ThesisPeter Ingham

My Question‘What are the differing levels of player

empathy between stock and player created characters in a non-collaborative single

player console based RPG?’

My ObjectivesWhat elements are necessary to create good empathetic characters Interested in how players forms bonds with avatars in gamesHow differences in player/character empathy impact playing enjoyment

Development TimetableDate Task

07-12-08 Final draft of CW1

14-12-08 Meeting Distribute final questionnaire via web Have CW1 completed and handed in

21-12-08 – 09-02-09 Christmas

Draft of scripto Stock scripto Define character script

Level design sketches Work on dissertation parts that can be completed Work on user testing plan

09-02-09 Meeting Redraft elements of work and continue developing them Work on demo versions of the game

16-02-09 Start prep on Usability tests23-02-09 Meeting

Show draft of usability test02-03-09 Conduct close interviews with a few selected people with two demo versions of

the game Continue to work on dissertation

09-03-09 Meeting Iterative design process to

o Redraft scripto Redesign game elements

Continue to work on dissertation16-03-09 Continue to work on dissertation

Conduct second close interview with updated changes Continue to work on game

23-03-09 Meeting30-03-0906-04-09 Meeting13-04-0920-04-09 Meeting27-04-0904-05-09 Hand in dissertation

Hand in project

What is...Empathy“Empathy is a complex socio-psychological

construct. Defined as “the cognitive awareness of another person’s internal states, that is, his

thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and intentions” [15], empathy enables us to vicariously respond to another via “psychological processes that make a

person have feelings that are more congruent with another’s situation than with his own situation”

[14].” (McQuiggan, 2008)

The user connecting on an emotional level with their avatarBeing able to put themselves in ‘someone else's shoes’

What are...RPGsRPG = Role Playing Game

Evolved from table-top to consoles

Console = Home entertainment systems such asPlaystation 3Xbox 360WiiZX Spectrum

The Great DivideDue to the fact that RPGs fall under a large tent I had to

specify the two ends of the spectrum that I would be focusing on.

Japanese Role-playing games (JRPGs)Predominantly stock charactersStory driven narrativeLinear plot

Western Role-playing games (WRPGs)Predominantly player created characters

Player driven narrativeNon-linear plot

What are...Stock CharactersBy stock character we mean an avatar that has been

created by a writing team that has his or her own look, personality and behavioural attributes.

Example of Stock characters in RPG’s

Squall Leonheart: Final Fantasy VIII (Square, 1998)Kaim Argonar: Lost Odyssey (Mistwalker, 2008)Lloyd Irving: Tales of Symphonia (Tales Studios, 2004)Cloud Strife: Final Fantasy VII (Square, 1997)

What are...Player Created Characters

By a player created character we are referring to an avatar that the player has control of in areas such as:

•Appearance: The way the player looks•Skills: The type of player they are e.g. Mage, Barbarian •Dialogue: Their responses to questions and the direction they take the story in.

Example of Player Created Characters in RPG’s

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda, 2007)Neverwinter Nights 2 (Obsidian Entertainment, 2006)Diablo II (Blizzard Entertainment, 2000)

Why Research this?

General lack of research into how empathy affects enjoymentImportant because games writing is becoming a larger part of the design processCan easily tie in with my practical project

Building my Arguments

To build on my knowledge for the thesis I researched various authors that I came to use in my literature review.

Building my Arguments cont.

Bateman, C. (2007), Game Writing: Narrative skills for videogames. Charles River Media, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Covers the role of a character in terms of narrative and game purposes, archetypal characters and how we can reveal character and personality through actions and events.

“If writers don’t create the character from the character’s emotional level, they won’t get an

emotional response from the player.” (Walsh, 2007)

Building my Arguments cont.

Sheldon, L, E. (2004), Character Development and Storytelling, Thomson, United States

Book covers areas on creating characters in chapters such as ‘respecting characters’, ‘character roles’, ‘character traits’ and ‘character encounters’.

“Emotion lies at the core of all great literature…what touches us…what illuminates a truth a truth about the human condition…is at the heart of what

entertains us.” (Sheldon, 2004)

Building my Arguments cont.

J., Simon (2007), Narrative, Games, and Theory, Gamestudies Vol 7 issue 1 August 2007. Avaible at http://gamestudies.org/0701/articles/simons (Accessed: 21 November 2008)

Conflicting views from theorists that believe that people do not such as Espen Aarseth and Mary-Laure Ryan which provides me with an interesting contrast to my other theorists.

“According to Aarseth (2004), “We might say that, unlike literature, games are not about the Other,

they are about the Self. Games focus on self-mastery and exploration of the external world, not exploration of interpersonal relationships (except

for multiplayer games).” (Simon, 2007)

Building my Arguments cont.

“Moreover, ludologists argue that game players do not identify with their avatars in the gameworld as readers or spectators of a narrative do with the main characters

of a story” (Simon, 2007)

Methodological StagesStage 1 : The Questionnaire

Stage 2: Create the game

Stage 3: The user test

Stage 4: The close interview

Methodologies – Part 1The Questionnaire

Why use a questionnaire?Garner wide range of viewsAllows me to ask many questionsEasy to distribute via WebWill show me the ‘clusters’ gamers fall into

The Questionnaire will focus onThe different ways in which players may empathise with the characters, main and secondaryHow character and story can impact enjoymentGame interfaces and systems e.g. Levelling, classes

RPG Questionnaire

Methodologies – Part 1What it should tell me

Show the clusters that people who have taken the survey fall intoObtain a rough indication of how players feel towards both stock and self created charactersHow character is linked to enjoymentHow game mechanics affect player enjoyment

Methodologies – Part 2The Game

To test my hypothesis I was initially going to test 2 industry released games. However to make sure the practical part worked with my thesis it was decided that I should create my own game.

•2 iterations of the same game•1st with the emphasis on:

•Character driven narrative•Linear story•Little freedom in dialogue•More of a passive story experience akin to JRPGs

Methodologies – Part 2The Game

•2nd with the emphasis on: •Player customisation•Choice in how the story unfolds•Lots of choice in dialogue•More of a active story experience akin to WRPGs

Methodologies – Part 2The Game: How do we craft Empathy?

•Drew on my own experiences, games, books and TV

Methodologies – Part 2The Game: How do we craft Empathy?

Thought about what resonated with meGood characterisationFlaws in characterGrowth

Methodologies – Part 2The Game: Genre Overview

Due to the nature of the question the game that was going to created was of course an RPG

Turn based battle systemHeavy emphasis on dialogue and characterTop down viewPeople should be familiar with it

Methodologies – Part 2The Game: Conveying this in my game

Drew on answers from the questionnaireTried to create relatability in the protagonistMake them vulnerableMake characterisation important

HoweverDifficult task for such a short timeCould result in gaining opinions on what could have been rather than what was

Methodologies – Part 2The Game: Overview

Even though players were going to test a small part of the game it would have been part of a larger game.

Revolved around a government that were poisoning its citizens so they could sell a cure to themProtagonist had to find the ‘resistance’ so they could expose the corruptionMeet new characters and learn more about their friend that was killedGrow from a character that was in some ways weak and indecisive to one that could lead an uprisingUltimately bring down the ‘Corporation’ ‘They all live happily ever after’ as it goes

Methodologies – Part 2The Game World

•Created in RPG Maker XP•Familiar software which made it easy to design for

Methodologies – Part 2The Character Driven Game

•Wrote a script that had an existing relationship with characters•Character had back-story and original character design

Methodologies – Part 2The Player Driven Game

•Character had more choice over dialogue and game direction•Character could choose their own class, appearance etc

Methodologies – Part 2The Player driven game

Methodologies – Part 2Problems Encountered

Some coding issues, but they were easily solved

Graphics took quite a while to make such as sprites and face graphics, although most of the source material was easily obtainable

Minor problems with text being cut-off

Choice box on 2nd game could only hold a few words so there was some ambiguity about the choices people made

Methodologies – Part 3-4User Testing and Close Interview

I plan to implement user testing to:•Focus on the varied spectrum of users revealed in my questionnaire•Ask more in-depth questions relating to character>player empathy

The user test will focus on•The different ways in which players may empathies with the characters, main and secondary•How character can impact enjoyment•The differing levels of empathy towards stock and player created protagonists

See Close interview document

Interpreting Data – Part 1Questionnaire Examples

Questions were focused within the objectives set

The first few questions determined the demographicAgeGenderPlaytime

Interpreting Data – Part 1Questionnaire Examples: Objective 1

Elements necessary for good empathetic characters

13. Would you say that your aesthetic sensibilities control aspects of gameplay such as the type of character you would be? E.g. Rogue, Mage

15.a.Would you say that you have ever been able to relate to a character’s feelings of sadness? E.g. A character has lost something dear to them: person, pet, object

47. In terms of characters, how important are these factors?

Interpreting Data – Part 1Questionnaire Examples: Objective 2

Emotional bonds between player and avatar and how it affects empathy

5. Do you fully follow the Main story missions for RPG’s without delving into sub-plots?

23. What type of character do you prefer to play through a main storyline as?

33. Would you say that you have ever been able to relate to a character’s feeling’s or decisions in an RPG?

Interpreting Data – Part 1Questionnaire Examples: Objective 3

How differences in empathy affect enjoyment

4b. Of the above list, which one do you play the most?

37. Would you say the main story of a game can drive you to keep playing a game until its end?

46. In terms of story, how important are these factors.

Interpreting Data – Part 1Conclusions drawn from Questionnaire

In terms of my 1st objectiveStrong individual characterisationRelatabilityPeople who play RPGs expect well developed charactersThese elements are needed to create a sense of empathy

Interpreting Data – Part 1Conclusions drawn from Questionnaire

In terms of my 2nd objectivePlayers were not affected by how the character is portrayed in terms of looks but more in terms of their actions and dialogueCreate characters that are naturalThe bonds can grow with relatable situations

Interpreting Data – Part 1Conclusions drawn from Questionnaire

In terms of my 3rd objectiveStory and character are main driving points for a persons enjoyment

More so with those who play more JRPGsDifferent genres that people play can affect their empathy towards charactersPeople want well developed characters as they add to enjoyment

Interpreting Data – Part 2Close Interview Question Examples

Did you empathise with any of the playable characters in the 2 game demos?

Yes: Which do you feel was a stronger connection?Why/why not?

No: Why not?

Did you like the genre of the game?A. Yes: Did this add to your enjoyment of the game?b. No: Did this detract from your enjoyment of the game?

Interpreting Data – Part 2Close Interview Question Examples

Do you feel you had an adequate amount of time to form an opinion of the both the games you played?

Which character did you feel most of a response from, if any?

Why?Why not?

Interpreting Data – Part 2Conclusions drawn from Close Interview

People preferred the character driven game more due to the characterisationAn interesting split between empathy for the protagonist in both games and Sabien the NPCMost people felt they had enough time to empathise with the protagonist from the character driven gameHowever some people felt more they needed more time for the player driven onePeople who played RPGs more were more empathetic and in turn enjoyed the game moreThe genre added to some peoples enjoyment but detracted from others

In Conclusion...

People found the character driven game more enjoyable and would have continued playing that compared to the player driven game Empathy from not just he protagonist but from other NPCs added to thisPlayers empathy towards the protagonist drove them to want to keep playing the game even though it was more so in the character driven gamePeople who were familiar with the RPG genre (JRPGs) in particular showed more empathy towards the protagonist

In Retrospect...

The results may have been based on opinions on what could have been in terms of their empathetic response but their enjoyment I believe to be genuineIt depends what the player wants from the game that they are playingMore time was needed to properly assess how character empathy affects enjoyment

Future Implications

Like to see characters and story the same priority as gameplay mechanics as they can bring forth enjoymentMore testing into how empathy affects other genresWould have liked to test more people from different spectrums of the games demographicWould have liked to monitor the candidates for a longer period of time

My ReferencesFocus on character and storyGame Writing Narrative Skills for Videogames - Various AuthorsCharacter Development and Storytelling for Games – L. SheldonGame Story and Character Development – M. Krawczyk, J. NovakNarrative, Games, and Theory – J. Simon (Espen Aarseth & Mary-Laure Ryan)

MethodologyObserving the user experience – M. Kuniasvsky

Enjoyment and design processGame Design Workshop – T. FullertonThe Pleasure of the Playable Text: Towards an Aesthetic Theory of Computer Games – G. Lauteren

Questions?Welcome to come over to my table and ask anything

ThanksAll my tutors over the semesters, especially module leaders for the dissertationPeople who helped in the test periodEveryone for listening

Fin