Game Dev Midterm

Player Motivation

Understanding this can help you develop games that will fulfill these needs. Game developers should always consider this question so that the components of games that are most attractive to players will be utilized enough to keep the players interested.

Social interaction

It can be a motivating factor for some players. 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

Players would probably prefer to play games in a private place—such as their homes. The idea of this might seem to be the opposite of social interaction. However, players who want to be in this state are still interacting socially with people—but in the privacy of their own physical environments

Competition

Some players enjoy the thrill of competing with other players. Their spirit has been associated with games throughout history— and it forms the basis of the tremendously successful sports industry

Knowledge

Players can be motivated to gain knowledge of particular concepts, processes, and strategies by playing games—although this motivation often is unconscious.

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. An imaginary game world follows its own rules, some of which are less restrictive than those in real life.

Addiction

This can be highly rewarding for players, but it can also make them crave and indulge in continuous play to the point of ignoring other more important areas of their lives.

Game Market

You need to understand the market—the people who play games. You need to understand who your market is to create a compelling game that suits your market’s needs.

Geographics

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

Psychographics

It 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

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

Generation

They 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 as small children—and came of age during the 1950s as the United States' postwar economy boomed. Games with heroes who are clean and cold—but who are not motivated by cynicism or revenge—

Boom Generation (Born 1943–1961)

Members of this generation were small children during the postwar boom. While young, they experienced a relatively safe but confined social climate based on material wellbeing. Games with a social, spiritual, or political message that would be ideal.

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 difficult for younger generations to understand. Games that focuses on an independent, nomadic character who is “on the edge” and takes risks would be ideal.

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. Games involving a lot of communication and cooperation between players would be ideal.

Traditional Story Structure

It is seen as a formula that, when applied correctly, can ensure an audience’s/player’s emotional involvement in a film/game.

Beginning (Act I)

The most interesting stories begin by placing the audience into the action or drama of the story. The backstory and any background events leading up to this moment can be introduced later. The goal is to capture the audience’s attention.

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. There are usually a series of obstacles in this act that the character must overcome.

End (Act III)

The story ends when the problem introduced in Act I has been solved. The character often has to systematically face and remove each obstacle in Act II to reach this resolution.

Premise

It is a summary (consisting of 1-2 sentences or a short paragraph) of the game’s purpose and overall theme, and it often appears on packaging associated with the game. It is intended to intrigue customers, enticing them to purchase the game.

Backstory

It 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 (usually accompanied by a voice-over) at the beginning of the game

Synopsis

It 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

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

Setting

It represents the world that is being explored by the audience, characters, or player. In creating a game story, think of the world in which your characters will live and interact. Think beyond the stereotypes.

Plot

It is more about how the story unfolds rather than what the story is about. It can be part of the game’s story structure— but it can also be dictated by how the game is played.

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

This effective storytelling technique can be accomplished by changing the view while capturing the player’s interest—such as widening the scope of the game by providing more subquests or by introducing new characters or objects that lead the player into other unexplored areas.

Suspension of Disbelief

Your story must somehow cause the players to forget real life and accept the artificial reality you’ve created. This is related to immersion, but it more specifically refers to the players’ acceptance of rules and experiences that might not make sense in the real world.

Realism

It can be used in games to mimic the real world as closely as possible. In this case, players want reality and authenticity. Such stories might include the this in a contemporary real-world setting.

Hero

It is the central character in a single-player game. When you create a hero character, keep in mind that the hero will be the player’s avatar—and the player must identify and bond with this character.

Shadow

It could be the adversary who is responsible for the hero’s problem. Sometimes this character remains hidden until the story’s climax, which can add to the story’s dramatic tension.

Mentor

It is a character who often guides the hero toward some action and often an older advisor character—someone who might have been in the hero’s shoes at one time, who can provide the hero with wisdom learned from that experience of making a similar journey.

Ally

It 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

It blocks the progress of the hero by whatever means necessary—until the hero has proven his or her worth. The guardian character tests the hero.

Trickster

It is a neutral character who enjoys making mischief. These characters can either cause severe damage through their pranks, which can stop the hero from progressing along the journey, but they are more often simply jesters who provide comic relief for the story.

Herald

It facilitates change in the story and provides the hero with direction.

Protagonist

It 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 first-person perspective.

Antagonist

his does not mean that this character is “bad.” They could simply have opposing views—political (liberal vs. conservative), ethical (privacy vs. security), or lifestyle preferences (business vs. family).

Unity of Opposites

It is when the protagonist and antagonist want the exact same things (e.g., love interest, precious stone, or leadership of a clan), they become linked together in the story.

Transformational

It is an anti-hero character who could have been a protagonist. This antagonist receives punishment at the end of the story to satisfy the audience’s need of justice.

Mistaken

They are characters who the audience initially thinks are villains— but they turn out to be innocent. These characters are popular in murder mysteries and crime dramas.

Exaggerated

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

Supporting Characters

They are also known as pivotal characters—exist primarily to prevent the protagonist from walking away. These characters often jump-start the action in the story—sometimes even through carrying out the bidding of the antagonist.

Game Character

They are either player characters or non-player characters (also known as NPCs)

Player Characters & Avatars

They are 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 (NPC)

These 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

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

Character Arc

The process of character growth and development is called the character arc. This consists of several levels and is illustrated through a character’s behavior rather than monologue or dialogue.

Level 1 Intrapersonal

The protagonist is concerned only with his or her own needs and thoughts

Level 2 Interpersonal

The protagonist bonds with another character in a one-on-one relationship. This other character could be a lover, friend, colleague, or family member.

Level 3 Team

The protagonist bonds with a small group of characters who have common interests. These characters could be members of the protagonist’s circle of friends, family, sports team, or activity club.

Level 4 Community

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

Level 5 Humanity

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.