The Conceptual Relationship Model: Understanding Patterns and Mechanics in Game Design

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Olsson Carl Magnus Björk Staffan Dahlskog Steve
2014 DiGRA '14 - Proceedings of the 2014 DiGRA International Conference

Rooted in the complexity of purposeful design, this paper embraces a phenomenological perspective of design as both a process and artifact. We use this perspective to interpret why the conceptualization and realization of design intentions can be difficult to achieve and why design is often perceived as a so called ‘wicked problem’. This paper revisits the concepts of game design patterns and game mechanics, arguing that refactoring these concepts is needed to clarify their relationships and motivations. We outline the separation of concerns between them and suggest that an additional contextualizing layer should be added to the discourse. Using this, we define and reflect upon what we refer to as the conceptual relationship model.

 

Emotions about the Deniable/Undeniable: Sketch for a Classification of Game Content as Experienced

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Leino Olli
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

This paper deals with the emotions experienced by a player. It problematises the empirical psychological study of players' emotions. The paper suggests emotions to be understood as structured relationships instead of as reactions. It proposes players' emotions to be analysed through their intentionality, by looking at games as constituting the objects of the emotions. The article questions the validity of objective knowledge about games for the purpose of understanding games as experienced. It presents a method of categorizing game content as it appears as objects of the players' emotions. The categorization is further demonstrated by looking at two erotic variations of Tetris.