Use all the Game Mechanics

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the necessity to periodically require all available game mechanics during the gameplay to remind a player of the own capabilities and to make all game mechanics feel more relevant.

Computer games provide players with abilities inside of the virtual environments in form of game mechanics. Game mechanics encode a game’s underlying principles, hence define the game rules and a player’s capabilities. Often, computer games implement a core set of game mechanics that are frequently used during the gameplay.

For instance, being able to navigate and to interact with the virtual environment are essential tasks. However, the frequency of using advanced locomotion, such as jumping or climbing, highly depends on the overall gameplay of a computer games. As a result, players of a particular game might be less trained in using certain game mechanics when they are not a part of the regular gameplay. This can result in frustrating moments when a challenge suddenly requires a rarely used game mechanic. In such a case, players have to recall how exactly the game mechanic is defined and how they can properly use it. This might even end up in a trail and error scenario.

Things are even more difficult, when a game mechanic is introduced once at the beginning of a game and never required again until the late end-game. In such a case, players might already have forgotten that the required game mechanic exist. This leads to the player being stuck in the middle of the gameplay as they do not know how to overcome the current challenge.

For instance, in the hacking simulation Hacknet a player learns how to search for connected mobile devices in one particular mission. Since this mission, this approach is not needed again until the player reaches a specific mission in the later stages of the game. Even though the game provides a hint that might remind the player of this function, the hint does not inform the player how exactly they can scan for and unlock mobile devices. As a result, the player might get stuck and needs to search for information given at the start of the game or even use the internet to find a solution.

Therefore, it is important to either periodically require all game mechanics to avoid that a player forgets about it or to provide enough hints so that the player can proceed without being required to do tedious research. Also, the former approach would make rarely used game mechanics feel more relevant as they start to play a more integral role in the overall gameplay.

The Fascination of Computer Games

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about two main factors that make the gameplay of a computer game highly motivating.

Computer games are vivid and engaging environments. Here, I like to focus on two central factors making the gameplay highly motivating: an epic story or the chance to be creative.

Story-based computer games offer a broad variety of different narrative types. It can be a simple career mode allowing a player to work their way up to the highest tiers and ranks of the simulated content, e.g., racing games. Computer games can also tell a very atmospheric story evoking deep emotions in a player. For instance, Live is Strange challenges players with a very emotional gameplay and the option to rewind time to change decisions made thus changing the lives of others. Being in charge of the lives is also targeted by the Mass Effect games. The Mass Effect trilogy tells an epic story: the player is in charge of the fate of an entire galaxy being inhabited by different species.

By providing such an epic story, computer games challenge players with goals being bigger than theirselves. This can become a very motivating element as it makes a player’s actions highly relevant and provides rewards rarely available in the real world. Suddenly, by playing a game, players can change the lives of a larger group of people. These virtual people then thank the player for their effort and actions. As a result, a player receives emotional rewards rarely available in today’s stressed and harsh environment.

Thus, by providing an epic story, players experience a high motivation as they not only enjoy an exciting narrative but also receive emotional rewards. They contribute to big and meaningful events changing the lives of many others.

The other type of highly motivating computer games target a very creative gameplay. Here, players have nearly complete freedom inside the virtual environment and can realize large projects requiring a focus on many details to achieve perfection. Typical games that provide such a gameplay are Minecraft and Factorio.

Minecraft allows players to completely change vast landscapes by turning them into towns, temples, large castles or other creative environments. Factorio gives players complete freedom over the design of large factories requiring a high amount of planning and micro-management.

By allowing for a focus on many details while providing nearly complete freedom, a computer game can inspire players to target large-scale builds. Finishing these builds is ambitious but also highly motivating as players constantly see how much progress they made.

In the end, by providing an epic story or complete freedom, computer games can achieve a highly motivating gameplay.

Experience-based Retention Mechanisms

During my ongoing literature review I often discover interesting facts about things I’ve never thought about. Sometimes I can connect these facts with my own observations: The result is mostly a completely new idea why things are as they are. Maybe these ideas are new to you, too. Therefore I’ll share my new science based knowledge with you!

This week: This time, I think about the frequent implementation of multiple experience point systems in a game. The systems individually reward the utilization of different game elements, thus aiming at increasing a player’s motivation.

Since several years, one can observe a game design trend of connecting an experience point system with a game’s core game machanics. A game mechanic defines a player’s actions inside of the virtual environment or creates the game’s challenges a player has to overcome. For instance, Minecraft allows a player to swing a sword and challenges them with dangerous enemies that spawn during the night and attack the player. This interaction between these two game mechanics creates one aspect of Minecrafts overall gameplay.

While Minecraft only implements one experience point system allowing for the performance of special actions, e.g., enchanting and repairing of items, other games also provide a weapon-based or action-based experience system. Here, players can improve the performance of certain game elements by frequently utilizing them during the gameplay.

Similar to practicing the performance of an action in the real world, this game mechanic suggests the development of a better proficiency in the performance. This experience system is enhanced by the provision of unlockable perks making the actions and weapons stronger.

As this game mechanic provides a clear goal as well as a constant feedback, it often is perceived as very motivating and can even induce the experience of flow. However, when it is applied to every individual action or weapon, it can also result in a desire to completely upgrade all game elements. As a result, players probably play the game for an extended amount of time beyond the end of the core narrative.

From a game design perspective, this is a very efficient approach. It requires only a small amount of development work, is easy to extent and effectively increases a player’s motivation. From a player’s perspective, it mostly aims at vested players. Gamers with a limited amount of time who like to play a game for short periods only might feel constrained as they cannot keep up with the performance of others.

Personally, I currently belong to the latter category. I enjoy to play complex and difficult games. However, I like to have access to the full potential of the game right from the beginning without being required to put in a lot of time to get access to all game elements. To me, the success in a game should be more based on the skill of a player and not on the time a player invests in the game.

In conclusion, nested experience systems are an effective way to increase a player’s motivation. However, they also reduce the overall enjoyment of a game when it is only played for short sessions.