kill the prince
DESCRIPTION
Video game design principles of player motivation applied to the creation of World of Darkness Storyteller chronicles. Delivered during Atlanta by Night, September 2012. You may want to the install Bebas Neue font, to increase legibility: http://www.fontsquirrel.com/fonts/bebas-neueTRANSCRIPT
KILL THE PRINCE ADDRESSING PLAYER MOTIVATIONS
Justin ACHILLI
WHO THE HELL IS THIS DUDE? INTRODUCTION
• Started at White Wolf in 1995
• Le3 and came back a bunch of 9mes
• Now at Red Storm (Ubiso3)
• Freelancing for Onyx Path Publishing
JUSTIN ACHILLI
• Vampire: The Masquerade
• Vampire: The Requiem
• WOD MMO
• Assassin’s Creed: Revela0ons
• Social games on Facebook
• Unannounced AAA project
What About Games is Rewarding? Why Do We Play Games?
KILL THE PRINCE and you can choose your reward
SHITLOADS of
Dracula POINTS
PART MOTIVATION and reward
1
TYPES OF MOTIVATION
WHY DO Players DO WHAT THEY DO? Motivation and Reward
EXTRINSIC
INTRINSIC
• Because someone else told me to do it.
• Because you’ll kick my ass if I don’t.
• Because I’ll get something for it.
• For its own sake.
• Because it’s fun.
• To learn.
• Because it contributes to my image of myself.
TYPES OF REWARD EXOGENOUS ENDOGENOUS
• Unrelated to the ac9vity.
• Ex.: Eat this weird sandwich I found in the garbage and you can have a book.
• Ex.: Shoot an alien and you can have some points.
• Directly related to the ac9vity.
• Can make you be3er at the ac9vity.
• Ex.: Buy one book, get another book free.
• Ex.: Kill the vampire Prince and you can have some vampire powers.
WHY DO Players DO WHAT THEY DO? Motivation and Reward
Trigger
Interval: A length of 9me
Ra0o: An ac9vity or ac9on
Frequency
Fixed: Consistent
Variable: Occurring at different 9mes
Trigger + Frequency = Reward
Rewards: Trigger and Frequency
The human mind is hard-‐wired to enjoy surprise.
In video games, a variable ra9o reward scheme is the most effec9ve combina9on for long-‐term reten9on.
WHY DO Players DO WHAT THEY DO? Motivation and Reward
THEREFORE
(motivation)(reward) = how much the player cares
WHY DO Players DO WHAT THEY DO? Motivation and Reward
PART Motivation In Play
2
Overcoming challenge Competence
“Flow”
MASTERY
Ownership of fate Voli9on Agency
AUTONOMY
Recogni9on of Accomplishment
Context Comparison
RELATEDNESS
WHAT DOES A PLAYER Need? Motivation in play
motivations inform the game experience
• Controls and HCI
• Game systems
• An understanding of how to effect change in the game space
• Difficulty of overcoming challenges
“I’ll use a monofilament katana to kill the Prince and protect myself from his blood rockets with my armor-‐plated trenchcoat that’s also warded against Thaumaturgy. Then I’ll go Crinos.”
Mastery
WHAT DOES A PLAYER Need? Motivation in play
• Freedom to explore
• Not just geography, but also conceptual constructs and system combina9ons
• Sect and clan dynamics, Traits, the Tradi9ons, Discipline permuta9ons, etc.
• Se^ng one’s own goals
• Choosing who and what to interact with, as well as how
“Once I’ve killed the Prince, shall I become the next despot in his stead? Should I tear down the reminders of his tyranny? Might I even cede the domain to the Sabbat?”
AUTONOMY
WHAT DOES A PLAYER Need? Motivation in play
• The presence of other people; a shared experience
• Coopera9on and/ or compe99on
• A sense of cause and effect
• Apprecia9on for what the player has done
• Reputa9on
“Do you know who I am? I’m the motherfucker who killed the Prince! <guitar solo>.”
RELATEDNESS
WHAT DOES A PLAYER Need? Motivation in play
Flow: ChAllenge Difficulty
Flow is a state of cosmic awesome.
• Being in the zone, finding the Muse, “at one with the universe,” etc.
• Immersion in the challenge and the environment.
• The op9mal manifest of player capability and challenge posed.
Time and Player Skill (Character Competency)
Challenge Difficulty
Too Easy (boredom, apathy)
Too Hard (frustra9on, anxiety)
WHAT DOES A PLAYER Need? Motivation in play
PART Framing the Result
3
Name Your Reward • Came from playing the game.
• Only marginally related to playing the game.
• Have lidle real meaning in the context of the game.
• Suggest rather than demonstrate mastery.
• Minimal relatedness to the game world.
• Offer an unrelated sense of progression.
• Infinitely repeatable… …but why bother?
Satisfying the Needs Framing the Result
SHITLOADS of
Dracula POINTS
Name Your Reward • Came from playing the game.
• Relates to playing the game.
• Has meaning in the context of the game.
• Points back into the game.
• Makes the player beder at the ac9vity that generated it.
• New avenue of mastery.
• More opportuni9es for autonomy.
• Establishes new relatedness to the game world.
• Indicate numerous elements of progression.
Satisfying the Needs Framing the Result
Progression Specific rewards suit a wide variety of players.
• Narra9ve progression
• Character/ cumula9ve progression
• Feature progression
• Compe99ve progression
• Social progression
Without some element of progression, the story of the character is nonexistent.
Satisfying the Needs Framing the Result
PART Practical Application
4
Your Friend, the Core Loop
Understanding Your Chronicle Practical Application
Objective
challenge result
Loops are flexible
• Loop your loops
• Short-‐, medium-‐, and long-‐term
• Account for player mo9va9ons
• Individual and collec9ve
• Scale challenge difficul9es
• Results include rewards
• Vary results and rewards
Short-Term Loop: Killing the Prince
Discover the nature of the enemy
Who are these vampires kicking our asses? The
Prince’s Flunkies! Outrun or overcome.
Information, XP
Understanding Your Chronicle Practical Application
Medium-Term Loop: Killing the Prince
Find the Prince’s vulnerability
Catalog the Prince’s transgressions
Information, Leverage, XP
Understanding Your Chronicle Practical Application
Long-Term Loop: Killing the Prince
Settle the vendetta
Kill the Prince Vengeance, Reputation,
Opportunity, XP
Understanding Your Chronicle Practical Application
Nested Loops: Not Just for Programmers
Understanding Your Chronicle Practical Application
Any number of short-‐term loops
Any number of medium-‐ term loops
Any number of long-‐term loops
Rewards: When and What?
Understanding Your Chronicle Practical Application
• Vary reward triggers and frequency.
• Interval and ra9o
• Fixed and variable
• Vary rewards by mo9va9on (intrinsic & extrinsic).
• Vary rewards by progression type.
• An9cipate a great deal of narra9ve progression in a storytelling game.
• The humble Experience Point is a marvelous reward in almost every case.
• Find your troupe’s sweet spot.
Contact + References GO Further
Contact+ References
f facebook.com/jus0n.achilli
t @jachilli
www.jus0nachilli.com
PENS model: hdp://www.immersyve.com/ Csikszentmihalyi’s Theory of Flow: hdp://www.psychologytoday.com/ar9cles/199707/finding-‐flow Endogenous Rewards: hdp://chrishecker.com/Achievements_Considered_Harmful%3F Koster’s Theory of Fun (Learning as a Reward): hdp://www.theoryoffun.com/
thank you