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How to Help Your Players Stop Saving All The Time

How to Help Your Players Stop Saving All The Time. A Theory on Save/Load Compulsions. Randy Smith rsmith@ea.com Electronic Arts Los Angeles Montreal International Game Summit 2007. Part One – Some Context. Definitions and Research. Design Goals and parameters. Part Two – Some Theory.

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How to Help Your Players Stop Saving All The Time

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  1. How to Help Your PlayersStop Saving All The Time A Theory on Save/Load Compulsions Randy Smith rsmith@ea.com Electronic Arts Los Angeles Montreal International Game Summit 2007

  2. Part One – Some Context Definitions and Research Design Goals and parameters Part Two – Some Theory Specific design techniques Math type stuff

  3. Part One – Some Context

  4. What is a Save/Load Compulsion?

  5. Sufferers feel the need to check / wash repetitively. ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder Most drives have natural completion points that trigger goal satisfaction. Safety drives don’t, so humans developed feedback to know when to stop. This “security feeling” is broken in people with OCD.

  6. “Safety” equally relevant to Save/Load. OCD andSave/Load Compulsive saving = Save doesn’t make players feel safe enough. Might not be a disorder, as games are different than life – risk and predictability.

  7. Leveling Compulsion Loop + Psyche Terms Positive Reinforcement Reinforcer stimulus + +

  8. Save/Load Compulsion Loop + + +

  9. Positive Reinforcement Reload is Cheap Save Often +

  10. Negative Reinforcement - Reload is Expensive Save Often Psyche Terms Negative Reinforcement Aversive stimulus

  11. Unified Theory Expensive reload = aversive stimulus which negatively reinforces Saving Often “Security feeling” = feedback you’ve saved recently enough No “Security feeling”  Compulsive Saving

  12. Concepts Going Forward Player Psychology (Note game worlds different than real world) Risk and Loss Cost and Value, e.g. – lost progress

  13. Story Time …and now…

  14. Ye OldeLegend of Save/Load In the beginning, games didn’t need save/load As games grew longer, save/load was introduced as a “magical bookmark” But then players used this magic to…

  15. YeMagic of Save/Load Redo the Past Eliminate Loss Strive for Mastery Explore Possibility

  16. Replay & yeInteractive Medium

  17. YeFantasy of “What If… ?” …this company hadn’t given me a job? ? …I had broken up with this girl to be with this girl? ? …I’d never moved to this town? ?

  18. YePsychology of YeGamer ? “What If…” Lack of Commitment ye Gamer

  19. YePoint Exploring Possibility is at the heart of our art form. Replay is a way to Explore Possibility. Save/load is a player tool we design that shapes how players experience Replay.

  20. Types of Save/Load Save Anywhere –Chaos Theory Unlimited Checkpoints –Medal of Honor Location Bound –Metroid Limited Resource Limited –Resident Evil Bookmark –Rogue No Save –Tekken

  21. The Danger of Limiting Save/Load

  22. Technology

  23. Compulsive Save/Load = Bad Unbalances the game Players don’t enjoy it Takes attention outside the game

  24. Limiting Save/LoadCan Make Games Better

  25. King Kong Type:Automatic Checkpoints Advantage:Felt bound to a seamlessly immersive experience. Save managed for me.

  26. System Shock Type:Self-Enforced Checkpoints Advantage:Felt committed to consequences of own successes and failures

  27. ADOM / Nethack Type:Bookmarking Advantage:Enforced learning of huge possibility space via failure. Enabled a new type of replay experience.

  28. In Pursuit of “What If…” Explore Possibility Eliminate Loss vs. Strive for Mastery “What If…” Unlimited save/load exacerbates. Limiting can help fix.

  29. How at odds? Most games present clear judgments about “better” and “worse” play. Players replay to strive for Mastery. Loss is imperfection, “worse." Players are conditioned to load whenever they experience Loss.

  30. Accepting Loss is Crucial to “What If…” By choosing one thing, you sacrifice another. If you could get both, or if one was objectively better, then that choice would be more valid. But when players sense loss, they feel urge to reload.

  31. Hypothetical Example Adventure game with “What If...” choices This girlfriend or that one, then the rest of the game is impacted by that decision Players would feel: There might be a “right” choice The loss of one girl triggers urge to reload They should use save/load to try out both options

  32. But If You Limit Save/Load Players forced to commit to decisions Learn that the game supports consequence Reverses the “reload at loss” conditioning

  33. Part One, in closing Reducing compulsions is good, regardless of load/save design

  34. Part Two – Some Theory What players gain and lose in the moment to moment Risk and Loss analysis players do

  35.  Game Time  Key Save Event Load Event Save Impulse Load Impulse Size = Strength of Impulse

  36. Impulses strong enough to cause Event Threshold Impulses not strong enough to cause Event

  37. ( play without Save/Load )

  38. Load Save Loss or or Risk Accept Loss Accept Risk

  39. Loss Analysis Chunk 1: Keep Playing = - 20 Hit Point delta: -50 +30 Chunk 2: Reload = - 30 Hit Point delta: -10 / min. x 3 min.

  40. =? - Different Resources Emotional Value

  41. Gambler’s Fallacy Context Effect Anchoring Framing Effect Affect Heuristic Just World Phenomenon Availability Heuristic Loss Aversion Mental Accounting Prospect Theory Endowment Effect Hyperbolic Discounting Transaction vs. Acquisition Value

  42. Prospect Theory A sure gain is better than a chance at a greater gain A sure loss is worse than a chance at a greater loss

  43. Prospect Theory Chunk 1: Keep Playing = - 20 Hit Point delta: -50 +30 Chunk 2: Reload = - 30 Hit Point delta: -10 / min. x 3 min.

  44. Ways to Reduce Impulse Strength Math Approach Psyche Approach

  45. Math Approach Bias Risk/Loss Analyses Away from Save/Load  Condition Players not to Save/Load

  46. Psyche Approach Leverage Psychology to Manipulate Players Away from Save/Load Framing Effect Gambler’s Fallacy

  47. Loss/Risk In Games vs. Real Life • Loss is Virtual • Risk is part of Game Appeal • Risk is engineered by the Designer

  48. Example Risks vs. Players reason about game design Players are worried about risks to their play experience

  49. Regret Loss Analysis Chunk 1: Keep Playing • Player Values • Game Resources • Play Experience • Real World Time How did I play? Chunk 2: Reload How could I have played, knowing what I know now?

  50. Loss Reload Examples “Screwed up last section anyway”  Chunk 1 has low value Got ambushed  Can replay much better after Load Fell off a ladder, lost progress Lots of Real World Time for Little Play Experience

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