GAME DEV MIDTERM

Player Motivation

Why do people play games? Understanding this can help you develop games that will fulfill these needs

Social Interaction

Although social interaction can take place in the immediate environment (real-life interaction), it can also occur ingame—especially in social games and MMOs.

Physical seclusion

would probably prefer to play games in a private place—such as their homes.

Competition

Some players enjoy the thrill of competing with other players. The competitive spirit has been associated with games throughout history

Knowledge

Players can be motivated to gain knowledge of particular concepts, processes, and strategies by playing game

Mastery

Some players are motivated to master the game itself— demonstrating their ability to dominate the game world and figure out how to become advanced players

Escapism

Players often indicate that they are motivated to play to escape from the ongoing stresses and challenges of real life

Addiction

Unlike the comparatively “passive” entertainment of television and film, games offer players the opportunity to take active roles in the entertainment experience

Game Market

If you plan to develop games, you need to understand the game market—the people who play games

Geographics

relate to the players’ geographic locations, which could include various countries or even regions within those countries

Psychographics

consists of people’s values, attitudes, and lifestyles.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

In 1943, Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Briggs, developed a model to measure personality types

Extrovert (E) vs. Introvert (I)

Energy is more outer or innerdirected.

Sensing (S) vs. Intuitive (N)

Perception is more present or future-oriented.

Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)

Judgment-formation is more objective or subjective

Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)

Approach to the world is more structured or spontaneous.

demographics

players include statistical information such as gender, age, income level, education level, marital status, ethnicity, and religion.

Generations

are considered part of both demographics and psychographics.

Silent Generation (Born 1924 –1943)

Members of this generation experienced the Great Depression and World War II 

Boom Generation (Born 1943–1961)

Members of this generation were small children during the postwar boom.

Generation X (Born 1962–1981) 

Members of this generation were children during the social turmoil of the 1960s and 1970s—and were the targets of an anti-child cultural bias

Millennial Generation (Born 1982–2002)

Members of this generation grew up during the 1982–2000 economic boom— the greatest in history and fueled by high-technology

Traditional Story Structure

Story structure has been the topic for screenwriting classes for decades.

Beginning (Act I):

The most interesting stories begin by placing the audience into the action or drama of the story

Middle (Act II)

The middle of the story focuses on the obstacles that stand in the way of the character’s ability to solve the problem introduced in Act I.

End (Act III)

The story ends when the problem introduced in Act I has been solved.

Premise

high concept is a summary (consisting of 1-2 sentences or a short paragraph) of the game’s purpose and overall theme,

Backstory

provides information that leads up to where the game begins. It usually consists of a short paragraph in the game instruction manual, or it appears as text

synopsis

storyline can also exist throughout the game itself. In this case, the player might be involved in the setting and actions that take place in the game

theme

represents what the story is truly about—even if it’s not shared explicitly with the player. Themes usually relate to a primary obstacle in the story faced by the main character(s).

Setting

backdrop represents the world that is being explored by the audience, characters, or player.

Plot

more about how the story unfolds rather than what the story is about. It is a sequence of events in a story that forces a character to make increasingly difficult decisions, driving the story toward a climactic event and resolution.

Balancing conflict

Dramatic tension in a story is maximized when the player often seems to be on the brink of disaster but is able to escape repeatedly from this situation by just the narrowest of margins

Shifting Focus

Even though players make choices and have apparent freedom while playing the game, players can be drawn back to the main storyline

Suspension of disbelief

your story must somehow cause the players to forget real life and accept the artificial reality you’ve created.

Realism

In contrast to the suspension of disbelief device, can be used in games to mimic the real world as closely as possible.

Hero

archetype is the central character in a single-player game.

Shadow

is an extremely important character— representing the hero’s opposite, often the ultimate evil character in a story

Mentor

is a character who often guides the hero toward some action and often an older advisor character

Ally

is a character who helps the hero progress on the journey and may also assist the hero with tasks that might be difficult or impossible to accomplish alone.

Guardian

blocks the progress of the hero by whatever means necessary—until the hero has proven his or her worth

Trickster

is a neutral character who enjoys making mischief

Herald

facilitates change in the story and provides the hero with direction

Protagonist

is the main character. A single-player game centers around this character and the game’s story is told from this character’s point of view, even if the game is not played in a firstperson perspective

Antagonist

is the opposite of the protagonist. This does not mean that the antagonist is “bad.

Transformational antagonist

is an anti-hero character who could have been a protagonist.

Mistaken antagonists

are characters who the audience initially thinks are villains— but they turn out to be innocent.

Exaggerated antagonists

are those who are larger-thanlife, bizarre, and sometimes even comedic villains who might even dominate the story because they are often more interesting than the protagonist.

Supporting characters

also known as pivotal characters—exist primarily to prevent the protagonist from walking away.

Game characters

are either player characters or non-player characters (also known as NPCs). Sometimes one player can control several player characters (often in a group, such as sports teams or military troops).

Player characters & Avatar

characters or other entities in a game world that are controlled by the players. When a player controls only one character, that character is called an avatar

Non-player characters (NPCs)

are those characters in a game world not controlled by players. Instead, these characters are created and controlled by the game’s artificial intelligence (AI) engine

Character Development Elements

Basic character development in a story involves the relationships among characters and the changes they might undergo throughout a story.

Character triangle

forms a powerful three-way relationship among characters in a story

Character Arc

A protagonist rarely changes during the course of a story—but the character always grows. The process of character growth and development is called the character arc.

Level 1 Intrapersonal

level, the protagonist is concerned only with his or her own needs and thoughts.

Level 2 Interpersonal

level, the protagonist bonds with another character in a one-on-one relationship.

Level 3 Team

level, the protagonist bonds with a small group of characters who have common interests.

Level 4 Community

level, the smaller team becomes part of a larger organized network, which could include a neighborhood, city, school, or company

Level 5 Humanity

level, the protagonist often goes through what Maslow calls self-actualization—spiritual growth that can occur now that the protagonist has achieved comfort, love, and acceptance among a larger community.