Enhancing Player Agency in Gender-Inclusive Quest Design for MMORPGs

1. Gender-Inclusive Quest Generation in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing GamesAnne Sullivan University of California, Santa Cruz School of Engineering anne@soe.ucsc.eduhttp://.soe.ucsc.edu/~anne/

2. Overview Research Question Previous/Related Work Current Work Future Work

3. Overview Research Question Previous/Related Work Current Work Future Work

4. Research Question How do we increase player agency with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer games while decreasing authorial burden?

5. Research Question How do we increase player agency with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer games while decreasingauthorial burden?

6. What is player agency? Finding a balance Material affordances available actions Formal affordances reasons for actions

7. Current player agency CRPGs shallow material affordances Table-top RPGs deep material and formal affordances co-authorship

8. Role of Quests In CRPGs players are guided through the story using quests.

9. What is a Quest? Currently in CRPGs: A quest is a story-coated task built around game mechanics.

10. What is a Quest? In Literature: A quest is “a goal-oriented search for something of value.” Jeff Howard in Quests: Design, Theory, and History in Games and Narratives

11. Increasing player agency Strengthening tie between story and quests balances formal and material affordances increasing player agency.

12. Research Question How do we increase player agency, with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer games while decreasingauthorial burden?

13. What is Gender-Inclusive? Designing games for women and men without alienating either

14. What is Gender-Inclusive? Not labeling females who play games now something other than “real women”

15. What is Gender-Inclusive? Not about overhauling game mechanics to make the game more focused on women

16. Gender-Inclusive Allow for multiple play styles regardless of gender

17. Research Question How do we increase player agency, with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer games while decreasingauthorial burden?

18. Why MMOs? Popular already with men and women Some support for multipleplay styles

19. Why MMORPGs? Quest-based structure Quests supported by game mechanics movement killing

20. Why MMORPGs? Quest-based structure Quests supported by game mechanics movement killing social

21. Why MMORPGs? Rich resources for quests logged player info untapped game mechanics

22. Research Question How do we increase player agency, with an eye towards gender-inclusive design, in quest-driven massively multiplayer games while decreasing authorial burden?

23. Authorial burden ~8000 quests in World of Warcraft Star Wars: The Old Republic Over 12 writers for 2+ years

24. Overview Research Question Previous/Related Work Current Work Future Work

25. Previous Work Drama Management Stand-in game designer EMPath – integrated drama management in a real-time game

26. Previous Work Drama Management is about managing an experience based on player history. Quest generation is about creating an experience based on player history.

27. Related Work Quest Patterns NeverWinter Nights C. Onuczko, et. al. Charbitat lock and key quests Calvin Ashmore & Michael Nitsche

28. Proposed Work Generating new style of goal-driven quests informed by player history.

29. Overview Research Question Previous/Related Work Current Work Future Work

30. Proposed Systems Quest Browser offline computer-assisted goal-driven quest authoring Quest Generation online automated player-informed quest generation

31. Progression Create new goal-driven quest style Quest browser improve domain knowledge Quest generation move towards more automation

32. New quest style Move from task-oriented to goal-driven quests

33. Howling Fjord

34. Howling Fjord

35. New quest style Solution should not be the mystery high material / low formal affordances "I want something that will attract attention but have no real importance."

36. New quest style Allow multiple solutions increase: gender-inclusiveness player agency

37. Quest Browser Help designer brainstorm quest solutions Reduces time and effort to achieve multiple solutions

38. QuestBrowser architecture Quest Browser Quest Designer ConceptNet Quest Game

39. ConceptNet ConceptNet is a common-sense knowledgebase represented as a semantic network crowdsourced corpus

40. Link types CapableOf UsedFor MadeOf LocationOf ConceptuallyRelatedTo ThematicKLine SuperThematicKLine

41. Quest Browser underground rock sewer water fungus coal moon mineral hard break edible bioluminescence burn mine ore light satellite affect tide sky location Underground Export link type locationOf objective quest type environment light quantity link type usedFor 5

42. Example Then: Find 5 pieces of coal to light the darkened underground room.

43. Example Now:Light the darkened underground room.

44. ConceptNet underground rock sewer water fungus coal moon mineral hard break edible bioluminescence burn mine ore satellite affect tide sky light

45. ConceptNet underground rock sewer water fungus coal moon mineral hard break edible bioluminescence burn mine ore satellite affect tide sky light

46. ConceptNet underground rock sewer water fungus coal moon mineral hard break edible bioluminescence burn mine ore satellite affect tide sky light

47. ConceptNet underground rock sewer water fungus coal moon mineral hard break edible bioluminescence burn mine ore satellite affect tide sky light

48. Output Collection solution: Collect 5 pieces of coal to burn. Kill solution: Kill grues that collect bioluminescent fungus. Escort solution: Escort priest to safety and be rewarded with a shining moon rock.

49. Leveraging mechanics Future additions Social Class-specific

50. Evaluation Prototyped small experience task-based quest goal-directed quest Looking for improved experience for both players and designers.