1

THE GENRES OF GAMES

Artificial Life, Puzzle Games, and Other Genres

2

Lecture Objective:

To understand artificial life, puzzle games, and other

genres

3

Artificial Life

Artificial Life is a branch of computer science research, jut as artificial intelligence is.

A r t i f i c i a l L i f e

Artificial Life (A-Life) involves modeling biological processes, often to simulate the life cycles of living things

A-life researchers hope to discover new ways of using computers by using biological mechanisms

Typically, A-life games are about maintaining and growing a manageable population of organisms, each of which is unique

4

Artificial Pets is a subcategory of A-Life. Artificial Pets is simulated animals that live on your computer, either in a environment of their own or on your desktop

Artificial Pets

They can be simulated to a real animals as in Petz series developed by PF.Magic. Others example is Tamagotchi (key chain)

Artificial Pets are almost always cute. The nature of their Gameplay concentrates on training and maintenance, and watching them do endearing things.

They seldom reproduce or die, and the player usually wants to interact with only one or two at once.

Petz

A r t i f i c i a l L i f e

5

If the player is going to spend much time looking at A-Pet, then the pet need to have quite a lot of AI – a variety of things and behaviors.

An artificial pet should have emotions/moods, playing, teasing, grooming, fighting and so on. But the important thing is being able to learn.

An artificial pet should have emotions/moods, playing, teasing, grooming, fighting and so on. But the important thing is being able to learn.

A r t i f i c i a l L i f e

6

A r t i f i c i a l L i f e

7

A-Pet is software toy rather than a game because it doesn’t have much challenge or a victory condition.

A software toy is a term for entertainment software that you just play around with, without trying to defeat an opponent or achieve victory.

A r t i f i c i a l L i f e

8

It is easy enough to say that CMSs are about process, but has to be a meaningfully displayed on a computer screen, and it must fire the player’s imagination.

Genetic A-Life Game

CMSs take place in the context of a physical space, usually a two-dimension world in which buildings or other objects can be constructed.

Eg. • Caesar is about building an ancient Roman town, so the setting is a landscape near a river.

• Civilization is about exploring a world while at the same time advancing a civilization both culturally and technology, so its setting is an entire continent/several of them

A r t i f i c i a l L i f e

9

Many single-player computer games contain puzzles. Puzzle games are games that are primarily about puzzle solving, sometimes without incorporating the puzzles into a storyline or larger goal

Puzzle Games

P u z z l e G a m e s

To be a commercial success, a puzzle game needs to be challenging (but not too hard), visually attractive and enjoyable to play.

10

1. Find Inspiration•Source of inspiration is a play dynamic of some kind : flipping switches, turning knobs, sliding objects around, or pick them up and putting them down.

•There are more complex dynamics among object : balancing, reflection, connection and transmission.

•Tetris was inspired by a non-computer game called Pentominoes.

Scott Kim’s Eight StepsHe is a designer who creates puzzles for print media, websites and computer games. (Step 1-4 : the process of specifying the rules, Step 5-8 : the process of building the puzzles and the game itself :

P u z z l e G a m e s

11

2. Simplify•Simplify the controls, figure out what the essential moves are, and devise controls that implements them with a minimum of fiddling

3. Create a Construction Set•The only way to be sure that a puzzle concept works is to play it. You can build a paper prototype or a simple version using Macromedia Flash to see if it works

4. Define the rules•This is the key part of puzzle design. Most puzzles are categorized in 4 things: •Board : Is it a grid?, A network? Or there is no board at all?•Pieces : How are they shaped? What pictures are on them?•Moves : what side effects do they have?•Goal/victory condition

P u z z l e G a m e s

12

5. Construct the puzzles•A puzzle challenges the player to get from a problem to a solution. Every puzzle requires that the player make choices, some will lead to dead ends.

•In adventure game, each puzzle appears in a story context that give meaning and solving it will related to the storyline of the game.

6. Test•Testing tells you several things. It tells you whether the puzzle is too easy or too hard + it’s fun.

•It helps you also to find out if there are alternate solutions that you didn’t think of.

• It helps in discovering errors in the rules and the interface design.

P u z z l e G a m e s

13

7. Devise a sequence•The most obvious arrangement is a linear sequence going for easy to difficult. But in practice, that becomes tiring and discouraging.

•A better arrangement is a saw toothshape which get difficult for a while, then goes back to an easy puzzle over and over.

•You also need to think about transitions between puzzle, something that will keep her moving on to the next one.

8. Pay attention to presentation.•There are other details of game design : sound, graphical style, animation, user interface elements, storyline and so on.

P u z z l e G a m e s

14

Computer enable us to make a lot of puzzles that would be impossible or very expensive to create in the real world.

What Computes Brings to Puzzles

a. Enable non-physical or awkward •The computer can let players do things that don’t correspond to physical actions in the real world. Eg. Changing color of something.

•You can also let the player control several things at once with just one key, something that would be awkward to do in a physical implementation.

b. Include computation features•You can use the computing power available to automatically generate new puzzles, find solutions to the current puzzle or generate hints about what the player should do next.

P u z z l e G a m e s

15

3. Enforce the rules•In a lot of physical puzzles, it’s up to the player to enforce the rules on himself/herself. Some times players make mistakes and break the rules accidentally. A computer game can make sure that never happens.

4. Undo and record moves•This is very useful feature for games involves moving objects around in a sequence.

5. Structure the experience.•The computer allows you to present the experience in a particular order, if necessary passing automatically from one phase to another

•In the real world, the player would be looking at the instructions and saying “Lets see, what am I supposed to do next?”

P u z z l e G a m e s

16

6. Teach•You can include tutorial modes and step-by-step instructions to help your player get into the game.

7. Utilize bells and whistle•Obviously, with sound and animation, you can make a puzzle much more aesthetically interesting on the computer than it would be as a physical object.

8. Enable online play•The computer lets players compete against one another, compare solutions, and be part of a puzzle-solving community.

P u z z l e G a m e s

17

The game industry has always been overwhelmingly male, and male developers have tended to design games that they themselves would like.

Games for Girls

For most of the industry’s history, no one made an effort to design games specifically for girls, or even to think much about what kinds of games girls would like.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

Purple Moon did a great deal of research to try to discover how girls play games and what what kind of games they would like. Unfortunately it didn’t sell very well, and eventually Purple Moon got into financial trouble and was sold to Mattel (a toy company).

Purple Moon

18

But some people are continuing to make money with games for girls. Don’t be mistaken girls and women. Adults women are more diverse than children are.

But some people are continuing to make money with games for girls. Don’t be mistaken girls and women. Adults women are more diverse than children are.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

19

Mattel’s Approach. ( Manufacturer of Barbie – single most famous toy for girls in the world.)If you want to make games specifically for girls, you have to ask yourself what girls are especially interested in- and perhaps more important what they’re NOT interested in.

Barbie Games

Mattel has had great success developing games for girls because it understands its target market.

Part of the reason for Barbie’s success is that it was is aimed a core age group from 4-8 years old; after that, girls interests change. Mattel does not try for one-sizes-fits-all approach.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

20

Jesyca Durchin is the owner of the consulting company Nena Media which creates media content for young girls.

Developing Games For Girls

She is also a former executive producer for Mattel. At the 200 Game Developer’s Conference, she gave an extremely useful summary of what she had learned about girls.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

21

1. Girls Have a Wide Variety of InterestsIt is vital to identify what type of girl is interested in your type of game. Girls are much more fragmented in their interests than boys. Girls change more rapidly, and their emotional and intellectual growth happens differently. A girl will have different needs in the playtime almost every year of the childhood-loosely defining childhood to be ages 4-14

2. Girls like stuff Stuff is what the girl can collect. Display or take away from the product. It is incredibly important for the girl to feel there is a reason for her to play. In some ways, collecting stuff replaces the concept of scoring in traditional boy’s software. Collecting each one of a variety of shells, for example is more interesting than trying to achieve a high but abstract, numerical score.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

22

3. Hinge Interactivity on Proven Play PatternsA play pattern is a traditional and almost instinctual way a child will approach an object or an activity to entertain her. Girls traditionally value the following:•· Fashion•· Glamour play•· Nurture play•· Adventure play•· Action/twitch play•· Collection play•· Communication/social play

As well as exercising their own imaginations, girls like to reproduce daily life in play. Barbie is a vehicle for projecting adult activities into a child’s world. Don’t be afraid of open-ended or non-goal-oriented play

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

23

4. Create Environments That Are Attractive to GirlsGirls like environments that are reality-based but either are beautiful or make sense to the story line. Symmetry and color coherency are important to girls. Not everything has to be pink, purple, and pretty, but each environment should give the girl the feeling of being in another place. Girls (and boys) are highly imaginative, and they will create alternative storylines in their own heads. Be aware that the girl’s imagination will influence her in view of your environment

5. Extend the Play from Existing Toys or Media into SoftwareBranding is becoming more and more important in the business of software. It is doubly important in the girl’s software business because girls are still just getting involved in viewing the computer as an entertainment tool. Branding is important to rising above all the muck

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

24

6. Girls Appreciate Sensual InterfacesGirls tend to respond more positively to sensual interface. They need colorful, sound-driven interfaces that “feel” good. The interface needs to feel magical. Don’t give girls a group of identical gray pushbuttons, no matter how logically organized they may be; give them buttons that ring and change shape and color.

7. Don’t be Ashamed of your workIf you’re embarrassed by what you’re doing, it will show. Do it whole hearty or don’t do it at all. Girls can tell if you’re ashamed of making games for them. If you’re uncomfortable using terms like “hair play” or “relationship games” don’t bother.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s

25

Girls don’t like computer games because computers are technical-not all girls

A Few Misconceptions

Girls don’t like violence- what they don’t like is nonstop meaningless violence

Girls want everything to be happy and sweet- girl sometimes capable of being hurtful.

Girls don’t like to be scared.- girls like spooky but not scary.

G a m e s F o r G i r l s