What is an Ontology?

An ontology for a domain is the explicit formal specification of the terms in the domain and relations among them.

What is an Ontology ...

Defines a common vocabulary for a group of professionals who need to share information in a given domain.Includes machine-interpretable definitions of basic concepts in the domain and relations among them.

Share a Common Understanding

Several different Web sites contain medical information or provide medical e-commerce services.

They share the same underlying ontology.Enables computer agents to extract and aggregate information from different sites.

Common Digital Entertainment ontology.Medium for discussing and sharing ideas among designers.Foundation for analysis and critiquing.

Enable Reuse of Domain Knowledge

Notions of TimeTime intervalsPoints in timeRelative measures of time.

Notions of SpaceSpatial relationsNavigation around obstacles.

EmotionsApplicable over a broad range of applications.

Make Domain Assumptions Explicit

Makes it easier to change underlying domain assumptions.

Hard coding assumptions about the world makes it hard to

Find and understand assumptionsChange assumptions

Explicit specifications are useful for new users who must learn what terms in the domain mean.

Separate Domain from Operational Knowledge

Describe a task of configuring a product from components according to a required specification.Develop a program that is independent of the specific products and components themselves

Same program can configurePCsElevatorsVideo Game Consoles

Submitted Aug 8, 2006:Ontologist

Enterra Solutions, LLCImmediate Need

Office Sites: Yardley, PA (outside Philadelphia) and Vienna, VA

Job Description:1. Metadata development, semantic analysis, ontology development, knowledge engineering, and relevance algorithm application to the classification and automation of governance and policy directives.2. Work closely with technical team of intelligence analysts and software developers and assist in the design and development of automation solutions in J2EE enterprise architecture platforms.3. Work closely with subject matter experts, provide liaison and guidance in decomposing and classifying governance and policy directives.4. Research and identify latest semantic web technologies, artificial intelligence, taxonomies, mappings, and related abstraction and adaptive systems to enhance and advance Enterra’s offerings.5. Self-directed and motivated to work independently within matrix organization6. Will be required to get security clearance.

Required Skills:1. 5 to 7 years combined experience with ontologies, knowledge management, library sciences, or rule based artificial intelligence systems. 2. MS degree (PhD a plus) in computer science, information sciences, library sciences, or related language analytics fields.3. Experience working with software development teams, familiarity with software development life cycles.4. Experience working with web technologies (J2EE, .NET) and XML-based tools and techniques.5. Experience in design and implementation of semantic and/or metadata enabled web solutions.Preferred or Desired Skills:1. Experience with web ontology standards such as OWL, RDF, DAML, Semantic Web, etc.2. Experience with inference tools such as RACER, Pellet, etc.3. Familiarity with latest search engine technologies and information abstraction techniques.

Must be both eligible and willing to allow Enterra to apply for US Secret Clearance due to work in federal sector. Therefore, US Citizenship required.Comprehensive background check including criminal, professional and educational will be conducted prior to employment. Salary and Terms:Full TimeCompany Website:http://www.enterrasolutions.comPlease send resumes to dmcauliffe@enterrasolutions.comDenise McAuliffe – Director of Human ResourcesEnterra Solutions, LLC1040 Stony Hill Road, Suite 100YardleyPennsylvania 19067215-497-3100215-497-3114dmcauliffe@enterrasolutions.com

About Enterra Solutions Enterra Solutions, at www.enterrasolutions.com, is the leader in Enterprise Resilience Management™ – a new enterprise architecture that enables public- and private-sector organizations to respond to the stressors that result from globalization, rapid technological change, terrorism, natural disasters, and other 21st century challenges. Enterra's proprietary Enterprise Resilience Management Solutions ™ (ERMS ™) consists of a best-practices methodology and technology solution that automates rules sets and integrates security, compliance, and business process optimization into a single function, and provides a platform that translates the organization into a Resilient Enterprise ™.

Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies EstablishesThe “Institute for Advanced Technologies in Global

Resilience”

YARDLEY, Pa. and OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (September 7, 2006) – Enterra Solutions, LLC, and the Oak Ridge Center for Advanced Studies (ORCAS) announced today that Enterra CEO Stephen F. DeAngelis will help establish a new Institute for Advanced Technologies in Global Resilience.

"I am excited about the possibilities this represents," DeAngelis said. "This Institute will provide an exciting venue for scientists and academics to explore how to make the world more resilient in the age of globalization. In one location, leading chemical, nuclear, biological, information technologists, political scientists and business people will come together to explore approaches to critical issues facing the world."

Knowledge Media Institute (http://kmi.open.ac.uk)

“KMi employs 70 people, a mix of researchers, technologists, designers and administrative staff. We are in a phase of rapid expansion, and as a result job opportunities arise frequently.”

“Our research is aligned with a number of broad strategic threads, currently Narrative Hypermedia, Knowledge Management, Social Software, New Media Systems and Semantic Web and Knowledge Services.”

The Open University's Knowledge Media Institute has an opening for a Research Fellow to undertake research in the area of semantic web and Grid services - applying semantic web technology to support the management of web and Grid services. This work takes place within the context of our EU-funded project Living Human Digital Library (LHDL) which will create the technical infrastructure for the Living Human project (see http://www.tecno.ior.it/VRLAB/LHP/). Applicants should have experience in developing symbolic AI systems. Additionally knowledge of the Web Services Modelling Ontology (WSMO - see http://www.wsmo.org), our semantic web services platform IRS-III, our knowledge modelling language OCML (see http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/ocml), web services, Lisp and/or Java would also be useful.

The Open University's Knowledge Media Institute has two openings for Research Fellows to undertake research in applying semantic web services to eLearning. This work takes place within the context of our EU-funded project LUISA. Applicants should have experience in developing symbolic AI systems. Additionally knowledge of the Web Services Modelling Ontology (WSMO - see http://www.wsmo.org), our semantic web services platform IRS-III, our knowledge modelling language OCML (see http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/ocml), web services, Lisp and/or Java would also be useful.

The Open University's Knowledge Media Institute has an openings for a Research Fellow to undertake research in the area of coupling semantic web services to business process models - using semantic web and web services technology to support the management of processes within and between organisations. This work takes place within the context of our EU-funded Integrated Project SUPER (see http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/super). Applicants should have experience in developing symbolic AI systems. Additionally knowledge of the Web Services Modelling Ontology (WSMO - see http://www.wsmo.org), our semantic web services platform IRS-III, our knowledge modelling language OCML (see http://kmi.open.ac.uk/projects/ocml), web services, Lisp and/or Java would also be useful.

PhD Scholarships at the IT University of Copenhagen (http://www1.itu.dk/sw49645.asp)

The IT University of Copenhagen (ITU) invites applicants for a number of PhD scholarships starting in the beginning of 2007. This is an open call, but applicants are expected to relate their project proposals to one of the topics stated below. …Center for Computer Games Research (http://game.itu.dk/): The Critical Study of Games (game aesthetics, game ontology, game culture, gameplay, players & player communities), and Game Design and Development (game design theory, games and HCI/play testing, and game software development).…

Description Logic

Description Logic

Family Ontology

o.1 Man := (hasGender = 1) ∩ (hasGender з Male)o.2 Woman := (hasGender = 1) ∩ (hasGender з Female)o.3 (hasChild)-1 = hasParento.4 Person := Man U Womano.5 Parent := Person ∩ (hasChild ≥ 1)o.6 Father := Parent ∩ Mano.7 Mother := Parent ∩ Woman

Family Ontology Relations

Relations:hasGender(Person,String)hasParent(Person,Person)hasChild(Person,Person)hasConsort(Person,Person)

Rule:r.1 hasParent(?x1, ?x2) Λ hasConsort(?x2, ?x3)

=> hasParent(?x1, ?x3)

Family Ontology Example

Person Instances: m1, f1, f2

Relation Instances: hasGender(m1, Male) hasChild(m1, f2) hasGender(f1,

Female) hasConsort(m1, f1)

Conclude: Mother(f1)

Family Ontology Example

d.1 hasGender(f1, Female) Woman(f1) [o.2]d.2 Woman(f1) Person(f1) [o.4]d.3 hasChild(m1, m2) hasParent(m2, m1) [o.3]

d.4 hasParent(m2, m1) Λ hasConsort(m1, f1) hasParent(m2, f1) [r.1]

d.5 hasParent(m2, f1) hasChild(f1, m2) [o.3]d.6 Person(f1) Λ hasChild(f1, m2) Parent(f1) [o.5]d.7 Parent(f1) Λ Woman(f1) Mother(f1) [o.7]

Family Ontology Example

Steps d.1 – d.3 performed by description logic ontology reasoner.Step d.4 performed by deductive rule engine.d.5 – d.7 performed by the ontology reasoner using the necessary relation instance concluded by the deductive rule engine in d.4.Neither ontology reasoner nor deductive rule engine alone is sufficient.

Game Ontology Project

Michael Mateas et al, Georgia TechIdentify the important ”parts” of games.

RulesPlayer activitiesPresentation and inputPlayer goalsEntitities in the game worldEtc.

Identify relations between the parts.

Game Ontology Project

Capture the discrete decisions that must be made in a game design.Describe how effects of decisions propagate throughout rest of design.

Via constraints and tradeoffs between elements.

Show how various elements contribute to the overall design.

Important for game analysis.Help clarify design choices.

Important to game designer.

Top Level Elements

InterfaceMapping between the embodied reactions of the player and the manipulation of game entities.

RulesConstrain what can and can’t be done in a game.Determine the basic interactions that can take place within the game.

GoalsObjectives or conditions that define success in the game.

Top Level Elements

EntitiesObjects in the game that the player

ManagesModifiesInteracts with at some level

Entity manipulationAlteration of the game made by player or in-game entity.Actions or verbs that can be performed by the player or in-game entity.

Ontology Entries

NameDescriptionParent

Captures the notion of a subtypeChild elements are more specific or specialized conepts than the parent

ChildPart elements

Elements related by the part-of relationCaptures the notion of compound elements

Strong ExamplesWeak Examples

Ontology Extracts

Presentation     Cardinality of gameworld        1-Dimensional gameworld        2-Dimensional gameworld      Presentation hardware       Audio display hardware       Haptic display        Visual display hardware           Video monitor           VR goggles

Ontology ExtractsRules   Rules Synergies      Dominant Strategy      Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment   Gameplay Rules      Cardinality of Gamepay        0-Dimension Gameplay        1-Dimensional Gameplay        2-Dimensional Gameplay      Game Ends        Evaluation of Ending        Resource Exhaustion

Cardinality of GameworldCardinality of gameworld

Many games are spatially-based in the sense that a player must interact with a game world that is defined and presented as having spatial properties. Usually, this means that a player is granted a view of a world that affords its perception as a 2 or 3 dimensional place. For example, if playing a game of chess, the player may be afforded a 2 dimensional representation of a chess board versus a 3D representation where the board is viewed at an angle and the chess pieces are rendered in 3D. For the former case, the game world's cardinality of space is 2D while the latter is 3D.

In other cases, while the player may have the perception of a world, the actual dimensions of this may be unclear or undefined. This is commonly seen in text-based adventure games where the locations that the character visits may not follow normal rules of logic. For example, typing "North" to exit a location and then typing "South" may not lead the character back to the original location despite the logical assumption that moving "North" is the inverse to "South."

Cardinality of GameworldAlso, in many games there is certain confusion caused by changes in representation between levels or episodes of the game. In fact, the mere existence of various levels makes this distinction more confusing. In a game such as Donkey Kong, where there are 3 distinct 2D levels, do we consider each level a place that is connected to the previous ones? Would that make Donkey Kong's game world 3D? For simplicity, we refer to the cardinality of space in terms of what is represented in a level or episode. Thus, for the case of Donkey Kong, we would maintain that it takes place in a 2D game world.

We note that the cardinality of space refers to the perception of the game world by the player and not to the actual degrees of freedom the player is allowed within the game world. To account for this, please refer to Cardinality of Gameplay.

See also   Cardinality of Gameplay

Parents: Presentation Children: 1-Dimensional gameworld , 2-Dimensional gameworld , 3-Dimensional gameworld , Undefined gameworld cardinality

2-Dimensional Gameworld

2-Dimensional gameworld

2-Dimensional game worlds, as the name implies, are spaces that have 2 degrees of freedom. Without getting into any of the specific mathematics, we can think of them as spaces that have length and width (or width and height) but lack depth. Most older video games have 2-dimensional game worlds. A few examples of these include Pac-Man, Tetris and Asteroids.

See also   Cardinality of Gameplay

Parents: Cardinality of gameworld

Cardinality of Gameplay

Cardinality of Gamepay

The cardinality of gameplay refers to the degrees of freedom the player has with respects to movement (or the control of movement) in a certain game. For example, the player may control a character that moves left and right or have to place tokens on a 2-dimensional board. Other games, allow the player to control movement in 3 dimensions.

It is important to note that the cardinality of gameplay is related, but not necessarily the same as the cardinality of the gameworld. For example, while the classic game of Monopoly is played on a two-dimensional board, the players tokens are limited to move along one dimension and always in the same direction. In this example, the cardinality of gameplay is 1D.

Cardinality of Gameplay

We also note that the cardinality is only with respect to the movement the player can perform and this is independent of other actions, or that the effects of those actions may occur in some other dimension. For example, in Space Invaders the player controls a ship that can move from left to right along the bottom of the screen. The players ship can also fire shots that travel upwards along the screen. In this case, the cardinality of gameplay is 1D, despite the fact that the gameworld is 2D and that the players shotshave effects outside of the limits of the players movements.

Parents: Gameplay Rules Children: 0-Dimension Gameplay , 1-Dimensional Gameplay , 2-Dimensional Gameplay , 3-Dimensional Gameplay , Undefined Cardinality of Gameplay

1-Dimensional Gameplay1-Dimensional Gameplay

Games that have a cardinality of gameplay that is 1D restrict movement to only one axis. This means that movement can only be controlled in one direction and the exact opposite of the direction. For example, up/down or left/right.

Strong Example:In Space Invaders, the player controls a ship that can move from left to right across the bottom of the screen. The objective is to fire at the enemy invaders that are slowly moving downwards.

Strong Example:In Pong, the player controls a raquet that moves vertically across the side of the screen. The object of the game is to position the raquet so that the ball hits it.

Parents: Cardinality of Gamepay

Application of Ontology Concepts

Space Invaders2-Dimensional Gameworld

Invaders march across the screen from left to right and down towards players

1-Dimensional GameplayPlayer can only move his spaceship from side to side.

Describing GamesAn Interaction-Centric Structural Framework

Staffan BjörkInteractive Institute (http://w3.tii.se)

Jussi HolopainenHead of Games Design Group - Nokia Research Center (http://research.nokia.com)

Two Tiered Approach

Describe the components that together make a game.

Component Framework

Create a high level language for talking about the design of interaction within a game.

Game design patterns (www.gamedesignpatterns.org)Descriptions of patterns of interaction relevant to game play.Use concepts provided by component framework.

Design Patterns

“Each pattern describes a problem which occurs over and over again in our environment, and then describes the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice.”Alexander, C. et al. (1977): A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction.

Oxford University Press.

Game Design Patterns: a definition

“Game design patterns are general descriptions of interaction which occur in games. The patterns are semi-formalized interrelated tools that can be applied in situations to generate context-dependent solutions. Game design patterns are usually identified from existing games where the interaction pattern may or may not have been intentionally promoted by the game designers.”

(Björk, 2003-05-13)

Game design patterns I

A method for talking about games in order to:

Describe themAnalyze themCompare themCreate them

Based on design patterns

Game design patterns IIA way to describe design choices (or emergent features) that reoccur in many games

Offers possible explanations to why these design choices have been made

A guide to how to make similar design choices in game projectsWhat is required to make the pattern emergeWhat consequences can the pattern have on game play?

MotivationNeed a vocabulary for talking about gamesNeed to discuss and do game designs in a structured fashionProvide a tool for, especially experimental, game design

Game Design Patterns III

Semi interdependent descriptions of commonly reoccurring parts of the design of a game that concern gameplay.

Component FrameworkAn activity-based model of game interaction

Fundamental feature of games is making changes in quantitative game states.Describe games in terms of activities players perform.

Provides concepts for talking about the first order of game design.

Includes many of the traditional concepts used to describe gamesPlayer, rule, goal, etc.Physical and logical components that make game play possible.

Basic components then be used to describe second order concepts.

Game design patterns.Lays out the details of how games are constructed

Describe, analyze and compare gamesGame state

Playing the game is making changes in the game state!

Component Framework

Component Categories

Reflect four basic ways of viewing the activity of playing a game.

HolisticDetermine how the activity of playing the game is divided

BoundaryLimit the player activities by allowing certain actions and making some activities more rewarding

TemporalDescribe the flow of the game play and define the changes in the game state

StructuralDefine the parts of the game which are manipulated by the players and the game system

Holistic – Game Instance

The components, actions, and events that describe the specific play of a single game.

SetupAll the actions of participating playersEnding the gameDetermination of the final outcomeAny activities required to restore the game state before the next setup.

Game stays the same, but every instance is unique.

Game Instance Examples

Game instance of chess includesPlayersGame boardsPiecesMoves of both players

Game instance of AsteroidsStarts when players insert coins and select number of playersContinues until all players have run out of livesIf they played well they get to choose a handle and their score is displayed on the high score list.

Game instance of MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game, e.g., Ultima Online)

Includes entire history of that persistent world.From initiation of the server to final server shutdown.

Holistic – Game Session

Complete activity of a single playerFrom start of actual gameplay to last actions considered part of the game.E.g., a single game instance of chess consists of two game sessions

One for each player.

Not so interesting in a game with only one player. Very interesting for MMORPGs

Players start playing the game independently of each other.Specific player sessions may never overlap at all.

Holistic – Play Session

Applies to individual player.Time actually spent playing might be divided into several different occasions.Each occasion called a play session.A game session consists of one or more play sessions.

Holistic – Setup Session

Could be very simple.Choose color of a car in a rally game.

Provide players with ways to determine their play experience.

Set personal goals.Insert player’s own material into the game.

Setting mutators in Unreal Tournament.Choosing and modifying characters in MMORPGs.

Holistic – Set-Down Session

Usually uninteresting from a game experience perspective.However, can allow the individual to do administrative or planning activities.

Compare current game instance with previous instances.

Essential in games that can’t be won.Measure success relative to other game instances.

Raising or gaining skills in RPGs.

Boundary Components

Rules: dictate how everything works!Modes of Play: states where the player can perform different actions.Goals and subgoals: motivation for playing the game in certain ways. Game states that the players should try to achieve.

Limit the player activities by allowing certain actions and making some activities more rewarding.

Rules - Example

Europa Universalis II real-time strategy game.Describe dependency between a country’s

Leaders, provinces, research, international status, religion, and military forces.

Describe trade, vassals, loans, and alliances between countries.Tutorial supplies basic concepts and fundamental relationships but

Players must learn the detailed rules unaided.Game mastery heavily depends on understanding what the rules are and how to take advantage of them.

Rules Example

Nomic is a game based on changing rules. (http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/nomic.htm)

Peter Suber, Professor of Philosphy, Earlham CollegeChanging the rules is a move.

The Initial Set of rules does little more than regulate the rule-changing process.

Goal is eitherGet 100 points.Prove that gameplay can’t continue due to two contradictory rules.

Intended to illustrate and embody the thesis of his book, The Paradox of Self-Amendment, that a legal "rule of change" such as a constitutional amendment clause may apply to itself and authorize its own amendment.

Temporal Components

Actions: what the player can doEvents: what are the game state changesClosures: meaningful game state changesEnd conditions: determine changes of mode of play and closuresEvaluation functions: determine the outcome of an end condition

Describe the flow of the game play and define the changes in the game state

Structural Components

Interface: provides players information about the game state and possible actionsGame Elements: components that contain the game statePlayers: entities that try to achieve their own goals within the gameGame Facilitator: synchronizes the game state

Define the parts of the game which are manipulated by the players and the game system

Examples of Game Design Patterns

ExamplesPower-UpsBoss MonsterPaper-Rock-ScissorCut Scenes

Role ReversalParallel LivesOrthogonal Unit DifferentiationStimulated Social Interaction

Characteristics of Game Design Patterns

Three main characteristicsRecurring game mechanics or elements of interaction in gamesSemi-formal inter-dependent descriptionsCan be intentional or emergent in game designs

No canonical definitionMany are possible

Not only a collection of patternsThe methods in which they can be used

Pattern template

NameDescription

Core DefinitionGeneral DescriptionExamples

Using the patternConsequencesRelationsReferences

Based on the component framework (game sessions, rules, players, actions, closures, information structures, control structures, etc.)

Pattern template, cont.

NamePreferable short, specific, and idiomatic

DescriptionConcise description of the patternDescription of how it affects the structural framework (if it does)Examples of games in which the pattern is found

Pattern template, cont.

ConsequencesWhat effects the game pattern has on game playWhat superior patterns the pattern supportsPotentially conflicting patterns and why

Using the patternWhat components from the structural framework are required to use the patternSubpatterns that can be used to instantiate the patternCommon choices a designer is faced with when trying to apply a pattern

Pattern template, cont.

RelationsX Instantiates Y (Y is instantiated by X)

the presence of X causes the presence of Y.E.g., the effects on gameplay of Dice automatically introduces the effects of Randomness.

X Modulates Y (Y is modulated by X)X affects aspects of Y in a way that influences gameplay.X fine tunes YE.g., Privelaged Movement modulates Movement.

Potentially conflicting patternsE.g., Competition and Cooperation

ReferencesGames exemplifying the patternPatents

Example pattern - Producer-Consumer

NameProducer-Consumer

DescriptionThe production of resource by one game element that is consumed by another game element or game event.Producer-Consumer determines the lifetime of game elements, usually resources, and thus governs the flow of the game play.Games usually have several overlapping and interconnected Producer-Consumers governing the flow of available game elements, especially resources. As resources are used to determine the possible player actions these Producer-Consumer networks also determine the actual flow of the game play. Producer-Consumers can operate recursively, i.e. one Producer-Consumer might determine the life time of another Producer-Consumer. Producer-Consumers are often chained together to form more complex networks of resource flows.

Producer-ConsumerExample: in Civilization the units are produced in cities and consumed in battles against enemy units and cities. This kind of a Producer-Consumer is also used in almost all real-time strategy games.Example: in Asteroids the rocks are produced at the start of each level and are consumed by the player shooting at them. The same principle applies to many other games where the level progression is based on eliminating, i.e. consuming, other game elements: the pills in Pac-Man, free space in Qix, and the aliens in Space Invaders.

Producer-ConsumerUsing the patternAs the name implies, Producer-Consumer is a compound pattern of Producer

and Consumer and as such this pattern governs how both of these are instantiated. The effect of producing and consuming Resources or Units often turns out to be several different pairs of Producer-Consumers as the produced game element can be consumed in many different ways. For example, the Units in real-time strategy game such as the Age of Empires series can be eliminated in direct combat with enemy Units, when bombarded by indirect fire, and finally when their supply points are exhausted. The Producer-Consumer in this case consists of the Producer of the Units with three different Consumers.

Producer-Consumers are often, especially in Resource Management games, chained together with Converters and sometimes Containers. These chains can in turn be used to create more complex networks. The Converter is used as the Consumer in the first Producer-Consumer and as the Producer in the second. In other words, the Converter takes the resources produced by the first Producer and converts them to the resources produced by the second Producer.

This kind of Producer-Consumer chains sometimes have a Container attached to the Converter to stockpile produced Resources. For example, in real-time strategy game StarCraft something is produced and taken to the converter and then converted to something else and stockpiled somewhere. Investments can be seen as Converters that are used to convert Resources into other forms of Resources, possibly abstract ones.

Producer-ConsumerConsequencesAs is the case with the main subpatterns Producer and Consumer

of Producer-Consumer, the pattern is quite abstract but the effects on the flow of the game are very concrete. The Producer-Consumers simply govern the whole flow of the game from games with a single Producer-Consumer to games with complex and many layered networks of Producer-Consumers.

The feeling of player control is increased if players are able to manipulate either the Producer or the Consumer part or both. However, in more complex Producer-Consumer chains this can lead to situations where players lose Illusions of Influence as the effects of individual actions can become almost impossible to track down and the process no longer has Predictable Consequences. Also, adding new Producer-Consumers that the players have control over gives them opportunities for more Varied Gameplay. Producer-Consumer networks with Converters and Containers are used in Resource Management games to accomplish the Right Level of Complexity. The game usually starts with simple Producer-Consumers and as the game progresses new Producer-Consumers are added to the network to increase the complexity.

Producer-Consumer

RelationsInstantiates: Varied Gameplay, Resource

ManagementModulates: Resources, Right Level of

Complexity, Investments, UnitsInstantiated by: Producers, Consumers,

ConvertersModulated by: ContainerPotentially Conflicting with: Illusions of

Influence, Predictable Consequences

Example pattern – Boss Monsters

NameBoss Monsters

DescriptionA more powerful enemy the players have to overcome to reach certain goals in the game.Sometimes defeating the Boss Monster can be a goal in itself, but usually Boss Monsters are used as subgoals in the game and the high-level goal is of another type of goal. Boss Monsters are almost always used to structure the progress of the game.

Boss Monsters

Example: The games in The Legend of Zelda series are almost totally structured around defeating Boss Monsters in order to progress in the game and to reach the high-level goals of the game.

Boss MonstersUsing the patternDefeating the Boss Monster typically uses Eliminate modulated with

some version of Overcome goal patterns. For example, in a tabletop roleplaying game, defeating the evil dragon guarding the princess consists of several rounds of tests of skills and attributes of the players until the dragon is dead. The Boss Monster is used as a subgoal to signify reaching a high-level goal, as is the case in the previous roleplaying example: Eliminating the dragon is a subgoal for Rescuing the princess. It is common for Boss Monsters to have some form of Achilles' Heel that allows players to have an easier way to defeat them.

Boss Monsters are usually an integral part of Narrative Structures and sometimes they are the main motivation for the player to progress in the game. That is why there is a need to carefully consider how to fit the nature, history, abilities, and even the audiovisual representation of the Boss Monsters to the Alternative Reality of the game.

Boss Monsters

ConsequencesBoss Monsters are used to structure the

progress in the Hierarchy of Goals so that Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses occur, and they typically signify the end of Levels. Defeating the Boss Monster creates a more significant closure associated with the progress in the game. The Boss Monster can be used to modulate the Tension in the overall game and is a natural part in the Narrative Structure of the game, as it can be seen as an end climax for a narrative section.

Boss Monsters

RelationsInstantiates: Higher-Level Closures as

Gameplay Progresses, Overcome, Tension

Modulates: Rescue, Levels Instantiated by: Eliminate Modulated by: Achilles' HeelsPotentially Conflicting with: -

What can design patterns be used for?

InspirationProblem-Solving for Game Interaction DesignCreative design toolCommunicating with peersCommunicating with other professions

Note: can be used for any kind of game

Inspiration

Avoid getting stuck in the same thoughtsAvoid missing possible ideasEach pattern is an example of possible interaction in a game

No need to distill ideas from existing games oneself

Can be used for brainstorming

Problem-Solving for Game Interaction Design

Understanding why a design has certain unwanted characteristics

NOT why a game isn’t fun or good!

Give examples of what can be added to a design to achieve a certain effect

Creative Design Tool

Choosing a couple of patterns can be the starting point for a game conceptRefinement can be done by examining and choosing subpatterns, gradually building a more concrete game designCan be used as a support when designing for new mediums and genres

Communicating with Peers

Offer a neutral definition instead of relying on matching subjective understandingsPatterns can be used as concise definitions that make descriptions shorter and more specific

Communicating with other professions

Offer a neutral definition instead of relying on matching subjective understandingsPatterns can be used as concise definitions that make descriptions shorter and more specificAvoid jargon specific to professionDescribe the salient game play elements to non-gamers

The need for a pattern collection

All the previous uses assumed the existence of a pattern collectionRequires less investment to start using any pattern-based methodStarting point for describing new patternsValidate the methods by using the collection and documenting the process

The need for a pattern collection, cont.

Patterns never exist without other patternsThe actual manifestation of a pattern in a game strongly dependent on the other patterns presentNetworks of patterns “create” the game