Tools for Creating Dramatic Game Dynamics

LeBlanc uses a number of terms, which are familiar to introduce us to mechanics we can use to create dramatic tension in games.

Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics

Mechanics: the necessary pieces to play the game. Mainly meaning the rules, but can mean the equipment, the venue, or other things needed to play the game.

Dynamics: the "behavior" of the game, the events and the phenomena that occurs throughout.
- Baseball is used as an example, fly balls, line drives, grounders, bunts are part of the dynamics in the game.
- There is a "relationship" between dynamics and mechanics, that is described as emergence. A games dynamics emerge from its mechanics.

Aesthetics: the emotional content, the emotional response players get when they play - all kinds of fun that result from playing hte game.
- the games aesthetis emerge from it's dynamics - as the games behaviors determines how the player feels.

He mentioned how the player goes the opposite direction (A---------->D---------->M) instead of M---------->D---------->A (Hunckle mentioned this in a previous article).





Drama Arc







Dramatic Tension is more of a quantity that can accumulate and discharge, increase and decrease as time passes, it can't be measured. Dramatic Tension is the level of emotional investment in the stories conflict.

The Drama Arc is a value stalemate. It possesses well-told stories that should have dramatic tension, and as time progress the tension should take on a shape, building towards the climax then dissipating.

Drama seems to be handcrafted by the story's author. In film or theater the director has complete control over the story. Game Designers have a harder time, we assume the game will be dramatic even when we don't have complete control over the games narrative, it's not scripted in advance, but emerges from the events of the game.

Dramatic Tension emerges from two factors:
. Uncertainty: outcome is unknown. Player can win or lose.
. Inevitability: the sense of moving forward towards resolution. Outcome is imminent.

Game Dynamics That Produce Dramatic Tension

Force and Illusion: Force is the approach of making the dramatic tension by manipulating the state of the contest itself. Illusion is the approach of manipulating the players perception so the game is closer than it is.

Rules of Play: provides a discussion of cybernetic feedback systems, and the ways in which they apply to games.

GAME STATE ------------------------->SCORING SYSTEM
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       |                                                              |

       |                                                              |

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       |                                                              |

      V                                                            V

GAME MECH. <------------------------- CONTROLLER
BIAS

GAME STATE is the complete status of the game at a particular moment. All the info, toy can put into a save game. SCORING FUNCTION is the sensor of the cybernetic feedback system. All numerical system that gives a measurement of who is winning and by how much. GAME MECHANICAL BIAS: the actuator of cybernetic feedback system. it's a rule that gives one of the contestants an advantage over the other. The CONTROLLER us the comparator of a cybernetic feedback system.

Negative Feedback System: when the advantage goes towards a losing player. This kind of feedback keeps the game close as it strives to make a score difference as small as possible. Mario Kart games are a good example here, you find that if your near last place, you get better weapons that would give you a chance to catch up (i.e. Red shells, Star, Blue Shell)

Positive Feedback system is the opposite.

Pseudo-Feedback: is the sort of mechanism that creates game dynamics that would appear in a game if it were being driven by a negative feedback system.

Escalation: is a mechanic in which the score changes faster and faster over the course of the game so that more points are at stake at the end of the game.

Fog of War: a way of creating dramatic uncertainty by limiting information available to the players.

Decelerator: describes an obstacle that slows the player down late game. makes the game closer by changing the scale and pace of the game.

Cashing out: describes a mechanic where the score of a game is reset to 7. Best of 7 is used as an example here from the World Series and other tournaments where the contest is actually several games played in sucession. The final event in the tv series Gladiators, "The Eliminator" is another form of cashing out, as the players go through a series of games and depending on how many points players have...it determines how long the head start is.