Week 5 - Tools for creating dramatic game dynamics

What are the mechanics we can use to cause dramatic tension in games? - Marc LeBlanc

Marc LeBlanc's reading links in with the reading of week 4, as it goes into detail about MDA.

Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics

"When we talk about mechanics, we are referring to all the neccessary pieces that we need to play the game."

Mechanics aren't limited to the rules of the game, there are outside influences that govern how the game pans out. eg. Baseball has it's normal rules, other rules include gravity, energy, the limits of the human mind and body.

"Dynamics refer to what might be called the 'behaviour' of the game, the actual events and phenomena that occur as the game is being played."

LeBlanc explains dynamics simply to be how the player wants to play the game, which tactics/strategies will the player use to maximise his/her chance of success? eg. in unreal tournament, a player might decide to use the sniper rifle as the enemy is far away. This increases the overall chance of success/kill for the player and is a dynamic for the game.

"A game's aesthetics is it's emotional content, the desirable emotional responses we when we play."

The aesthetics of a game can be easily exampled by it's graphics. Games are usually more aesthetically pleasing when they have top level graphics as the player enjoys the look and it allows the user to immerse themselves in the game more-so.

This is a graph showing the usual plot/storyline in most games. At the start there is a conflict, or a problem that you as the player have to solve. Then comes the climax of the conflict, usually personified by a boss fight or a final battle. After that is the resolution to the climax/story, has the player lost or won, and how does the story end?






Uncertainty + Inevitability

- Those are the two factors in a game that cause dramatic tension.
- We as game designers have less control than the player.
- control creates drama.

Dramatic Tension:

- Which way to go?
- The outcome is unknown


- Force: The designer's dynamics that affect the game state directly.
- Illusion: Is manipulating the players perception of the game state without actually changing the game state.
- Escalation: Increasing the amount of tasks/objectives asked to be done in the game, making it seem more exciting.