Meaningful Play and Game Design

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Meaningful Play and Game Design
Assigned readings Chapters 3 4 (Rules of Play
Book)

• Dr. Héctor Muñoz-Avila

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How important is it to play?

• Yes, we play to have fun, but
• By playing games we learn a number of skills

• Social
• Mechanical skills
• Communication skills
• Follow (or break) rules
• We learn that there is something at play
• Direct winning a game
• Direct/indirect reward or impress someone

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Meaning and Play

• Key goal of successful game design
• Examples of meaningful play

Create gaming experience of the player that have
a meaning and are meaningful (meaningful play)

• Chess intellectual dueling
• Basketball Improvisational, team-based tactics
• Everquest dynamic shifting of individual and
  community identities

What makes a game meaningful are not the rules of
the game alone but the experiences of players
playing the game
(this is why iterative design is so crucial in
designing a game)
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Descriptive Definition of Meaningful Play

• Descriptive
• meaningful play emerges from the relation between
  player action and system outcome
• Player action ? System responds
• Meaning of an action is the relation between
  action and outcome
• Is there meaningful play in something like this?

Of course, we execute our moves/combos with an
intended outcome This definition reflects an
operational level
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Evaluative Definition of Meaningful Play

• Evaluative
• Meaningful play occurs when relation between
  actions and outcomes are discernable and
  integrated into the larger context of the game
• This definition relates to the experience of the
  player
• Therefore the evaluative definition is the one we
  use in our analysis

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Discernable

• The outcome of an action is communicated in a
  perceivable way.
• Good examples?
• Where the outcome was communicated
• Bad examples?
• Where the outcome was not communicated and should
  have

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Integrated

• Actions taken by player have not only immediate
  significance but affects player experience later
  on.
• Good examples?
• Where the outcome has significance later on
• How about chess?
• Bad examples?
• Where the outcome has significance no later on

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Side Track Massive Multiplayer Online RPGs (MMOs)

• Persistent world
• RPG players take role
• Priest heal other players
• Warrior draws attention of the MOB towards
  him/her
• Mage deal damage
• dude wut is ur DPS?
• (as many as 20 other roles in modern games)
• Character advances levels and gains new skills
  that facilitates its role
• Fundamental that each player master their
  avatars role to defeat some encounters
• 20/40 avatars carefully following a plan

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So What is Discernable and Integrated in MMOs?

• Discernable
• Integrated

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Homework (next class)

• Describe a concrete example of a discernable
  outcome in an action (choose a game)
• Describe a concrete example of an action not
  having discernable outcome (choose a game)
• Explain what you think is the impact on play
  (i.e., players experience) for this game? (i.e.,
  is it bad?)
• Describe a concrete example of an integrated
  outcome in an action (choose a game)
• Describe a concrete example of a in an action not
  having an integrated outcome (choose a game)
• Explain what you think is the impact on play for
  this game?
• Please dont use any of the examples discussed in
  class
• You may use different games in your answers

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Design

• As with game there are multiple definitions of
  what this means
• Design is making sense of things
• Devising courses of action aimed at changing
  existing situations (Herbert Simon)
• The conception of visual form
• So there are multiple elements understanding,
  action, visual appearance,

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Design A Definition (the official)

• Design is a process by which a designer creates a
  context to be encountered by a participant from
  which meaning emerges
• Designer person who creates the game
• Context rules, spaces, objects, narratives
  (lore)
• Participants players
• Meaning meaningful play
• Crucial point of this definition connect design
  and meaningful play
• When creating games we are crafting experiences
• Classical example RPG games

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Controversy Morrowind

• Design decision
• Monsters level as you level
• So monster encountered later in the game is
  tougher than same monster encountered early in
  the game
• In fact you can beat the game at very low level!
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vBP4c0Q1KUs0
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vzh_GgZ_2Hkgfeature
  PlayListp6381B248E5BDBC5Bplaynext1index19
• Paradox can beat at level 20 but not at level
  40

Is the outcome of actions integrated?
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Design and Meaning

• Meaning in context of game design assess the
  value or significance of play
• Meaning is crucial because the design results in
  a system of interactions

people
object
meaning
context
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Semiotics

• The study of how meanings are made
• Created by a linguist Ferdinand de Saussure
  (early 1900s)
• Example symbols in rock-paper-scissors
• Another examples classes in a game (mage,
  warrior)
• What does a mage represents? And a warrior?
• Four semiotic concepts
• Sign represents something other than itself
• Signs are interpreted
• Meaning results when a sign is interpreted
• Context shape interpretation

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Sign represents something other than itself

• What is the meaning of O in Tic-Tac-Toe?
• Games use signs to denote actions and outcome
  (capturing an opponents piece/falling king in
  chess)
• Chains of signifiers sequences of signs
• Examples?

• Words (sequences of characters)
• Civilization signifies society evolution

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Signs are interpreted

• Meaning of signs are not because of the signs
  themselves but because of surrounding context
• Players are active interpreters of signs in games
  
• Analogy cursor changes in RTS games

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Meaning results when a sign is interpreted

• A sign stands for something to somebody in some
  aspect or capacity
• Think of the role of a warrior or a mage in an
  MMO game
• And perceived meaning is controversial (designer
  versus some players)
• Paladins in WOW clerics or holy warriors?

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Context shape interpretation

• Designer creates a context for the participant
  form which meaning emerges
• Classical example word in a phrase
• Structure set of regulations or guidelines that
  prescribe how signs are interpreted (example)

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Side Track Lore Designing ContextPay for a
License or Not
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Administrative

• Game creation Posted on web site
• Analysis of existing game design Posted on web
  site