tailieunhanh - Game Design: Theory & Practice- P2

Game Design: Theory & Practice- P2: My earliest recollection of playing a computer game was when I stumbled upon a half-height Space Invaders at a tiny Mexican restaurant in my hometown. I was perhaps six, and Space Invaders was certainly the most marvelous thing I had ever seen, at least next to LegoLand. | 8 Chapter 1 What Players Want While many people spend their time dwelling on the past wondering how events could have transpired differently if alternate decisions had been made games can give players a chance to find out how history might have been different. Even without the elements of excitement and glamour even if another person s life is not actually that exciting it can be interesting to spend time as that person. Good computer games can provide players with the otherwise unavailable opportunity to see the world through someone else s eyes. As millions of gamers can attest it is fun to role-play and it is fun to fantasize. What Do Players Expect Once a player has decided he wants to play a given game because of one motivating factor or another he will have expectations for the game itself. Beyond the game not crashing and looking reasonably pretty players have certain gameplay expectations and if these are not met the player will soon become frustrated and find another game to play. It is the game designer s job to make sure the game meets these expectations. So once they start playing what do players want Players Expect a Consistent World As players play a game they come to understand what actions they are allowed to perform in the world and what results those actions will produce. Few things are more frustrating than when the player comes to anticipate a certain result from an action and then the game for no perceivable reason produces a different result. Worse still is when the consequences of the player s actions are so unpredictable that a player cannot establish any sort of expectation. Having no expectation of what will happen if a certain maneuver is attempted will only frustrate and confuse players who will soon find a different more consistent game to play. It is the consistency of actions and their results that must be maintained for an unpredictable world is a frustrating one to live in. Fighting games are a particularly appropriate example of .