EPORTFOLIO

There are 2 discussion topics within this week and here they are:

“GD1 - Rules and Choice - Games are tightly-constructed sets of rules — often extremely strict — and yet clever game designers hide the rules so that the player is convinced that they are making meaningful choices all the time. The human being, as a domesticated species, is easily led in this way; you drive on the right side of the road and follow the double yellow line without ever questioning this process, because you know even if you took the time and effort to challenge this rule set you’d still end up dead or in jail. Yet even though we are easily led, games have sets of incredibly constrained rules and abstract worlds which require a huge level of acceptance, on the part of the gamer, to play — for instance, why do I only have three lives in Asteroids, and why is any contact with another object in the game instantly fatal?

Give an example of a game you have played (video, board, card, etc.) which has an extremely strict and constrained rule set, but that you still found fun to play; describe the game briefly, and then explain what about it you found entertaining.

GD2 - The Magic Circle - Chapter 9 describes The Magic Circle, a concept which deals with the gamer’s willingness to “buy in” to the world of the game as created by the designer.

For this discussion, give an example of a game that, for you, created the illusion of the Magic Circle — in other words, a game which gave you the temporary illusion that you were a vital part of the game, that the game’s rules were your rules and your participation was important and needed.

THEN, give a counterexample — give an example of a moment in gameplay in a game in which something happened that shattered the circle and took you “out of the game” entirely; something which broke the faith between the game designer and the player, and ruined the illusion of the experience.”

Quoting Professor Michael Eilers.

1. 
   Ryan Bridglal said...
   3:50 pm - March 3rd, 2009

   Here’s my Post that was done on: 23 Jan 09 3:55 PM MST

   There are many role playing games on the market that fit into this discussion. One game I would love to talk about is the original Thief: The Dark Project for the PC platform. I spent a few hours playing this game because I loved everything about it. The story line, the realism it provided with my imagination, game play, rules and everything about it. I really got into that game and became the character. As I sunk around the shadows, it was my decision to complete the level with or without killing anyone. I had to develop a certain skill to become excellent at the game, to achieve my goals and complete the levels. The one thing that broke my illusion and actually lead to my cause to stop playing the game was the Artificial Life within the game. I understand the year was 1998 and the A.I. Technology was not as advanced as it is today (within video games). There came a point within the game, where I felt a bit stupid. I know, in reality, as I’m standing in a dark room, if someone is within a foot or 2 of my presence, you can see them. I ran into situations where I’m face to face with the enemy and they didn’t detect my presence. As the other versions of the game were released later on, I never bothered to buy them or download the demo. I know I wouldn’t mind playing them again, but never bothered. The developers would have to probably make a graphically beautiful game that has outstanding game play, a challenge with multi-player capabilities; to get me to spend $50 or $60 USD on another Thief game.

2. 
   Ryan Bridglal said...
   3:52 pm - March 3rd, 2009

   My response to another student:

   Originally done on: 24 Jan 09 1:32 PM MST

   Regarding the Age of Conan, there was so much hype about it, I’m shock the developers released it with such an obvious bug(s). I’m guessing they only tested the environment within a gigabyte LAN. Hey, if I had a game development company with 200 nodes, why not run test servers within the building? This could cause the developers to not realize that it takes time for everything to load. So what if the game was rated G? There’s a big violation of the ESRB. I haven’t done my research so I don’t know if the developers had an open beta over the Internet. Which is a great idea. On occasion, I’ll beta test games from the Aeria Games and Entertainment company. They open all their games to the public for free. As open beta, before they are officially released. This is great because it gives users a chance to taste the game before they commit to it 100%. It also exposes bugs that can be fixed before the final development. This open beta can be a bad thing for many games. The entertainment industry that surrounds us, loves to over hype and market titles before they are released. With hopes of making sales quotas. So wouldn’t it have been nice if the developers behind the Age of Conan would have release an open beta for 1 or 2 months….. for a maximum of 200 players?

   Within a month or 2, the company could have exposed the bugs and get started on patching them before the ultimate release. They could still hype the release with advertisements and promotions to the world because the beta is limited to only 200 people. Personally, if I played a beta (for free) and disliked it, I wouldn’t buy the game. Which is the case with my experience with the Aeria Games and Entertainment Company. I like some of their ideas and games, but I won’t spend any money on it.