Games Decisions

The reading for this week is about the interactivity between players and systems that sets games apart from most other traditional media. Discussing the decision making and flow theory for games. Being a systems designer, you will have to deal with these when making a game.

The article, Cozy Game by Daniel Cook was one of the articles I read for this week was written for an audience of interaction designers to explain what productivity applications can learn from games. In the process, it also happens to touch on some core concepts of game design and the nature of "fun" which is one of the topics we discuss.

I learn that coziness refers to how strongly a game evokes the safety, abundance and softness.

• Safety: A cozy game shouldn't have any danger and risk. There isn't any loss or threat for a cozy game.
• Abundance: A cozy game should have a sense of quality. Nothing is lacking, pressing or imminent.
• Softness: A cozy game uses strong aesthetic signals that tell players they are in a low stress environment full of abundance and safety. Soft stimuli imply authenticity, sincerity and humanity.

The second article, Tips on Decision-Making was about what makes a good or bad decision for the game you are going to make and design.

The bad decision when you are making a game are:

•  Meaningless decisions: There is a choice to be made but it has no effect on gameplay. This is probably the worst kind.
• Obvious decisions: It should at least have an effect on the game. The fun of the game comes from showing off your skills.
• Blind decisions: This decision will have an effect on the game and the answer is not obvious but there will have an additional problem. The players don't have sufficient knowledge on which to make the decision, so it is essentially random.

The good decision when you are making a game are:

• Resource trades: You give one thing up in exchange for another, where both are valuable. This is a value judgment and the player's ability to correctly judge is what determines the game's outcome.
• Risk VS Reward: One choice is safe. The other choicer has a greater payoff but also a higher risk of failure. The outcome is based on your choice for your game.
• Choice of actions: The player must choose the actions that they feel are the more important a the time.
• Short term VS Long term: The player must balance immediate needs against long term goals.
• Social information: In games where bluffing, deal making and backstabbing are allowed. The player must choose between playing honestly or dishonesty.
• Dilemmas: You must give up one of several things.

The last article I read was Reddit thread on Comfy Game, it was other people's opinion about what is the comfiest/coziest game they played. I like this article because you can see the different games people play when it is a rainy day or a game you want to play while wrapped up in a blanket.

Wrong way, Right way;
Source: Pixabay