A Design Approach to Game Research going beyond games for entertainment only

1. A Design Approach to Game Researchgoing beyond games for entertainment only Staffan Björk

2. Games have many potential uses

3. Takeaway • Knowing how to create games with specific attributes requires knowing how to create games • Much of that knowledge is independent of the specific attributes

4. Basic facts about IPerG • Three and a half year duration • Budget ~10 M Euro, 6 M€ contribution from commission • Ten partners • Three phases • Started September 1st2004 University of Tampere, Nokia Research SICS, Daydream, Interactive Institute, Gotland University University of Nottingham, BlastTheory Sony Fraunhofer

5. Aims input to infrastructure standard for pervasive games, where the IPerG infrastructure forms the basis for a reference implementation. develop tools to support rapid and commercially viable development of pervasive games. develop pre-competitive demonstrations of innovative pervasive game concepts and genres. develop business models as well as a design and evaluation framework for pervasive games. Success Criteria successful staging of a range of pervasive game prototypes. successful uptake of solution packages for specific industrial segments, including software prototypes, design guidelines and suggestions for business approaches. Wide-spread awareness about IPerG’s activities in relevant European industry. The commercial exploitation of IPerG showcase games. The commercial exploitation of IPerG tools and other software components. IPerG’s objectives

6. Pervasive games • Technology-based perspective • Position-based mobile games • Online-Onstreet Games • Games in an area with a complete virtual / physical mapping • Described through examples • Botfighters • Majestic • Can you see me now?

7. Technologywatch Researchawareness Research Theme Activities Guidelines Tools Infrastructure Evaluations, Software Components Showcase Activities Infrastructure Tools Methods Game Designs Genre Analyses Project structure • Four research themes • Business Models • Design Methodology • Infrastructure • Tools • Several showcases • Crossmedia Games • Socially Adaptable Games • Enhanced Reality Live Role Playing • City as Theatre • Massive Multiplayer Reaching Out • Learning by Experience

8. Project Re-planning Project Re-planning Project Wrap-up 1 15 28 42 Commission Review Commission Review Commission Review Project Kick Off 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 38 38 38 39 40 41 42 42 INFRASTRUCTURE INFRASTRUCTURE INFRASTRUCTURE TOOLS TOOLS TOOLS Tutorials NEW BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS NEW BUSINESS DESIGN & EVAL. DESIGN & EVALUATION DESIGN & EVALUATION SELF-ASSESSMANT & RISK ANALYSIS SELF-ASSESSMANT & RISK ANALYSIS SELF-ASSESSMANT & RISK ANALYSIS -Design guidelines -Tech. guidelines -First prototypes • Second prototypes • Design framework -Social impact report -Solution Packages -Genre design requirements DELIVERABLES: CROSS MEDIA CROSS MEDIA TELLING PERVASIVE GAME STORIES CITY AS THEATER CITY AS THEATER SOCIAL ADAPTABLE SOCIAL ADAPTABLE MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER MASSIVE MULTIPLAYER TRANS-REALITY GAMING LIVE ACTION ROLE PLAY LIVE ACTION ROLE PLAY -Game Prototypes -Play tests -Genre analysis -Game Prototypes -Play tests -Genre design rec. -Game Prototypes -Play tests -Final evaluation report. DELIVERABLES:

9. Iterative Processes • Separates qualities as entertaining from other qualities • Need to look at games with explicit design goals not related to entertainment

10. Types of research • Focus on players • Understanding social interaction between players • Study how players behave during gameplay • Study the meaning of games to players • Focus on gameplay • Understanding game mechanics and player interaction with these • Analyzing games both during gameplay and purely analytically • Exploring new areas of the design space of games

11. Research issues and design concepts • Identify research issues • Based upon earlier research • Based upon identified problems • Based upon user studies • Identify potential design concepts • Based upon research issues • Based upon various design perspectives

12. Case study – Socially Adaptable Games

13. Social Adaptability The ability of a game system to adjust, either actively or passively, to changes in the social environment so that negative effects on gameplay or activities overlapping the current game and play sessions are minimized.

14. Rationale for the showcase • Acknowledge that pervasive games are not played in environments set up for the purpose • Similar problem to developing applications for mobile phones, PDAs, and other pervasive systems

15. Board Games • Augmenting existing board games • Hypothesis that they already have social adaptability • Using existing game removes focus from creating entertainment to maintaining it • Creating original designs • Exploring new parts of the design space of games

16. Steps in Phase 1 • Complete outer loop • identify research issues • create prototypes • evaluate research results • Multiple inner loops • iterative design of prototypes • several prototypes

17. Research issues • Identify core issues • background survey • calm technology, social weight, interruptability, seamfulness, design for ambiguity, player types, • technology survey • atomic gameplay actions • user studies (late) • Analyze core issues • social interaction • functional roles, social roles, modalities, player types, social groups • changes in the magic circle • design experiments • Systemize core issues • guidelines

18. Research issues, cont. • Functional roles • observational, basic, dedicated, unique, supporting, meta • Social roles • banned, outcast, recluse, motivator, negotiator, mediator, helper, violator, dominator, exhibitionist • Atomic gameplay actions • Take OBJECT from POSITION, Place OBJECTS on POSITION, Give OBJECT to PLAYER/NON-PLAYER, Find OBJECT, Perform SKILL BASED ACTION, Randomize, Compute EVALUATION FUNCTION, Select OPTION from SET OF OPTIONS, Order PLAYER to perform TASK

19. Research issues, cont. • Guidelines • support interruptability • allow multiple communication channels • consider ambiguity • design for external events • allow modes of play based on social roles • minimize social weight • analyze intended player groups from several perspectives

20. Design concepts • Create design concepts • Using functional roles, social roles, game design patterns, • Analyze design concepts • Create design briefs • Systemize design concepts • Create design documents

21. Design concepts, cont.

22. a b c d e t f s g r h q i p j o n m l k Design concepts, cont.

23. Implementation • 3 selected design concepts • 2 completed designs • 1 explored from a technology infrastructure perspective • Iterative design process • Low fidelity prototyping

24. Implementation, cont.

25. Implementation, cont.

26. Implementation, cont.

27. Technologywatch Researchawareness Research Theme Activities Guidelines Tools Infrastructure Evaluations, Software Components Showcase Activities Infrastructure Tools Methods Game Designs Genre Analyses Feedback to IPerG • Integration still in progress • evaluations, guidelines, methods, design tools • but direct input to terminology report • Definition of a pervasive game • a game that is ambiguous regarding the spatial, temporal, social or interaction aspects of the game.

28. Socially Adaptable Games: Next step • Identify research issues for next step • User studies • Game concepts • Social roles • Functional roles • Gameplay – Game Design Patterns • Technology • Play modes due to variable level of connectivity • Play modes due to variable levels of gameplay immersion • Sidekick play style • Different types of ambiguity

29. Thank you! Questions? staffan.bjork@tii.se