a practical guide to winning and losing how players deal with shame, glory, and each other

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO WINNING AND

LOSINGHOW PLAYERS DEAL WITH SHAME, GLORY,

AND EACH OTHER

GAME LECTURE

JONAS HEIDE SMITHSMITH@ITU.DK

AGENDA

THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING

THE REALITY OF PLAY

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

WHAT DO PLAYERS WANT?

1: A Challenge2: To socialize

3: A dynamic solitary experience

4: Bragging Rights5: An emotional

experience6: To explore7: To interact

RICHARD ROUSE

TO WIN?

HOW DO PLAYERS BEHAVE?

“[letting] the objective guide our behaviour in the game [is] the basic transaction we make with Games”

“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.”

GREG COSTIKYAN

CONSTANCE STEINKUEHLER

HOW DO PLAYERS BEHAVE?

Rational Player model(Game-

centered approach)

Active Player model(Player-centered

approach)

Game design Game studies

GOALS

Ultimate Proximate

OBJECTIVE GOALS

SUBJECTIVE GOALS

AGENDA

THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING

THE REALITY OF PLAY

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR

Mashed: Drive to Survive

Champions of NorrathFifa 2004

Fully competitive

Semi-cooperative

Fully cooperative

A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR

A STUDY OF PLAYER BEHAVIOUR

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: OkayPlayer 3: Hvad så bruger man det?Player 1: Så bruger man sit våbenPlayer 2: Det synes jeg ikke fungerer ()Player 1: ()Player 3: Nå det virkede meget fint, nå okayPlayer 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 gameReflections on code

function and particular instances

3 types of test

Do players want to win?

Yes, but fairly

Victory should not be a consequence of information

assymetry

Magic circles?

How do you win and lose?

Previous research suggests:

• Conspicuous self-handicap

• Goal redefinition

How do you win and lose?

How do you win and lose?

My research supports the idea that: Losers become

very frustrated

SUPERIOR PLAYERS

Play to win

Nobility handicap

Visible sacrifice

Concrete handicap

How do you win and lose?

Rational play is mitigated by verbal communication.

But the ”game contract” defines the inter-player relationship

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)

AGENDA

THE THEORY OF WINNING AND LOSING

THE REALITY OF PLAY

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

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

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

Design interesting handicaps for superior players

Design interesting activities for inferior players

Thanks for your attention

smith@itu.dkwww.jonassmith.dk