Dr H é ctor Mu ñ ozAvila Assigned readings Chapter 6 Rules of Play Book Interactivity Person is making choices within a game system Which action to take Including not taking an action this is an action people in AI call this noaction and treat it the same as other ID: 381889
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Slide1
Interactivity
Dr. Héctor Muñoz-Avila
Assigned readings:
Chapter
6
(Rules of Play Book)Slide2
Interactivity
Person is making choices within a game systemWhich action to take?Including not taking an action, this is an action (people in AI call this “no-action” and treat it the same as other
actions – such as
“move”). Example?
Action gets a response from gaming system. This is an interaction
These interactions determine how the game advances
Actions define the experience
We want to achieve meaningful playSlide3
Interactivity: Definitions
From the dictionary:Mutual or reciprocal action or influenceAct on each other; reciprocally
Common: relation between two things
In this course
:
Interaction takes place in a system
Players participate as agentsIts relationalIt allows direct intervention within a contextIt is iterativeBorderline case: When we watch a movie is this interactive?
What if I press the
forward/backward
button?Slide4
A Multivalent Model of Interactivity
Four modes of interactivityCognitive interactivity (interpretive)Text adventure games (D&D)Functional interactivity (utilitarian; material components)
Fonts ok to read?
Explicit interactivity (participation by making choices)
Choose to enter
in
a room or continue down the roadBeyond-the-object interactivity (culture)Online community (MUDs)Slide5
Designed Interaction
Interaction is part of a system Rules are providedContext for interaction is also providedReciprocal interaction
Example?
Example of non-designed interaction?Slide6
Interaction and Choice
Meaningful play:In terms of interaction:Two level of choices:
Micro: “moment-to-moment” choices
Macro: chain of micro-choices to form an experience
Example?
Player: action
system: outcome discernable and integrated in larger context
Player: choice
(action system: outcome)
discernable and integrated in larger context
Slide7
Micro versus Macro: Example
Domination locations
Unreal tournament
Domination game – points are scored by controlling one or more of the map’s domination locations
First team to score pre-determined number of points wins
Example of
Micro choice?
Macro choice?Slide8
Anatomy of Choice: Five Crucial
Stages(first for UT then for your choices)
What happened before the player was given a choice
?
How is the possibility of a choice conveyed to the player?
How did a player make a choice?
What is the result of choice? How affects future choices?
How are the results of choice
conveyed
positions of the team mates, owner of
dom
points
Other players, what player sees, what other players “yell” at you
Controls for moving/firing/ jumping/ walking/ running avatar/stay put
Points change, lost health, opponent’s killed
Sounds, red health bar,…Slide9
No Meaningful Play? Breakdown: action
outcome chainThese are just some examples of breakdowns.Feeling decisions are arbitrary.
Affects Stage 4: “result of choice?”
Example
? “
rubber band effect
” and here in racing gamesNot knowing what to do nextAffects Stage 2: “How choice is conveyed?”Example?Loosing a game without knowing whyAffects Stage 5: “how are the results of choices conveyed?” ExampleSlide10
Space of Possibilities
Game interactivity cannot be evaluated as an spectator (“watching over the shoulder”)Needs to be actually experiencing to analyze the 5 stagesIt is still not common practice among many game developersSlide11
Add-On: Answer to Question in the Homework
Q1: give an example of non designed interaction in a computer game.Designed interaction means that the person who created the game purposely added rules or context so the players’ actions
will get a
reaction that is planned by the designer.
For example, if my avatar throws a punch to an NPC (action) the NPC might get hit, or
the NPC
blocks the punch (either way this is a planned reaction). Outside of games non-designed interaction happens, for example, when an object slips from my hand and falls to the floor. The reaction (falling to the floor) is caused by gravity and, hence, it is not considered designed interaction. On the other hand, taking into account gravity while throwing a paper aimed at the trash can is designed interaction. If the game designer had simulated gravity in a computer game and
an object slips from my avatar’s hand and
falls to the
floor,
this is considered designed interaction because the game designer purposely add gravity into
the game.
C
orrect answers to the question include: (1) character
gets stuck because of some glitch in the game
engine and (2) virus/hacking
causes the avatar/NPCs do/say unintended
things. The latter is an example of designed interaction from the point of view of the hacker but it is not
designed interaction
from
the
point of view of the game
designer.