Play Styles & Player Needs How Gamer Typology Guides Game Design

1. Play Styles & Player NeedsHow Gamer Typology Guides Game Design Chris Bateman Managing Director International Hobo Ltd International Hobo Ltd provides external games design and dialogue scripting services to the global games industry. Chris has been running the company since 1999, and his games include Ghost Master, Discworld Noir, Bratz: Rock Angelz, Heretic Kingdoms and Play with Fire.

2. What is a Game? • Toy“A tool for entertainment.” • Game“A toy with some degree of performance.”

3. What is a Game? • ToyplayUnorganised stimulation. • GameplayPerformance-oriented stimulation.

4. What is Game Design? • Co-ordinationGame Design is the process of coordinating the evolution of all elements relating to the play of any given game • AdvocacyGame Designers must anticipate and meets the needs of their games’ eventual audience – need strong instincts or an audience model • Game Design = Play DesignTo design a game is to design play. • Great GamesA “great game” meets and then exceeds the play needs of its audience.

5. Audience Models • “All Players Are Like Me”Very limited! • Hardcore versus CasualCrude but better than nothing • Cluster AnalysisDescribe patterns in the audience • Psychological ModelsDetermine player needs, and their capabilities.

6. Without an audience model, we can only guess at the player’s abilities and needs

7. Three Audience Models • Caillois’ Patterns of Play (1958) • Lazzaro’s Four Fun Keys (2004) • ihobo’s DGD1 Model (2004)

8. Part I Play

9. Caillois’ Patterns of Play (1958) • Lazzaro’s Four Fun Keys (2004) • ihobo’s DGD1 Model (2004)

10. What is Play? • Who plays?All people, many animals including mammals, marsupials and birds. • Purpose of Play The act of playing engenders trust, builds social groups, teaches communication and other skills and alleviates stress. • Fair Play & SurvivalAccording to Marc Berkoff, animals that play fair are more likely to survive in the wild. • The Magic CircleA conceptual space in which play occurs, popularised by the work of Johan Huizinga in his book Homo Ludens.

11. Roger Callois (1913-1978) • Who was he?A French intellectual whose idiosyncratic work brought together literary criticism, sociology and philosophy. • Why is he relevant to games?Wrote a book, Les Jeux et Les Hommes (Man, Play & Games) in 1958 which identifies four fundamental patterns of play common in all cultures (follows on from Huizinga).

12. The Four Patterns of Play • AgonGames of competition & conflict • AleaGames of chance and “fate” • MimicryGames of simulation and copying • IlinxGames of vertigo and reckless abandon.

13. Agon (Competition) • Caillois identifies:Races, Sports • Modern examples:FPS games, strategy games etc.

14. Alea (Chance) • Caillois identifies:Betting, Lotteries • Modern examples:Hack & Slash cRPGs, Tetris

15. Mimicry(Simulation) • Caillois identifies:Masks, Disguises, Theatre • Modern examples:Social sims

16. Ilinx (Vertigo) • Caillois identifies:Swinging, Skiing, Mountain climbing • Modern examples:High speed arcade racers, snowboard games

17. Ilinx (Vertigo) • But also…Escapist vandalism – the pleasure of stomping on a sandcastle

18. Play Needs • Play is a basic animal needAlong with food, sleep and sex, play meets basic psychological and social needs. • Most games consist of multiple play patternse.g. agon, mimicry and vertigo are all present in a snowboarding game • Different games meet different play needsA player of The Sims is having different needs met than a player of Gran Turismo, even though both supply mimicry.

19. Part II Emotions

20. Caillois’ Patterns of Play (1958)Agon, Alea, Mimicry & Ilinx • Lazzaro’s Four Fun Keys (2004) • ihobo’s DGD1 Model (2004)

21. Ekman & Lazzaro • Paul EkmanPioneering psychologist who identified and categorised emotions in a cross cultural context. • Facial Action Coding System (FACS)Ekman developed a system for observing emotional response in facial responses. • Nicole LazzaroThe leading expert on emotions in games; used Ekman’s work as the foundation for her studies into the connection between emotions and play. • The Four Fun KeysLazzaro developed a model of player’s emotional responses to play identifying four distinct patterns of fun.

22. The Four Fun Keys • Hard FunFiero (triumph over adversity) • Easy FunCuriosity & Wonder • Serious FunExcitement and relief • People FunAmusement, Schadenfreude & Naches

23. Hard Fun • Triggered from • Challenges • Strategies • Puzzles • Emotions • Anger & Frustration • Fiero • Examples • Halo • Civilization • Shadow of the Colossus

24. Easy Fun • Triggered from • Ambiguity • Incompleteness • Detail • Emotions • Curiosity • Wonder • Examples • Myst • Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas • World of Warcraft

25. Serious Fun • Triggered from • Engagement • Altered states • Internal experience • Emotions • Excitement • Relief • Examples • Tetris • Katamari Damacy • Dance Dance Revolution

26. People Fun • Triggered from • Social Interaction (competitive or co-operative) • Performance • Spectacle • Emotions • Amusement • Schadenfreude • Naches • Examples • Mario Kart • Soul Calibur 2 • EyeToy

27. Playing For Fun • Different Player, Different FunEveryone has different emotional play needs (not everyone prioritises Fiero) • Emotions without StoryThe Four Fun Keys don’t take into account emotions that can be evoked from story – play itself is an emotional experience • Secret of SuccessLazzaro claims most commercially successful games display three out of four of the Fun Keys. • The Importance of ChoiceIf you allow the player some control over their play, they will find what entertains them

28. Part III Skills

29. Caillois’ Patterns of Play (1958)Agon, Alea, Mimicry & Ilinx • Lazzaro’s Four Fun Keys (2004)Hard, Easy, Serious & People Fun • ihobo’s DGD1 Model (2004)

30. Temperament Theory • Oldest Study of PersonalityDates back to 400 B.C. with Hippocrates “Four Humours” • Keirsey-Bates Model (1978) Patterns of behaviour or patterns of emotional response • Four TemperamentsGuardian, Artisan, Rational & Idealist • DGD1 Audience ModelBased upon Myers-Briggs typology; directly relates to Temperament Theory

31. Skill Sets • Logistical Skill SetAcquire and persist(Guardian temperament, 50% of population) • Tactical Skill SetImprovise & overcome(Artisan temperament, 25% of population) • Strategic Skill SetAnticipate & resolve(Rational temperament, 10% of population) • Diplomatic Skill SetEmpathise & harmonise(Idealist temperament, 15% of population)

32. Logistical Play • Focus • Goals • Persistence • Acquisition • Nature • Repetitive • Cautious • Examples • Red Alert (Agon) • Diablo (Alea) • The Sims (Mimicry) • Tetris (Ilinx)

33. Tactical Play • Focus • Improvisation • Freedom • Machines/Tools • Nature • Impulsive • Reckless • Examples • Halo (Agon) • Bust a Move (Alea) • LEGO Star Wars (Mimicry) • Burnout (Ilinx)

34. Strategic Play • Focus • Problem solving • Optimisation • Thinking ahead • Nature • Complex • Perfectionist • Examples • Civilisation (Agon) • Sports management(Alea) • SimCity (Mimicry) • Chu Chu Rocket (Ilinx)

35. Diplomatic Play • Focus • Harmony • Escapism • Co-operation • Nature • Empathic • Peaceful • Examples • Animal Crossing (Mimicry) • Nintendogs (Mimicry)

36. DGD1: Four Play Styles • Type 1: Conqueror (25%)Challenge & FieroStrategic-Logistical skills • Type 2: Manager (15%)Puzzles & MasteryStrategic-Tactical skills • Type 3: Wanderer (30%)Experience & AuthenticityDiplomatic-Tactical skills • Type 4: Participant (30%)Involvement & RoleDiplomatic-Logistical skills

37. Conclusion

38. Comparisons • Agon  FieroLazzaro’s Hard Fun keyDGD1 Conqueror & ManagerEspecially with Logistical or Strategic play • Agon or Alea  Social InteractionsLazzaro’s People Fun keyDGD1 ParticipantEspecially with Tactical or Logistical play • Mimicry  ToyplayLazzaro’s Easy Fun keyDGD1 WandererAny kind of play • Ilinx or Alea ExcitementLazzaro’s Serious Fun keyEspecially with Tactical play

39. The Goals of Game Design • Meet Player NeedsDifferent patterns of play meet different psychological, emotional and social needs. • Support Play StylesDifferent players have and enjoy using different skills, and experiencing different emotions • Commercial ViabilityAchieve these goals within a commercially sound framework

40. Implications • Niche MarketsGames which support a single (or small number) of play needs can become stable niches. • Mass MarketExpensive “mass market” games will increasingly need to support many kinds of play through careful structuring.

41. End ...but first

42. Play with Fire

43. Play with Fire

44. Play with Fire

45. End Any Questions?

46. Resources Book21st Century Game Design Websites www.ihobo.com www.igda.org Blog onlyagame.typepad.com