Game Theory and Designs

McLuhan says, “Professionalism is environmental. Amateurism is anti-environmental. Professionalism merges the individual into patterns of total environment. Amateurism seeks the development of the total awareness of the individual and the critical awareness of the groundrules of society. The amateur can afford to lose. The professional tends to classify and to specialize, to accept uncritically the groundrules of the environment” (93).

Based on the articles that we read, Game Theory 101 and Theme’s vs. Mechanics both apply to this statement in different ways.

In Themes vs. Mechanics; mechanicism becomes the foundation of any game. Andrew Hardin points out that, “if the entire game consists of one person reading from a novel, then you wouldn’t call that a game” BUT, ” if you suddenly asked everyone to recite as much of the last chapter as they can from memory, then you suddenly have a game”. In order to have a game, there needs to be structure or rules to follow. For the amateur, they are still developing the rules, structure, and patterns of the environment. They are pushing the boundaries and limits. They don’t mind losing, where the Professional is accustomed to the environment and understands how to work around the rules and structure of the game.

Game Theory 101, Deggan talks about how “Story Arc…gives the game with scope puts the same resources into constantly changing contexts” and gives “a game scope rather than mere length”. The Professional is already immersed in the story arc and understands the goals and achievements that can be made to advance the story. The amateur isn’t fully aware of the story arc and their limitations in the environment. They don’t know how to reach mini goals that will further advance the gameplay of the game. 

An example is Civilization V. This game is a turn based games that has a ridiculously massive amount of mechanics to understand. The Professionals (my friends), understand that there are different ways to win the game and the most efficient way to start their civilization. As the amateur, I had no idea how a “turn” functioned, what roles different people played, and the benefits of buying certain buildings meant. For a Professional player, they knew the benefits of discovering “ruins” and advancing certain technologies meant upgrading. The story arc for this game is very unique since there players different civilizations in the beginning which gives the game scope already by having a backstory based on real history. At the same time, they get significant benefits that are only unique to certain civilizations. The game is given depth and goals to work toward. By inventing new technologies (achieved by waiting out so many turns), it allows the players to buy and upgrade units and buildings to gain more gold or other items. The overall accomplishment is to be the most successful civilization. “Successful” is in the eye of the beholder. Successful can mean conquering the most land, having the most advanced technologies, or being the most influential with city-states or through religion. This falls under Deganns theory that “same resources into constantly changing contexts” help make a successful game. 

 

According to Hardin’s, “[The] need for a game to make sense plays a great part in a person’s ability to “get into”, to be immersed by a game” says a lot about how the complexity of game mechanics can help players get immersed into gameplay. The game should make players WANT to understand how the rules and structure of the environment work. Games such as Civilization V and Magic: The Gathering allows players to manipulate the rules to their advantage by playing to certain mechanics to their strength. Example being by having the Babylonians, scientific research and benefits can be used to the players advantage to become a successful civilization quickly. Magic: the Gathering, has creature cards with their own unique abilities. Specifically players can make Tribal Decks: In which, creatures share the same type and can benefit from one another. 

 

^ These cards all share the same creature type –> Goblins. They each have their own unique abilities and play to one another’s advantage because they are all goblins. Having Goblin Chieftain’s effect of +1/+1 to all other goblin cards changes Goblin Warchief and Goblin King’s power and toughness. Both are no longer 2/2; they are 3/3’s due to Chieftain’s ability. 
This Week’s Comments:
1.http://meganpetersonwsu.blogspot.com/2014/02/action-reaction.html?showComment=1392828949290#c2383853190145530398
2. http://amm356375.wordpress.com/2014/02/19/375-post-game-design-connected-to-mcluhan-concepts-stock/comment-page-1/#comment-15

Games, Games, and a Buttload of More Games!!!

“[t]he instantaneous world of electric informational media involves all of us, all at once. No detachment or frame is possible” (52).

Videogames are a portal to a new world where interaction to any/various degrees are present. So I agree that there is no way that electronic informational media in the form of videogames can’t NOT involve us. By definition then, if it doesn’t require any interaction, then it no longer becomes a video game and more of a movie because it imitates the same ideas of the vanishing point. It’s a fixated stationary point of view the audience stays in. 

The most common genre game developers interact with their players is through first person shooters such as Halo, Gears of War, Call of Duty, F.E.A.R, Far Cry, Dead Island, Bulletstorm, Metroid, Bioshock, Half-Life, Doom, Red Faction, Timesplitters, etc. They interact with the player allowing them to control the character through a first person point of view making the action upfront, direct, and deadly. 

A majority of these games feature a Heads-Up Display (HUD). HUD allows the player to see their health (be it a health bar or lives), items that they have (their inventory that displays ammunition and other weapons), Mini Maps (to gain orientation of their location and to meet objectives), etc. 

 

Bioshocks HUD display allows the player to see their health and EVE (mana). The numbers corresponding show how many of each item relating to the two have been picked up and can be used. In the bottom, the player can see the types of ammo available. Since it’s a first person shooter, the player gets the feel they BECOME the character by the arms shown on the screen. 

I’ve been using League of Legends throughout my posts because well…I like League of Legends a lot and is a prime example of the HUD. 

Bottom Left Corner: Displays character you’re playing, their stats, the gold they’ve earned, and the items they’re building with their money.
Bottom Center: The list of abilities that are unique to the champion and how long cool down is on. The green bar indicates the health and the blue bar signifies the mana available with numerical references.
Bottom Right Corner: The mini map that indicates where the player, objectives, minions, and enemies are located on the entire map.

 

Enough about League. Let’s move onto different types of genres of games beyond the typical First Person Shooter. Games such as Uncharted and Army of Two are similarly shooter games, but don’t offer the first person view. The player will more likely interact with more of their surrounds and environment since the viewpoint is different. 

 

^Nathan chasing after the ridiculously sarcastic and talkative to the point of annoying antagonist. Here the player is interacting with the environment and trying to hang onto dear life to a train, while trying not to die by getting shot or hitting oncoming terrain that could end the game. (I will never ever get tired of this game)

Army of Two offers a unique form of interaction in the game and out of the game. To play this game, there must be two players. It’s a team co-op game in which players can discussion strategy to overcome obstacles out of game and advance the storyline in game. 

^ Playing as Elliot Salem or Tyson Rios, players must decide who is going to act as the bait to draw the enemies attention, while your partner must take out the enemies in stealth. (Go play it!)

One of the more unique genres of games that have become increasingly more popular and add a new dimension of interaction is where choices effect your gameplay. Games such as Mass Effect, The Walking Dead, and Army of Two use this unique style to give the players variety and choice in their gameplay. Essentially the game is not just a game that people simply play through the eyes of a character on a pre-set path with a preset ending; Multiple endings can occur depending on the choices you make.

^Mass Effect uses this type of gameplay throughout ALL 3 games. Playing as Shepard, your conversations with alien races and decisions to execute someone based on the players personal opinion will effect the outcome in the end. Once that character is dead in the first game, they’re dead for the rest of your gameplay through all three of them. Conversations with people allow you an array of responses to questions. Ex: Romance! In Mass Effect, players can choose to romance an AI, but must choose their words wisely to gain favor with them. 

^ The Walking Dead is the BEST example for the use of “decisions affect the gameplay”. Not only are there are different ways to carry a conversation with people, but the player is timed. IT’S INFURIATING AS CRAP, but realistic because in real life people won’t stand there for a good half hour waiting for you to answer “Do you like sandwiches?” because you’re conflicted about whether saying you hate them will make them mad or they’re sneer at you for liking sandwiches with ham in it or for whatever reason. Walking Dead is act and react. I played this game and I was reading all my options and the white bar ran out and this butthead with the cap just sneered at me as the top corner told me “BLah will remember you said that”. Not reacting and answering will have consequences. Another example is fairly early in the game a horde of zombies are attacking two people. As player you have to choose to who to save and both had family. After that point in the game, the person I let die, their family hated me and eventually left the party. It’s an intense game, but thrilling since it’s not a “shoot the zombies and conveniently find ammo EVERYWHERE”. It’s like a long cutscene/movie that allows you to develop the story as you go. 

 

!!CHECK THIS GAME OUT if you want to try out “Act and React” style of game!!

http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/595912

It’s short and humorous. Decisions include pressing x (Too little or too much can give you different results). Leave a comment below and tell me what ending you got! : )

“Relive Your Life” is a story based game where you live your life and by reacting in certain ways or choosing certain things can cause you to blow up humanity or become a billionaire.
*When you click on the link, wait for the top corner box to finish loading and click “play”.
*When you as a player are asked to interact with the game a pocketwatch with “!!!” inside will alert you something involving your interaction is needed.

 

 

Comments this week:
http://tarrdtc375.blogspot.com/2014/02/post-2-mcluhan-meets-skyrim.html?showComment=1392226353240#c7693667924445579486

Blog Post 3

Using Money

In our discussion we ended off asking questions such as what is the difference between how student and WSU professors use money?

To enlighten further discussion about the stock entry there are some substantial differences in how we use money and how professors use money. For example, students are not self sufficient. The money that most students receive are from the government that come in the forms of loans or if they’re lucky, their parents are funding their college experience. On the flip side, WSU professors are creating their own money source by working full time and are making money. In some way we’re betting our future by going in debt. To put it in simple terms: We’re spending money constantly, while professors are able to save money.

When it comes to regarding food; both students and teachers need for to live, but there are some differences. Students who live in dorms are paying essentially for service. They pay the Washington State University Dining Center for service to feed them with food that the school provides with a pe-paid budget. On the other hand, professors use their money to pay for ingredients and must service themselves. This doesn’t include those students who are living off campus that don’t need a RDA account. BUT majority of students regardless living in dorms or off campus are using their money to feed themselves. There are a couple exceptions for students that have families already. Most professors have family here and are paying to feed not only themselves, but their families as well.

Which brings me to the fact that students are most likely living away from home and family, while professors have created a family here. Professors are paying for insurance (Health, car, medical), paying for their home, etc. Students to some degree pay for medical and those that live in apartments and dorms are paying for where they live, but only TEMPORARILY. Most professors are paying for permanent and long term costs.

While both professors and students can pay for luxury expenses, professors can pay for themselves without going more in debt because they have their own form of revenue. Students have the potential to go on vacation like teachers to hawaii or cabo for breaks and such, but that isn’t money they just can use freely, eventually they’ll have to pay it back or it’s not originally theirs (maybe parents paid.

Another obvious difference is teachers spend money on funding the equipment for classes they plan on teaching or research they are conducting (such as a science teacher needing certain equipment to run lab tests), while students are paying for textbooks and things they need to pass the class.

One thing that is exclusive for students only that professors can’t get are discounts on technology such as laptops. Those are specifically for students, but I’m sure there are discounts that are targeted for professors. But they are slightly different.

Last Weeks Comments I made:

1.http://meganpetersonwsu.blogspot.com/2014/01/technology-has-rapidly-advanced-in-past.html#comment-form
2.http://shannonheric.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/blog-post-1-stock-entry

This Weeks Comments I made:

1. http://meganpetersonwsu.blogspot.com/2014/02/college-kids.html#comment-form/
2. http://dansmyname.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/blog-222014/