Player Agency, Experience & Engagement:
"Games also share a lot in common with stories and narratives"
WHAT IS PLAYER AGENCY?
Player Agency in Games...
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"Player agency is about giving our players the time, space, and resources needed in order to make decisions in games"
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Player Agency is about giving the player the ability to make decisions which will affect the game world/environment. It gives them control of their surroundings which can influence how the game plays out and "determine the outcome".
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These choices can also be more aesthetic - for example deciding how their avatar/character might look or how the world is represented.
Foreseeability
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How players might see new options or decisions to be made
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Gives players insight into what options might arise for them to be in control of
Desirability
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The players needs and wants to fulfil a specific action
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Can be led by multiple reasons
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A desire to win or make drastic changes to the game world
Phase 3 - Project Ideation
Player Agency is something I'd like to read up on and remind myself about before beginning Ideation. It's important to consider how the players decisions might impact gameplay, if this were to happen at all.
As well as this I will look into Player Experience and Engagement as these are crucial elements of my Project.
Player Agency Components
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The structures within the game can affect the decisions made
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Structures of the decisions can give the player insight to how their choices might affect the games outcome
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"This includes how a player might perceive their action"
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There are 4 main components of Player agency: Foreseeability, ability, desirability, and connection.
Ability
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In-game ability
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Consuming resources, choosing a direction to travel in, or taking action against something or another player
Connection
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Players observation of the decision
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Feedback, consequence or reward from that action/decision
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Provides players with feedback for the way they chose to respond
Balance
These 4 components are balanced by what the player desires to achieve and their limitations/constraints in-game.
Player Agency in Game Design
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Shapes the player experience​
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"Create agency and meaningful choices"
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Can provide agency through simpler design and simple mechanics
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Balance the amount of choice that players have
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Provide players with meaningful decisions throughout gameplay
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The player is involved in how the game moves forward
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PLAYER AGENCY: How Game Design Affects Narrative
Moving the story...
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This can include
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Decide the fate of characters​
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Reveal information
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Games can often provide multiple endings
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Players can have little impact on the story but it's still considered player agency
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Each choice or decision made should effect the character and/or the outcome of the game (or plot/narrative)
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Choices can be personal
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Research Link:
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/player-agency-how-game-design-affects-narrative
How could I implement this into my design?
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Ways I could implement player agency into my game is by providing them with decisions which can impact the overall gameplay and outcome of the game
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Different outcomes based on player choices
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Different choices lead to different endings
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Choices can reveal information/insight into the narrative or storyline
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Choice of interaction can lead to a variety of outcomes.
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Interactions could have impact on how users think/go about things which could be applied to real world scenarios - this could be an educational element of the game.
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The Feeling of Agency
Research Link:
NOTES
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A choice is any moment during play that the player could perform distinct actions
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Context of mechanics or narrative
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E.g. dialogue choices or the way players interact with other players/NPC's
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Players don't need to understand the outcome of their choice
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Make informed meaningful assumptions
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Players must believe what they choose will lead to different results
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If not, it's not a meaningful choice
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The same choice can be meaningful or not for different reasons
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Arbitrary choices
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Why does choice matter? - Games are the only form of media that allows users to interact
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Empowering
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Games are about choice - makes them engaging
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The ability to do - the reason people love games
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The Illusion of Choice
Research Link:
NOTES
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Any moment of the game where players feel like they're making a choice - when really there is no alternative option
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This is usually not noticed
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Smart design decision
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Limitless freedom - more content for developer, bigger the scope, the more it'll cost to develop!
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Designers have to 'embrace' the illusion of choice to provide agency
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Games are about what you perceive
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Choice in games - the act of choosing
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Players decide what to do - control over the choices you make which influence the outcome but you are unaware of it's result, similar to life choices.
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If choices don't feel consequently then payoff won't matter
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​Narrative
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Short branches off the narrative
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Player can make a choice
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Reconvert onto central narrative
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Player reaches a choice, depending on their choice the content changes
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Designers apply differing content
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Back to main narrative - later, the choice is referenced in some way to make players feel like their choice actually made a difference to something/did something meaningful - the illusion!
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Example: Mass Effect - dialogue options but ending is almost always the same, NPC's often give you the same response, players feel like they made a difference when really your choice didn't change a thing (narrative branches are all the same)
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Play
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Visual highlighting - subconscious triggers that draw players in (lit up doors, floor textures etc)
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Players aren't aware of the limited space to explore
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Visual highlighting to lead players to a specific place
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Rest of the world often appears 'featureless'
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These visual highlights can make players think they are making their own choices regarding where to go - when really it's tailored to influence these choices.
SUMMARY
​To summarise Player Agency, it's a term based on the choice players have and meaningful decisions made in the game. After familiarising myself with the term I have understood that Player Agency is most impactful in Narrative-based games. An example includes providing players with dialogue options, where each choice leads players down a different route - or so they think! I could potentially implement player agency into the design of my project by giving players control over their environment and providing them with interactions which can change the world around them. (or the outcome of the game).
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I am interested in taking this research further by looking into Player Experience as this is a crucial part my project and ties in with Player Agency - focusing on how to achieve emotional regulation through player experience, interactions, visuals and sound.​
"THE PLAYER EXPERIENCE"
Player Experience is what a player goes through during the game.
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"That experience can be as simple as gamified mechanics in gamification; a games-based learning class; a simulation; or a serious game. The player experience dictates how our creation, our game, is received by our users"
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Six areas of Player Experience
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Motivation
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Meaningful choices
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Balance
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Usability
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Aesthetics
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Fun
MOTIVATION
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Why is the player playing the game?
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To try something different? To escape from reality? To satisfy their own curiosity?
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Underlying motivation
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Return to progress
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Keep playing
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Gives players the agency to improve and get better
MEANINGFUL CHOICES​
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Meaningful choices are used to demonstrate players competence
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Agency is the ability for players to make choices (see above)
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The availability and ability for players to make choices is important for engagement!
BALANCE
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Important in maintaining a player's engagement with the game throughout
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Balance - to engage in a 'state of flow'.
USABILITY
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What is happening in the game?
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What is happening to players?
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What actions can players take?
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Usability addresses core mechanics
AESTHETICS
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Engage 5 senses - sight, sound, touch, taste and smell
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"Comprehensive approach demonstrates what games are capable of demonstrating through sense"
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Features of interactions - e.g. haptics (physical feedback)
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Aesthetics can inform player choice and style
FUN!
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Fun is subjective and emerges from player experience
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Educational applications of games don't need to be fun - but remain engaging enough to have players continue playing
THE DESIGN HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
"THE ELEMENTS OF PLAYER EXPERIENCE"
"A framework for understanding player experiences to build successful, engaging, and enjoyable games"
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UX DESIGN
The Elements of User Experience Diagram
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This diagram provides a basis of thinking through the elements of design that work together to create a game.
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It's 5 planes outline the same elements as I established above
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Player experience is the kind of experience you want the player to have - determine player goals, create a persona to link this to user research
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Design the player experience around your User
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Include motivations and goals of your user​​
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During my design, I must consider the motivations of players linked to interest and rewards - why are they playing the game and what will they gain from it?
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Will they make meaningful choices? Will this be based off strategy or tactics? Or to the progress with the story.
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How do we balance this?
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What is the usability like? Controls etc
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Aesthetics - do they complement gameplay or purely just sensory? - Engaging senses is the most important aspect of my project so I already know this already.
Focuses on functionality, reliability, usability, proficiency and creativity to ensure a good user experience.
I have also looked at this within my User Research section.
Research Link:
https://uxmag.com/articles/the-elements-of-player-experience
"WAYS TO BOOST YOUR PLAYER ENGAGEMENT"
Research Link:
1. Give players real meaning and context to their actions
Incorporate strong elements of luck or make them feel like they're doing well. 'Empower' players. (Can be achieved through meaningful choices)
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2. A sense of character development and accomplishment
Give players a mental break, but also make them feel 'overpowered'. Give them a sense of accomplishment through challenge.
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3. Make players curious
Make things unpredictable. Have players interested in learning about whats going on around them.
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4. Make players feel compelled to act to avoid negative consequences
Daily challenges in real-time can motivate players to revisit the game everyday - Players don't want to miss out on prizes so will act upon the opportunity!
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5. The freedom to be creative
Freedom in the environment and be creative with their decision-making. Allow players to customise 'their perks'.
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SUMMARY
To summarise, I have familiarised myself with key elements of player engagement in games to ensure they have an interest in the game and a desire to continue playing. As well as these factors, I know it's important for the aesthetics and other game components to be considered to do so for example music and visuals. My research topic was heavily based on the importance of music and sound especially in media and this has a huge impact in player engagement as well as to inform players and make them aware of whats happening around them. When I get to this stage of design I will be sure to consider all the elements necessary and most relevant to my project.​​
REFLECTION
Overall, this research has helped me to familiarise myself with the crucial elements of Games Design. I can progress with my project taking into account these elements and applying them where necessary. To do this I will use suitable methodologies and processes to make my intentions clear and to demonstrate each section of my Project Proposal.​