus trat ing)

Inc re as ing Tim e ( and P laye r Skil l )

Increasing Difficulty

Id e a l G a m e D iff icu lty P ro g re ss io n

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The Flow Channel Flow state is common while developing

same Physical, Social, and Mental skills noted in Natural Funativity

Best to introduce skills one at a time, let player master them, move on to new

This results in staggered increase in difficulty (wavy difficulty line)

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Difficulty Increase Varies

A = R apid D ifficu lty Increase, B = S lower Increase

A A A ABB B B

Ide al G am e D if f ic ul ty P ro gre s s io n

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Typical Game Mechanisms High difficulty increase: Boss monsters,

climactic battles, quest resolutions Low difficulty increase: Bonus levels,

new resource- and treasure-rich areas, series of easy “minion” enemies

Overlap introduction of new skills, areas to explore, tools, enemies

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Story and Character Back to “interesting choices” and

“compelling goals” – how to achieve? Story and character can add emotional

association, strengthen reaction Storytelling has long history, but

interactive storytelling can differ critically from traditional linear modes

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Interactive Storytelling Blend storytelling with design early Use experienced interactive writers “Do, don’t show” – let players

experience story through interaction Make it personal by having players

make key choices, events affect them

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It’s All About Interactivity Don’t make choices for the player Story should add emotional

context to the choices Keep any cut scenes brutally short Break up non-interactive

sequences by adding interactivity, even if very simple

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Characters Characters can make the game

world seem more real and exciting Bold stereotypes may seem crude

but are better than colorless characters, and can help avoid boring exposition

Bring out character through action, not description or exposition

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Gameplay Trumps Story If you have a conflict between

gameplay or story, first look for a compromise that favors both

Failing that, make sure that the gameplay is good at expense of story

Always signal player clearly in narrative to interactive transitions with visuals, audio