Strategies for creating brand new game mechanics

Agency, Challenge, Mastery, Coolness, Familiarity, Fantasy:

How to Blend All of the Variables into a Wonderfully Playable Game

Use science

My Experience

• I m a biochemist

• I spent 7 years working 12 hours days in a windowless lab, some times whole days in a 32°F room.

• I loved it.

• No one understood what I was doing, so they could not understand why I loved it!

My Experience

• Me: “People do not know what proteins are, what cells do, and that’s why they do not understand why I love it.”

• I will make a game and people will learn about cells and proteins by playing the game.

• Once they know the pieces they will be able to understand biochemistry and they will love it

My Experience

• So for the past 7 years I have been thinking about how to make a video game out of biochemistry.

• Making up completely new game mechanics

• Just like a game jam game, right? So let’s do it!

Finding the fun in biochemistry

• Pick your favorite past time and make a game. What is it about the past time that keeps you occupied, keeps you coming back? What is the core moment of fun?

• Finding the fun in biochemistry or jigsaw puzzle solving.

• If we were going to make a game out of either, we need to know what is the core fun.

The core fun of Biochemistry is actually similar to the core fun of any game

• Gather data• Make a hypothesis• Experiment• See results

The core fun of Biochemistry is actually similar to the core fun of any game

• Gather data• Make a hypothesis• Experiment• See results

GMES method

GMES

• Player wants to discover stuff. No one wants to read directions, or watch an informative video. Everyone wants to experiment.

• Gather data• Make hypothesis• Experiment• See results

The core fun of Biochemistry is actually similar to the core fun of any game

• Gather data• Make a hypothesis• Experiment• See results GMES method

• Each of these steps makes you feel smart, powerful. Even when your hypothesis is wrong, as long as you saw some results you still know the answer.

GMES method works for shooting games

• Gather data Use mini map to see enemies• Make hypothesis Enemies are around this corner• Experiment Go around and shoot• See results Enemies were on 2nd floor, you die.

GMES method for creating jigsaw puzzle game mechanic

• Gather data See color, size and shape of piece, holes• Make hypothesis Choose a hole for your piece• Experiment Put your piece into hole.• See results Piece goes in almost, one bump does not

fit.

BD Studios actually made a jigsaw puzzle video game

GMES approach to biochemistry

• Gather data See purple square, Have a purple receptor• Make hypothesis Those purple squares fit into

receptor• Experiment Grab square, drop on receptor• See results Square binds receptor and cell moves.

GMES approach to biochemistry

• Gather data See purple square, see a purple receptor• Make hypothesis Those purple squares fit into

receptor• Experiment Grab square, drop on receptor• See results Square binds receptor and cell moves.

What is wrong with my game, according to the GMES method, my own theory?

GMES approach to biochemistry

• Gather data See purple square, see a purple receptor• Make hypothesis Those purple squares fit into

receptor• Experiment Grab square, drop on receptor• See results Square binds receptor and cell moves.

What is wrong with my game, according to the GMES method, my own theory?

The problem is, gathering this data is too hard: The player knows so little, everything is so foreign, player feels overwhelmed and a hypothesis seems impossible.

FLOWThe best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something we make happen.

www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi psychology professor studying happiness: what is it, how can we make some more of it?

1990

FLOW

Challenge

Skill

s

Flow…

.www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/wp-content/uploads/flow-notebook3.jpgwww.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi

IFThere are clear goals every step of the way.There is immediate feedback to one’s actions.There is a balance between challenges and skills.

THENAction and awareness are merged.Distractions are excluded from consciousness.There is no worry of failure.Self-consciousness disappears.The sense of time becomes distorted.The activity becomes an end in itself.

FLOW

Challenge

Skill

s

Flow…

.www.pursuit-of-happiness.org/wp-content/uploads/flow-notebook3.jpgwww.pursuit-of-happiness.org/history-of-happiness/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi

IFThere are clear goals every step of the way.There is immediate feedback to one’s actions.There is a balance between challenges and skills.

Each activity each step of the way should have clear goals, clear feedback and be balanced between what player already knows and what they do not yet know.

How to use GMES to fix my (biochemistry) game?

Make each step the player must take small enough to it is possible given the information at hand.

Make each moment a mini flow moment: Use GMES each step of the player’s experience:

What is that purple thing?Can I click on it?Where is the information about itCan I understand the informationDoes the information jive with what I have learned so far?How do I move the cursor? How do I look around?

How to use GMES to fix my (biochemistry) game?

Make each step the player must take small enough to it is possible given the information at hand.

Make each moment a mini flow moment: Use GMES each step of the player’s experience:

What is that purple thing?

Can I click on it?

Where is the information about it?

How do I move the cursor?

How to know if you are in the Flow Zone?

How to know if you are in the Flow Zone?

Play test

How to know if you are in the Flow Zone?

• Play test early• Often• With your whole dev team as witness• With your target audience

When you play test use the GMES method

Can my players Gather data?Can my players Make a hypothesis?Can my players Experiment?Can my players See the results?

First way: Ask these questions while you test:

When you play test use the GMES method

Gather data on what seems to work, what doesn’t in my game.Make a hypothesis about what I think is the problem.Experiment by modifying that one things.See if the results support my hypothesis.

Second way:

When you play test use the GMES method

Gather data: Players do not pick up gun in level 2.Make a hypothesis: Players do not see the gun.

Experiment: Make the gun brighter.

See results: Do play testers pick up the brighter gun?

Second way:

Play test• Play test early.

• Play test often.

• Play test with your whole dev team as witness. They will argue with you.

• Make a list of your hypotheses and a list of changes to the game that should test that hypothesis. or..

• Questions for the player work, too: Asking “Did you see that gun?” is easier than actually making the gun more visible.

• Share all of this with your whole dev team before testing. Use this frame work to make your arguing more productive.

How to get to the optimal experience?

• George Fan method: Pick a game mechanic that is easy to convey with images, use few words.

Use plants and zombies because everyone already know what they are, and because pea shooters are easy to interpret.

• GMES method: break down each moment of the player’s time and make it enjoyable.

Give player the data and ability to experiment and they will enjoy it. In this way you can get them to do anything with any kind of crazy objects.

GMES

• Gather data

• Make a hypothesis

• Experiment

• See results

People like solving problems.

www.MolecularJig.com

@Molecularjig

Gather dataMake hypothesisExperimentSee results