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Petri Lankoski, Satu Heliö, Inger Ekman

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CHARACTERS IN COMPUTER GAMES: TOWARD UNDERSTANDING INTERPRETATION AND DESIGN

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Volume: 2 ISBN / ISNN: ISSN 2342-9666
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Interpretation of characters is a fundamental feature of human behavior. Even with limited information available, people will assign personality – even to inanimate objects. Characters in computer games will be attributed personality based on their appearance and behavior. The interpretation of these characters affects the whole game experience. Designing the protagonist character in computer games is different from the design of static characters (e.g. film or literature), because the player’s actions will affect the nature of the character. There are, however, many ways to control and guide the actions of the protagonist and thus the character’s nature. By setting goals, scripting pre-defined actions and choosing what kind of actions to implement, the game designer can restrict the player’s freedom. This, together with the characterization of the character, will affect the interpretation of the character.

 

Chuen-Tsai Sun, Holin Lin, Cheng-Hong Ho

H, L, S , , ,

GAME TIPS AS GIFTS: SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AND RATIONAL CALCULATIONS IN COMPUTER GAMING

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Volume: 2 ISBN / ISNN: ISSN 2342-9666

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The authors look at online tip exchanges as parts of gift economies created by the players and designers of console and online role-playing games in Taiwan. A group of experienced players and tip contributors agreed to be interviewed about the mechanisms and processes of providing free strategy guides on the Internet. Their comments reveal needs for social approval and networking in addition to their perceptions of rational exchange in the interest of completing games. The authors speculate on the social norms behind tip cultures, and their influences on game play and management.

Maaike Lauwaert

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IN SEARCH IOF A “FIFTH DIMENSION”

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Lauwaert Maaike

Volume: 2 ISBN / ISNN: ISSN 2342-9666

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The work Les Jeux et les Hommes (1958) by Roger Caillois [1] may help us to get a firmer grip on the actual nature of digital games. Caillois identified four dimensions of games and playing: agôn (competition), alea (chance), mimicry (simulation), and ilinx (vertigo). In light of the new culture of digital games, this paper argues the need for adding another dimension to Caillois four dimensions. This fifth dimension will be labelled repens or sequentially embedded surprise and it will enable us to describe, analyse, and understand the structure and complexities of the more recent digital games more profoundly.

 

Espen Aarseth, Marie Smedstad Solveig, Lise Sunnanå

A, L, S , ,

A MULTIDIMENSIONAL TYPOLOGY OF GAMES

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Volume: 2 ISBN / ISNN: ISSN 2342-9666

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This paper builds on a general typology of textual communication (Aarseth 1997) and tries to establish a model for classifying the genre of “games in virtual environments” — that is, games that take place in some kind of simulated world, as opposed to purely abstract games like poker or blackjack. The aim of the model is to identify the main differences between games in a rigorous, analytical way, in order to come up with genres that are more specific and less ad hoc than those used by the industry and the popular gaming press. The model consists of a number of basic “dimensions”, such as Space, Perspective, Time, Teleology, etc, each of which has several variate values, (e.g. Teleology: finite (Half-Life) or infinite (EverQuest. Ideally, the multivariate model can be used to predict games that do not yet exist, but could be invented by combining the existing elements in new ways.

Sybille Lammes

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ON THE BORDER: PLEASURE OF EXPLORATION AND COLONIAL MASTERY IN CIVILIZATION III PLAY THE WORLD
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Lammes Sybille
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Games like Myst, Civilisation and Anno 1602 are centred around the virtual travelling of the gamer through unknown worlds. The voyage s/he undertakes often hinges on notions of colonialist exploration, turning the gamer into a traveller who surveys and masters unknown domains and learns to control techno-scientific principles along the way. Since such games are related to a mentality of colonialism, questions should be asked about how such games can be located in its discursive formation. This paper will shed light on these questions by analysing Civilization III and my experiences of playing this game.

Staffan Björk & Sus Lundgren & Jussi Holopainen

B, H, L , , ,

GAME DESIGN PATTERNS
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We present a model to support the design, analysis, and comparison of games through the use of game design patterns, descriptions of reoccurring interaction relevant to game play. The model consists of a structural framework to describe the components of games, and patterns of interaction that describes how components are used by players (or a computer) to affect various aspects of the game play. Focusing on the patterns and identified methods for using them, we describe the development of the model and how we are currently working to enlarge and validate the collection of patterns.

Mirjam Eladhari & Craig Lindley

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PLAYER CHARACTER DESIGN FACILITATING EMOTIONAL DEPTH IN MMORPGS
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Mirjam Eladhari & Craig Lindley
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How can we create computer games facilitating emotional depth in the playing experience? When entering into a persistent virtual game world the player leaves the body behind. It is up to the game designer to create a virtual body with skills, needs and drives necessary for survival and pleasure in the game world. Would it be sensible also to create a virtual mind for the player to possess and evolve? Can models like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and ‘being-values’, or the personality trait model popularly called ‘the big five’ be used for character design in a way that suits massive multi-player game form? Based upon a view of the player character as the concentrated mirror of the functionality of an RPG game and adding features inspired from psychology, cognitive science and behavior science, this paper presents the high-level system design of a virtual mind for the player to possess in a MMORPG. The mind model is being implemented in a research demonstration game in which game play emphasizes emotional engagement and dramatic interaction. This research is conducted in the Zero-Game Studio within the frame of the open research MMORPG Ouroboros.

Holin Lin & Chuen-Tsai Sun & Hong-Hong Tinn

L, S, T ,

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Virtual online gaming clan organizations are used to analyze social grouping and cooperation within competitive gaming communities. Participants from two popular massive multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs) in Taiwan were interviewed to collect data on the social dynamics of gamer networks in virtual worlds. Our essential argument is that joining online clans involves costs and risks, yet the “law-of-the-jungle” nature of the gaming world and the interdependent role structure of most game designs encourage the formation of gaming groups. Players commonly establish clans consisting of individuals from their off-line networks in order to reduce the risk of cooperating with strangers. A typical portrait of careless and vulnerable teenage gamers is found unsound.