Knowledge Keeper Quest week #5 - 2nd

     Hello to anyone that deems this readable, the basis for this post would be trying to break down the importance and balancing of chance in gaming and expanding on what was learnt in this weeks lecture.

(Pokemon Gamblers game)

     So how do we define chance in gaming? Chance would be an element or an aspect of a game whose outcome is influenced by a randomizing device. A very simple example of this would be the drawing of cards from the deck in a card game.
  

(Card game)

Importance of Chance.
     Having that aspect of the game which players cannot influence that is left to chance has its benefits.

• Solvability: that is to say that chance depending on how great of an influence it has over an outcome or several outcomes in a game can either reduce or completely eliminate the player finding patterns in the game that would otherwise let him/her master the game. This also helps to prolong interest in the game.

(I must say old chap, I am rather bored)

• Social Aspects:  Chance can improve gaming socially, which we can all agree is a good ting because there is more fun when a game is socially engaging. By this I do not mean it makes everyone happy together, I mean it enables more people to enjoy participation. So how chance can do this would be allowing inexperienced players to win. Also player match-making is easier, because the opposing sides do not have to be around the same skill level to be able to win.

(Batman is really into it)

• Decision: that is to say chance plays a huge part in how we make decisions. When chance is involved the possible outcomes become far more than they would be if a solid pattern was followed. This brings in an element of uncertainty which forces players to make strategic guesses. Also, in a situation where the player will be penalised for making a wrong decision it places stress or tension on the players current psyche allowing for a deeper emotional reaction based on the outcome.

(What to do, what to do?)

     It is very important when adding chance to a game to also take note of balancing it out with an even amount of skill or more so. This is necessary because a game without that balance could make players feel like they are unable to influence the outcome of the game and therefore the game is unfair or they are being cheated by it. 

(Balance of yin and yang)

     So how do we balance out at a game when adding chance? Out of all the examples given to us in the lecture notes by Mr. Nacke on how to add chance to a game I  noticed a very evident pattern. They all involved the player having direct physical interaction/contact with the randomizing device. What I was able to draw from this is that that primary contact is a way of giving the player a false sense of control over the game. For example rather than having the dealer roll the dice for each player in a game of monopoly the dice are passed from player to player to have them do it themselves. Although we all know that either way the outcome is due to chance rolling the dice ourselves makes us have the belief that we have some tiny control over the numbers we get.

     Basically this is my take on things, and how I see chance when it comes to game design from my own standpoint.

Knowledge Keeper Quest Week #5

     Hello anyone that's reading, so the focus of this post will be layered around the first lecture of this weeks game design course. The main goal for the post would be to point out our motivation as players to play with others.

      Out of all the basic reasons given to us, the one thing that stuck out to me is the concept of competition. Simply put when we are engaged in a fair and balanced competition with other players it inspires us to further advance ourselves, it is also a part of our instinctual and primal need for dominance. That drive that pushes us to endeavour to beat a highscore set by another player is the same drive that fuels the notion of competition.Basically it is the feeling of satisfaction we get from knowing we are at the top of others that piques interest of players when it comes to competition.

Although it could also be argued that it is the need to test our skills and at least ascertain they are of some worth somewhere against someone else. Or it could just be we enjoy that indescribable feeling of accomplishment instilled by the sacred and most sanct ritual of teabagging.

(What a truly firm pair of nuts.)

(Slow but precise.)

(t is hard to stop ones self once the act has been initiated.)

                                                       (Such splendid form from masterchief.)

     Some could argue it is the joy of teabagging and others would beg to differ and claim a deeper philosophy behind it. Either there is no way to dispute that competition is a main factor when it comes to our motivation in our effort to play games.

Knowledge Keeper Quest week#2

     In this blog post I have chosen to briefly explain and expand on a few of the ideas behind some of what was mentioned in week two of this course.

• What is Game Design?
• The Game Core.
• Game Design is not about concepts.

What is Game Design?

     So what is game design? In our online lecture we spoke of two things that would go into the process of designing a game. 

     First we discussed the creation of content and rules of a game. Content which is used to drive players and motivate them to play further. Rules would be used to restrict the players or guide actions carried out by players. Whether it is to maintain order amidst the potential for chaos in a game like World of Warcraft, where pvp is only allowed unless both players have given consent. Imagine how players would deter from the focus of the game if you could just randomly attack other players anywhere. It would be madness, madness worthy of the phrase "THIS IS SPARTA!!!".

     Secondly we moved on to discuss creating oppurtunities for meaningful decisions to be made by the player in game. A simple example of this would be an rpg, where your actions would lead to different foreseeable or unforeseeable outcome. A few examples mentioned in class would be troop placement in an RTS, choosing which piece to move in chess and aiming and firing your weapon in FPS.

The Game Core.
     The game core was described in the lecture as being the one single thing the gameplay is about. It is usually tied to a core mechanic (explained as a particular pattern of play). Basically core statements capture the games vision, for example Uncharted core statement would be adventure and exploration, and a core mechanic in the game would be Drakes ability to jump and climb.

Game Design Is Not About Concepts.
     It is imperative to learn that game design is not about concepts. Designing a game isnt all about brainstorming ideas, a good amount of it is but thats just the begining. the whole process also includes the implementation of this idea or ideas. Just like with cooking, practice makes perfect, the more you work at it the better you'll get meaning that if you do rack up alot of xp in this class you truly will become a game design god.

                                                                                                                         By Oluwatofarati Adegbite.