Applied Ludology
Practical Methods for Analysing Game Play
ITU Copenhagen 2007-10-30
Aki Järvinen
www.gameswithoutfrontier s.net

background

game design research

typologies, categories, templates

‘rapid analysis methods’

theor y of player experience
psychology of goals
pretense behaviour
human abilities
psychology of emotions
psychology of entertainment

‘100+
games
project’

Asteroids Rummy games:
Ta g
Doom Gin, Canasta Croquet
Space Invaders
Paintball Magic the Black Jack
Dance Dance
Soccer Gathering Petanque
Revolution
Ice Hockey Mastermind Diner Dash
Animal Crossing
Basketball Frequency Nintendogs
The Sims
Ice Skating Wo r l d o f Bowling
MS Flight
Ta b l e t o p R P G s Warcraft Halo
Simulator
Te x a s H o l d ' e m Modern Art Hundred meter
Tr a c k & F i e l d
Poker Bridge (Contract sprint
Roulette
Carcassonne Bridge) Deal or No Deal
Slot machine
Go SimCity Who Wants to be
Rush Hour
Jigsaw puzzles Missile Command a Millionaire
14/15 Puzzle
Te t r i s FallOut Singstar
Rubik's Cube
Botfighters Rez Mancala
Hex
Lotto Silent Hill Darts
Myst
Legend of Zelda Chu-Chu Rocket Mario Kart
ICO
series Bomberman Rock Paper
Zork
SSX Half-life Scissors
Final Fantasy
Te k k e n s e r i e s Grand Theft Auto Pokemon
series
Civilization III Lost Cities
Billiards
Ticket to Ride Scratch ticket Max Payne
Boxing
Da Vinci Code Manga Manga! Puzzle Bobble
Backgammon
Ricochet Robot Bejeweled, Zoo We r e w o l f / M a f i a
Fantasy leagues
Monopoly Keeper L a b y r i n t h Wo o d e n
Connect-4
Snakes & Ladders Breakout Maze
Scrabble
Pac-Man Arkanoid Qix
Fox & Geese
Pong Skeet Loop
Lord of the
T i c - Ta c - To e Super Monkey Tw i s t e r
Rings: Boardgame
Tr i v i a l P u r s u i t Ball Hopscotch
Draughts /
Pictionary Tu g o f W a r Bingo
Checkers
Alias Sudoku Bonnie's
Risk
Chess Niagara Bookstore
Starcraft
Uno Zuma Snake
Cribbage
Solitaire Musical Chairs Flow
Dominoes
(Windows) Ye n g a

understanding game play

identifying design flaws

for students & teachers

game analysis boot camp

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Analysis
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IGE METHOD: pages 3 to 5
Identify Identify Identify Identify
Identify Identify Identify
Interface Theme Players Contexts
Compo- Environ- Informa-
nents ments tion
Summa-
rize &
Start
Add
Notes
GGM METHOD
Identify Define Summa-
Link Mec-
Identify &
Game Game rize &
hanics
Categorize
Mecha- Start
Mech. Add
to Goals
Goals
nics Relations Notes
IEC METHOD
Analyse
Analyse
Define
Select Identify
Identify Identify Proxim.
Proxim.
Game
Emotion Uncer-
Fear Hope to End
to Victory
Sequ-
type tainty Condition
Condition
ence
Summa-
TBA in
rize &
phase2!
Start
Add
Notes
PAS METHOD
TBA in
Identify Construct
Choose
phase2!
Uncer- Player
from
Start
tainty Ability
GGM
Factors Set
Analyses
IGR METHOD
TBA in Summa-
Identify Identify Identify Identify
phase2!! rize & Start
Motiv. & Goals & Feedback Outcome
Add
Gratif. Means Rhetoric Rhetoric

http://www.gameswithoutfrontier s.net/
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METHOD #1
Identifying Game Elements

‘system is a dynamic whole
with interacting parts’
Salen & Zimmerman

i.e. what parts are there in a
game system?

who owns the par ts?

a n s w e r c o m e s i n p a r t s , o r, i n
elements

9 game elements

self / other / system

rules as embodied into the
elements

components
environment
information
game game mechanics
elements rule set
theme
players
contexts

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METHOD #2
Identifying Goals and
Game Mechanics

how do the par ts interact?

ever y player action that needs
to be acknowledged by the game
system is in relation to goal(s)

the road to attaining goals is
beset by emotions

goal categories

Accomplish Gain Information
Accumulate Gain Ownership
Alignment Guard
Capture Herd
Collection King of the Hill
Conceal Last Man Standing
Configuration Match
Connection Nur ture
Contact Outplay
Deliver y Overcome
Discard Race
Eliminate Reconnaissance
Enclosure Rescue
Evade Stealth
Exploration Sur vive
Gain Competence Tr a v e r s e

the road to attaining goals is
beset by player performances, i.e.
sets of actions

actions defined as
game mechanics

game mechanics as verbs

library of game mechanics

Accelerating / Decelerating Information-seeking
Aiming & Shooting Jumping
Allocating Manoeuvring
Arranging Motion
Attacking / Defending Moving
Bidding Operating
Browsing Pe r fo r m i n g
Building Placing
Buying / Selling Po i n t - t o - p o i n t M ove m e n t
Catching Powe r i n g
Choosing Sequencing
Composing Sprinting / Slowing
Conquering Stor ytelling
Contracting Submitting
Controlling Substituting
Conversing Ta k i n g
Discarding Tr a d i n g
Enclosing Tr a n s f o r m i n g
Expressing Upgrading / Downgrading
Herding Vo t i n g

Accelerating / Decelerating
The players are allowed to change the
speed of the game element (often
component-of-self) they are controlling.
Examples: Mario Kart, SSX.
Notes: Often a submechanic to
Manoeuvring.

Operating
Ta k i n g a n a c t i o n w h e r e a n o b j e c t
belonging to the game system is
operated. Usually the operation
executes a game system procedure that
produces information or change in other
game elements.
Examples: Rolling a dice, spinning a
wheel of for tune, opening a door in an
adventure game.

how do sets of game
mechanics relate to the
dynamics of game play?

what are ‘core mechanics’
made of?

how are various game
mechanics related to the
goals of the game?

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METHOD #3
Identifying Eliciting
Conditions for
Emotions:
Suspense

Understanding Video Games
as Emotional Experiences

‘embodying feeling into a work’
Gerald Cupchick on artistic practices

how is feeling embodied into
game designs?

emotions are phasic:
recognition
appraisal
action tendency

game play is phasic
recognition of something
significant
making an appraisal of the
situation and what to do
taking actions within the rules

Irreversibility: Shadow of the Colossus
Hopelessness (undesirability +
irreversibility)
Resignation (undesirability +
inevitability)
Sense of Loss & Inevitability as key
moods

emotions as valenced
reactions to events, agents,
or objects
O r t o n y, C o l l i n s & C l o r e

adapting
the OCC
model

suspense as a compound emotion
of hope + fear + uncer tainty
O r t o n y, C o l l i n s & C l o r e

variables that affect the
intensity of emotions

a n a l y z i n g h o p e , f e a r, a n d
uncertainty

+ sense of proximity
+ modulation of intensity

looking for embodiments,
culmination points, game states
with high emotional valence

identifying
‘vectors of suspense’
‘areas of hope’
‘areas of fear’
‘factors of uncertainty’
etc.

Example:
identifying
eliciting
conditions
for
suspense

aki@gameswithoutfrontiers.net
http://www.gameswithoutfrontier s.net
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gameswithoutfrontiers

mygamestudies.com
2007 . 12 . 10
Play to Understand