Understanding Pervasive Games through Gameplay Design Patterns

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Björk Staffan Peitz Johan
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

This paper reports on a cluster analysis of pervasive games through a bottom-up approach based upon 120 game examples. The basis for the clustering algorithm relies on the identification of pervasive gameplay design patterns for each game from a set of 75 possible patterns. The resulting hierarchy presents a view of the design space of pervasive games, and details of clusters and novel gameplay features are described. The paper concludes with a view over how the clusters relate to existing genres and models of pervasive games.

 

Gameplay Design Patterns for Believable Non-Player Characters

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Lankoski Petri Björk Staffan
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

Descriptions of humans require several qualities for people to experience them as believable: human body; selfawareness, intentional states, and self impelled actions; expression of emotions; ability to use natural language; and persistent traits. Based on these we analyze non-player character Claudette Perrick in The Elders Scroll IV: Oblivion to detect how these qualities can be created in the interactive environment of a game. We derive the gameplay design patterns Awareness of Surrounding, Visual Body Damage, Dissectible Bodies, Initiative, Own Agenda, Sense of Self, Emotional Attachment, Contextual Conversational Responses, and Goal-Driven Personal Development, which point to design choices that can be made when designing believable non-player characters in games.

 

On Making Good Games: Using Player Virtue Ethics and Gameplay Design Patterns to Identify Generally Desirable Gameplay Features

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Björk Staffan
2010 DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players

This paper uses a framework of player virtues to perform a theoretical exploration of what is required to make a game good. The choice of player virtues is based upon the view that games can be seen as implements, and that these are good if they support an intended use, and the intended use of games is to support people to be good players. A collection of gameplay design patterns, identified through their relation to the virtues, is presented to provide specific starting points for considering design options for this type of good games. 24 patterns are identified supporting the virtues, including RISK/REWARD, DYNAMIC ALLIANCES, GAME MASTERS, and PLAYER DECIDED RESULTS, as are 7 countering three or more virtues, including ANALYSIS PARALYSIS, EARLY ELIMINATION, and GRINDING. The paper concludes by identifying limitations of the approach as well as by showing how it can be applied using other views of what are preferable features in games.

 

Should I stay or should I go? – Boundary maintaining mechanisms in Left 4 Dead 2

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Linderoth Jonas Björk Staffan Olsson Camilla
2012 DiGRA Nordic '12: Proceedings of 2012 International DiGRA Nordic Conference

In this paper we report an ethnographic study of Pick Up Groups (PUGs) in the game Left 4 Dead 2. Our aim with the study is to contribute with a deeper understanding of how these new social arenas are constituted by its’ participants and the role game design plays in structuring these encounters. As a deliberate attempt to go beyond the discussion in the game studies field about formalism versus play studies, we use both concepts from micro-sociology as well as concepts from the field of game design as our analytical framework. Our results shows that the dynamics of a PUG can be understood in relation to how players uphold and negotiate the boundary between the their in-game-identity based on their gaming skill and a other social relations outside of the game context.