D. Keith Robinson

Rands In Repose: Gaming the System

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:09:39 -0800

Rands In Repose: Gaming the System:

Rands on games in the workplace. A fun read.

Achievement Design 101

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:56:48 -0800

Achievement Design 101:

Some good stuff from Greg McClanahan (Kongregate) here, will be referring back to this soon.

Thoughts on using competitive game mechanics to drive behavior

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 21:09:00 -0800

Earlier today I fired off a quick tweet, mostly to remind myself of a thought I had while out and about today.

Game mechs that promote direct competition (leaderboards) are tricky when (as the often are) used outside of a competitive game context.

What I’m talking about is using competitive game mechanics; such as reputation, Karma points and leaderboards and the like to encourage participation. For example, many web applications use these mechanics to get people to add and rate content and it seems to work really well. Some examples off the top of my head; Digg, Yelp and my own 97 Bottles all do this.

These mechanics very often become competitive and also lend themselves to gaming (which is often, essentially, cheating) and, because that’s not always the intent, can then lead to problems.

(Here is a specific bit on how Karma can backfire.)

There is a lot of talk, and there will likely be more, about using game mechanics to drive user behavior in web applications (and other things that aren’t games and aren’t intended to be competitive.) I think this talk, for the most part, it’s a good idea and often makes a lot of sense. However, designers and product folks who go down this route should do so with their eyes open and fully aware of the potential risks.

If you introduce a mechanic that can be competitive you can probably bet that competition will follow. Sometimes this is fine, and can be a good thing. With 97 Bottles, for example, the nature of the site seemed to fit well with a bit of competition, and really our mechanics we’re pretty light so there wasn’t a lot to worry about. However, we’ve seen other applications, Digg comes to mind, where their competitive game mechanics essentially backfired when the system began to be gamed and the behaviors we’re leaning away from honest participation to gaming the system.

I’m not in a position to give any solid advice regarding utilization of competitive game mechanics to drive user behavior when competition isn’t the goal. Well with the exception that I think you should be aware that competition can, and likely will, happen if you use competitive game mechanics.

PetVille Ends Cross-Promotion of Zynga Poker – Is Synchronous Game Play Dead?

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:55:04 -0800

PetVille Ends Cross-Promotion of Zynga Poker – Is Synchronous Game Play Dead?:

Most of the interesting stuff is after the news bit. We had a discussion today about this very topic; theorizing that most players of casual/social games don’t want to wait, meaning any real-time PVP action would need to be pre-arranged (yeah right) or played against available strangers.

Anyway, interesting stuff.

Should Facebook Create a New Type of Relationship for Game Friends?

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:43:02 -0800

Should Facebook Create a New Type of Relationship for Game Friends? :

At its core I think this is a very solid idea.

How Simple Game Mechanics Can Impassion People To Do More Business With You – with Amy Jo Kim

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:01:04 -0800

How Simple Game Mechanics Can Impassion People To Do More Business With You – with Amy Jo Kim :

Interesting interview with Amy Jo Kim from Shufflebrain on the overlap between traditional web design/dev (specifically in web apps) and game mechanics.

(Among other things, like community, fundamental game mechanics, etc.)

I found this really, really interesting. Coming into game design from the web design/web app world it’s been pretty eye opening to see the relationships and how I’d been using game mechanics in my designs for years. Chances are if you’re designing web apps you’ve been doing that as well.

I’d even take it a step further and say that if you’ve been doing UI/UX/IA etc. work for web apps you’d probably do well to read up on game mechanics as it could help add some context to much of what you use to drive behavior. Much of it what you discover will be things you already know, or close to know, but the language and formal structure you’ll learn could really help you. I know it’s been helpful to me, and I think it’s made me a better overall designer.

With 97bottles.com, we designed in a bunch of game mechanics (many of which never made it into the app) but didn’t really consciously recognize them as game mechanics. Learning the language and beginning to consciously understand those mechanics has been really helpful in many ways.

As well, I think making the jump from web app designer to game designer is a do-able one and in many ways, especially when we’re talking about social web-based games, your skills are a great match and perfect place to start.

Presentation: Gaming the Web: Using the Structure of Games to Design Better Web Apps

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:21:37 -0800

Presentation: Gaming the Web: Using the Structure of Games to Design Better Web Apps:

An interesting presentation from Dan Saffer about how Web Application designers can use game mechanics, processes and concepts to improve their applications.

GAMBIT: Read Me: Academic Papers

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:20:24 -0800

GAMBIT: Read Me: Academic Papers:

A wealth of interesting papers on gaming and game design here.

Bad Game Designer, No Twinkie! X

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:59:35 -0800

Bad Game Designer, No Twinkie! X:

List of game design no-nos.

russell davies: playful

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:48:30 -0800

russell davies: playful:

On Barley Games and pretending. Good stuff.

Thoughts on Assassin's Creed 2

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:06:00 -0800

(Quick note: I’m going to be posting notes and observations about the games I’ve been playing. These aren’t really reviews, they’re more of a way to capture some specific bits about what I think it fun, interesting, annoying, etc. about games.)

Last night I finished Assassin’s Creed 2 (played on my XBOX 360) and, for the most part, I really enjoyed it. The fact that I made it through to the end completing quite a bit of the unnecessary stuff says a lot. Overall I’d say it’s well worth what I paid for it and would certainly recommend it to others.

So, the notes:

For the most part I found AC2 really fun. It’s hard, but rewarding and the story is a bit confusing and disjointed at times, but interesting and compelling enough to keep interest. The graphics, despite some small glitches, were terrific, especially the environments. I’d say this is an example of an excellent game in just about every area.
There were quite a few times when the game REALLY frustrated me. This was mostly due to inconstant controls and camera. It simply didn’t work the same at all times and I felt let down whenever it did so. So much so that I was actually chuckling a bit and verbally teasing the game as I played. “Don’t mind me, I’m just going to make out with the wall here.” (Controls, Camera)
I’d say the game was challenging, probably a bit too challenging in some parts. Having said that, the really difficult parts aren’t mandatory, and it’s clear you don’t need to do them. To their further credit, they’re also very rewarding. I liked how they added some extra difficulty to the game in a way that didn’t impede progress. (Difficulty, Optional Content)
There were a few moments of real joy and fun in the game. When you mean your uncle Mario, for example, and when you finally get the special armor. Oh and the flying mission. These were well done in every way and really added to the overall fun factor. (Writing, Story, Gameplay, Fun)
The game gets a bit repetitive at times, but never annoyingly so. This is a testament to the overall game mechanics which are really fun and, when the controls and camera are working well, a pleasure to do over and over again. (Mechanics)
The story is interesting, if a bit convoluted and hard to follow at times. The extras in the game allow for an amazing amount of extra depth, and, for the most part I enjoyed all the little extra bits, even though I didn’t play them all. My only gripe here is that the overall missions didn’t really seem to fit all that well with the story arch. They worked, but not as well as they probably could have. (Story, Writing)
The production values, graphics, art, etc. are amazing. The environments are especially beautiful. As fun as the game is to play, what really kept me engaged and exploring was the beauty of the Italian cities and country-side. Exploration is certainly rewarded, but I could see myself exploring even if it wasn’t, that’s how great it was. (Graphics, Tech, Setting)

Tales of the Rampant Coyote: What Makes a Great RPG?

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:47:07 -0800

Tales of the Rampant Coyote: What Makes a Great RPG?:

Lots of good stuff in this series. I especially liked the bit about mechanics.

"He’s specifically looking for independent game studios making games that have things like well..."

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:20:29 -0800

“He’s specifically looking for independent game studios making games that have things like well thought-out, engaging storylines and character development, high-quality art and other production qualities, and generally aspire to create “original intellectual property.”

- Playdom Co-Founder Investing in “Original IP” Social Gaming Startups

Really cool to see this as it’s exactly what we’re doing right now. Social gaming is hot, and rightfully so, but it’s also missing quality and originality in almost every aspect. That will change.

What Gamers Think About Microtransactions

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:45:00 -0800

What Gamers Think About Microtransactions:

Some good insight here. It’s kind of common-sense (which we know isn’t at all common) and summed up at the end:

“The key lessons are 1) to balance the relationship between paying and non-paying players, 2) balancing the transaction conditions that are expected from a virtual good and a real-life good, for example rental terms for in-game items. Furthermore it is important to create a good game where players can have fun with other people, but that is in no way exclusively tied to microtransactions, of course.”

Worth a full read.

Booyah’s MyTown: Location-Based Gaming Meets Monopoly

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 11:35:11 -0800

Booyah’s MyTown: Location-Based Gaming Meets Monopoly :

I thought Booyah Society was pretty cool. For about 10 minutes. MyTown looks like a much more interesting take on it, I’ll be checking it out for sure.

Why game maker SimpleGeo abandoned shoot-’em-ups to sell its in-house tools instead

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:17:38 -0800

Why game maker SimpleGeo abandoned shoot-’em-ups to sell its in-house tools instead:

Interesting and, from the look of things, a pretty good idea.

Pie Guy - a free web game for your iPhone

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:57:31 -0800

Pie Guy - a free web game for your iPhone:

This is a great example of what can be done with a web application on an iPhone. One has to wonder if this was more work than creating a native application though. Then again… with all the application store hassles it might have been worth it anyway!

Gowalla Ups Its Game And Hints At Future Business Models

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:49:01 -0800

Gowalla Ups Its Game And Hints At Future Business Models :

Been really enjoying Gowalla. I use both it and Foursquare, but for different things. Gowalla is more of a game I play, whereas Foursquare is for sharing my location with friends around town. They both offer similar features, but seem pretty different to me.

I think all the comparison between the two is really just a sign of the youth of the space.

Susan O'Connor On Games Writing

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:32:24 -0800

Susan O'Connor On Games Writing:

Susan O’Connor was one of the writers on Bioshock and here she gives a great interview where she talks about writing for games and how it can be improved. Lots of interesting insight here.

How ego saved the world one game at a time | thomas knoll

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 14:06:55 -0800

How ego saved the world one game at a time | thomas knoll:

It interesting stuff to think about. We’re starting to see how game theory is being used both in and out of games for a variety of reasons, why not for the greater good. An in-game example of this is how Farmville uses some of the higher end plants and items to drive charity as well as their bottom line.

Game theory and game mechanics are popping up everywhere and are clearly good motivators. I’d be surprised if we didn’t see more of this kind of thing.