Reading: Casual Game Design.

For our Week 7 reading (Space of Possibility and Pacing in Casual Game Design, by Marcos Venturelli) we were asked to describe the design components that Venturelli believes are important for the creation of casual games, and how can they work together to provide a space for great user experiences.

  Venturelli describes casual games as those you can Pick up and Play, the sort of games that are enjoyed in small bursts and which the player won't be penalized in some way by interrupting the game play.  He goes on to describe Pacing, the way in which casual games are given a rhythm, and which the different parts of the system are put into motion.  Pacing is also used to create Relaxation, Tension and Repetition.

 We also have "Related Concepts", these are four concepts relating to pacing, they are; Movement Impetus, Tension, Threat and Tempo.  These four elements happen inside the lower arch of pacing (that of a level or specific play session), and the upper arch of pacing, that represents the long-term relation between the player and the game, and how much time they invest before becoming bored or frustrated and abandoning play.

  

As you can see above, all the lower arches of pacing are contained within the upper arch.

- Tension (This is the perceived danger that a player might become the weakest side of the conflict).   Aesthetic resources such as graphics and sound can be used to increased the tension, but not the threat.

- Threat (This is the actual power of the opposing forces on the conflict, the system itself or other players).    Threat is generated on the level of game mechanics, existing as the power struggle tips in favour of the system or player(s) opponents. 

- Movement Impetus (This is the will or power of the player to move forward through a level, it determines how willing the player is to making advancement decisions).

- Tempo (This is the intensity of play, the time between each significant decision made by the player).

  I refer to the term Analysis Paralysis in relation to Movement Impetus.  Analysis Paralysis refers to over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation, so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome.  A decision can be treated as over-complicated, with too many detailed options, so that a choice is never made, rather than try something and change if a major problem arises. A person might be seeking the optimal or "perfect" solution upfront, and fear making any decision which could lead to erroneous results, when on the way to a better solution (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis).

  Moving on further, the Space of Possibility is related to Tempo.  If space is small, and the game solvable, choice is limited and the player(s) bore.  To design a game is to design a space of possibility, it is the creation of a structure that will play out in complex and unpredictable ways, a space of possible action that players explore as they take part in the game.  If a player is forced to take action within within a system without feeling that they have assessed all the possible actions or outcomes for that game state, they are likely to become frustrated.  Giving players more things to choose from increases the Tempo of the game.

Seen in the figure above, as the space of possibility increases, tempo also increases.  Higher tempo generates a lower player impetus.

  Player impetus is kept constant throughout the upper arch, providing the sensation that it is impossible to stop playing, combined with the relation between threat and tension and creating an optimum challenge, the players can reach a state of "Flow" (as described in an earlier post).

  Venturelli concludes before his case studies by mentioning replacing mechanics to keep the player(s) enticed instead of adding new ones and making the games over-complex.  The idea of a casual game is that the player doesn't see the complexity.  We can player mechanics and change the game world, we can also use a core mechanic break, which is a change in the pace by adding a bonus level for instance.  By adding something like a bonus level, we change the pattern in which the game plays and the way our minds process it, therefore new patterns mean more game play, which further entice the player(s).

  Venturelli has written a very concise article that I think anyone should read to grasp how a casual game is created and how they keep us "addicted" to them.  He makes a good point of breaking it down into the base concepts, producing an almost ideal list for designers to work from.