Models and Metaphors in Game Design
Administrative Updates and Unit Information
Final Journal Reflection Task:
The final journal reflection task has been released in the Week 13 section.
It differs from the previous weekly entries ( to ) and requires a higher level of detail.
Submission Format: Students must submit this in their physical journal. They may handwrite it or, as recommended by the lecturer, type it up, print it, and paste it into the book.
Quality Assessment: Because this task is assessed based on the quality of reflection and refinement, typing is advised to allow for editing.
Drafts: Any draft versions included in the journal should be clearly labeled (e.g., "not the final version") to ensure markers distinguish between drafts and the final submission.
Quiz Marks and Feedback:
Marks are scheduled for release during the current week, likely by tomorrow.
GitHub Confirmation: Approximately out of students have not yet responded to emails regarding GitHub account confirmation. Marks cannot be released for these students until their accounts are verified.
Missing Marks: If an announcement is made and a student cannot see their marks, they are advised to contact the lecturer to check if it relates to the GitHub verification issue.
Acknowledgement of Country and Guest Recognition
Traditional Custodians: The lecture is held on Wollamaduku land. The Wollamadugal people of the Dharug nation are the traditional custodians who have nurtured this land for thousands of years.
Design and Artistry: The Ally lanyards used at Macquarie were designed by Dylan Barnes, an alumnus currently completing a PhD or Masters. Dylan also has artwork displayed in the Arts precinct, accompanied by a video explaining the cultural meaning behind the designs.
Introduction to Models and Metaphors
Definition: In game design, metaphors are used to convey complex information by equating game elements to real-world concepts or cultural norms (e.g., "things are things" rather than just "like things").
Contextual Inference: Visual assets carry baked-in cultural information. For example, a graveyard featuring headstones with crosses allows a player to infer a Catholic or Christian cultural background.
Perspective in Design: Designers must move beyond their own "norm" and recognize that their view of the world is not universal. The core of this unit is designing for the player's perspective, not the designer's personal assumptions.
Metaphor Placement in Game Anatomy: Metaphors function at the Interface level, bridging the gap between the internal game state and the player’s understanding. This relies heavily on pattern recognition.
The 15 Game and Visual Communication
The 15 Game Rules:
A set of nine tiles is numbered through .
Two players alternate taking one tile from the set into their hand.
The first player to have exactly three tiles in their hand that sum to wins.
The Problem of Abstraction: Without a visual guide, this game is cognitively taxing and difficult to track.
The Tic-Tac-Toe Metaphor: The " game" is mathematically identical to Tic-Tac-Toe when mapped onto a magic square grid. When information is presented in a familiar format (like the Tic-Tac-Toe grid), the player's brain processes the strategy almost instantaneously compared to the abstract numerical version.
Natural Mapping and Mental Constructs
Definition: Natural mapping takes ideas previously known to the player and maps them to the concepts a designer wants to communicate. This adapts the game to mental constructs already primed in the human brain.
Spatial Reasoning Examples:
Driving: A racing game using a wheel-shaped controller is intuitive because modern society is conditioned to associate wheels with steering.
Historical Context: Prior to cars, steering might involve rudders or long levers (as in boats or early carts), which would feel counterintuitive to a modern gamer.
Tetris on a Wheel: Even if a player is given a non-standard controller (like a steering wheel for Tetris), they will naturally map certain movements (e.g., turning the wheel to move blocks left/right and using the horn for a "hard drop").
Physics Mapping: Players expect objects to fall when thrown. If a game uses non-standard physics (e.g., zero-gravity or hyper-realistic space physics), the designer must explicitly teach the player to overcome their "warped" earthly understanding of motion to ensure the game doesn't feel "unfair."
Social Interactions: Group dynamics and conversation norms in games are influenced by the player's culture. What is considered a "normal" response in one culture might be interpreted as "rude" in another.
Contextual Reasoning: The Wason Selection Task
Abstract Logic (Rule: If D is on one side, 3 is on the other): To prove this, one must flip the "D" card (to check for a ) and the "7" card (to ensure there is no "D" on the back). Flipping the "3" card is unnecessary. This abstract version is difficult for most people.
Contextualized Logic (Alcohol and Age): When the same logic is applied to a social metaphorical context ("If a person is drinking beer, they must be years old"), it becomes much easier. We instinctively know to check the "beer drinker" and the " year old."
Cultural Assumptions: Our logical deductions are often tied to local laws. In Australia, we assume the threshold is , whereas in the US it is , or Italy where certain types of alcohol (wine) might be permitted at . Designers must account for these demographic assumptions.
Gaming Conventions and Genre Expectations
Visual Cues: Quest-givers are often highlighted or marked with symbols. In the example provided, a cat is highlighted in an otherwise dark scene, signaling its importance through simple powers of deduction.
Architecture: Players distinguish between "important" buildings (interactable) and "facades" (decorative architecture). Making a building look locked or like a facade prevents the player from wasting time trying to enter non-traversable space.
Platformer Physics: Most players have a pre-existing expectation of how jumping and gravity work in a platformer. Deviations from these norms require intentional teaching.
Tutorials and Manuals:
Most players will not read a manual (e.g., Mario games).
Instructions are helpful but should ideally be integrated into a tutorial.
Tutorial Purpose: Tutorials provide a "safe way to fail," allowing players to become familiar with mechanics without high stakes.
Cognitive Dissonance in Games
Definition: Cognitive dissonance occurs when a game element jars with the player's expectations or logic.
Examples of Dissonance:
Invisible Barriers: Being unable to walk through an open-looking space.
Weight Misalignment: In Skyrim, if a character is over-encumbered by two flowers when they can usually carry hundreds, it breaks the established logic of object weight.
Audio Mismatches: A door making a creaky, foreboding sound in a lighthearted game where it doesn't fit the atmosphere.
Social Bugs: An NPC friend acting rudely due to a software bug rather than a narrative choice creates confusing social dissonance.
Affordances (The Barrel Example): Barrels in games have specific "affordances." Players expect they can be smashed, store loot, or be used as platforms. A barrel that is "squishy" or "porous" would cause dissonance.
Art and Narrative as Metaphor
Art Styles: The level of seriousness in a game is communicated through its art style on a triangle of Abstract, Iconic, and Realistic.
Realistic: Far Cry, Apex Legends, Uncharted.
Iconic/Cartoony: Fortnite, Lego, Night in the Woods.
Abstract: Thomas Was Alone, Gris.
Narrative Dissonance: This occurs when the story implies urgency (e.g., "The building is exploding!") but the game mechanics allow the player to stand still indefinitely until they trigger a specific door.
Ethical Dissonance: Some games allow for "gross" or uncomfortable dynamics, such as committing war crimes in military shooters or the treatment of certain NPCs in Grand Theft Auto (GTA). These can cause visceral discomfort when they deviate from the player's personal ethics.
Questions & Discussion
Question (Audience): Regarding the manual for Smash Bros, why did you need to look at it?
Response (Student): To work out how a new character worked because there are so many different ways to interact.
Response (Lecturer): That’s fair for Smash Bros because of its complexity, but for a game like Mario, you expect to just play without a manual. Finding a manual for a game like that is often difficult for players.
Question (Audience): What was the book about everyday design mentioned?
Response (Lecturer): It is The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman (often referred to as Norman Dobson in some contexts). It explains why we use symbols like the floppy disk as a save icon and how doors should indicate push/pull through their design without needing signs.