A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WINNING AND LOSING

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A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WINNING AND LOSING HOW
PLAYERS DEAL WITH SHAME, GLORY, AND EACH OTHER
GAME LECTURE JONAS HEIDE SMITHSMITH_at_ITU.DK
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AGENDA THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING THE
REALITY OF PLAY WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
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WHAT DO PLAYERS WANT?
1 A Challenge 2 To socialize 3 A dynamic
solitary experience 4 Bragging Rights 5 An
emotional experience 6 To explore 7 To
interact
RICHARD ROUSE
TO WIN?
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HOW DO PLAYERS BEHAVE?
letting the objective guide our behaviour in
the game is the basic transaction we make with
Games
GREG COSTIKYAN
Gamers own thinking about styles of play and
the identities they underwrite are a conflation
of design characteristics and emergent culture of
the context of the MMOG they inhabit, situated
within the myriad of contexts they themselves
encounter with others, with some configurations
of constructs evoked for sense-making in some
social/material contexts, other configurations
evoked in order to explain others. They are
therefore complicated and necessarily messy.
CONSTANCE STEINKUEHLER
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HOW DO PLAYERS BEHAVE?
Game design
Game studies
Rational Player model (Game-centered approach)
Active Player model (Player-centered approach)
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GOALS
OBJECTIVE GOALS
SUBJECTIVE GOALS
Proximate
Ultimate
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AGENDA THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING THE
REALITY OF PLAY WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
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A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR
Champions of Norrath
Fifa 2004
Mashed Drive to Survive
Fully competitive
Semi-cooperative
Fully cooperative
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A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR
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A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR
3 types of test
Player 1 ()... Sådan! Nu ved jeg hvordan man
gør. Det er bare r1 lige så snart I har et våben.
Player 2 (kigger på sin controller) Player 1
Bare den her (viser knap på controller) Player 2
Okay Player 3 Hvad så bruger man det? Player 1
Så bruger man sit våben Player 2 Det synes jeg
ikke fungerer () Player 1 () Player 3 Nå det
virkede meget fint, nå okay Player 1 He. Arrh
come on (ærgerlig, læner hovedet tilbage). Pis.
Jeg glemmer hele tiden det der fucking sving.
Observation of model-contradicting behaviour
Statistical test of relationship between code and
game
Reflections on code function and particular
instances
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Do players want to win? Yes, but fairly
Victory should not be a consequence of
information assymetry
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Magic circles?
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• How do you win and lose?
• Previous research suggests
• Conspicuous self-handicap
• Goal redefinition

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How do you win and lose?
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How do you win and lose? My research supports the
idea that Losers become very frustrated
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SUPERIOR PLAYERS
Nobility handicap
Concrete handicap
Play to win
Visible sacrifice
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How do you win and lose? Rational play is
mitigated by verbal communication.
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But the game contract defines the inter-player
relationship
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• What have we learned?
• Players understand and accept objective goals
• Players seek a level playing field
• Winners may handicap themselves
• Losers may lose interest (or redefine the game
  goals)

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AGENDA THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING THE
REALITY OF PLAY WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
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WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Study the dynamics of goal redefinition Study the
effects of group size Study the effects of
competitiveness (vs. casualness) Study how player
perceptions match player behaviour Study the
effects of gender distribution
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WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Design interesting handicaps for superior
players Design interesting activities for
inferior players
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Thanks for your attention smith_at_itu.dk www.jonass
mith.dk