2. Real World System
• What is complicated?
Factors and combination of factors that help attain
success at a highly-demanding job without
compromising family relationships
• Causal Patterns
- more work means more money but less time for family
- more time for family means less time for work and so
less money
- black and white?
3. Real World System
• Why does it call for replay?
Learn to balance the various duties and responsibilities
in order to achieve success at work and at home
• How does the simulation interpret real world
system?
Corporate lifestyle is a daily struggle to perform well at
work, be a caring spouse and a responsible parent
4. Similar Artifact: Courier
Similarities
• Text based decision
making game
• Simulation about trade-
offs in balancing
responsibilities
Differences
• Choices outcomes are
less transparent
• More possible outcomes
5. Similar Artifact: Ayiti
Similarities
• Social values reinforced
• Managing activities of
characters
• Complicated strategy
Differences
• No negative feedback
loop
• Fewer characters
6. Abstract Model
Key Elements
• Boss’s mood – employee duties
• Wife’s mood – husband duties
• Child’s mood – parent duties
• Money - success at work
• Time - progress in the game
Values
• No single factor can account for
success
• Importance of family
• Money does not equate to
happiness
7. Interaction Pattern
• What can be done?
The interactor decides
what action to be done
in each scenario
• How is this indicated?
At the beginning of each time step a prompt is
displayed, describing the task that needs to be
accomplished a set of choices of actions
8. Interaction Pattern
Visibility
• Meters change with every
decision step
State
• Time indicates progress in the
game
• Money indicates resources
available
Feedback
• Textual : prompts
• Visual : background images
• Result screens
9. Get fired
Get
Divorced
Shoppin
g
Task 1
Task 2
Task 3
Shopping
Everyone
happy
Accused of
being bad
father by child
Hire Nanny
Blackberry
Buy Gifts
Money>5000
Money>10000
Money>15000
Abstract Flowchart:
Start
Broke
10. Task 1: Negotiate
settlement
Wife
calls
Paid a bonus
of $10000
Pick up son
from school
Lost little time,
paid only $5000
Ask a friend to pick
up your son
Late for meeting ,
lose $5000
Pick up
son
Wife happy
Child happy
Boss upsetChild upset
Boss happy
wife upset
Child upset
Shopping
AnswerIgnore
Ignore
AnswerCalls
again
11. Task 2: Dinner with in-
laws
See
Boss
Lose $5000
Stay longer to
score a client
Neutral choice
Joined family
late
Paid a bonus of
$5000
Win a client
Wife upset,
Boss happy
Wife happy
Boss upset
Boss upset
wife happy
Shopping
Carry on with
dinner
Go over
Boss
calls
Ignore
Stay
Leave
Go over
12. Task 3: Organize Son’s
Birthday party
Whic
h task
first?
Took more time
because of traffic
Finished
documents and
attended party
Documents
unfinished. Lose
$5000
Paid a bonus of
$5000
child upset,
Boss happy
Boss upset
child happy
End
Pick up cake
Got caught
up in
work.
Time for
party
Finish documents
Prepare documents
for merger deal
nanny
availabl
e
Send nanny to
pick up cake
Leave
immediately
no
Stay
Stay at
party
Skip
13. Motivating Replay
• Learn and discover by exploring
- Hire a nanny to delegate responsibilities
- Buying blackberry upsets wife
• Multiple ways to win or lose the game , make
players want to explore all the ways.
• Emotional affinity to see characters happy
14. Future Improvements
• Satirical tone
• More user choices:
- wife working or not working
- the kind of job they have
• More characters that influence decisions
- colleagues
- friends
