We don't always get what we want

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We don't always get what we want

17 June 2005

In his books, Chris Crawford points out that to design a game, you must ask the question, "What will the players do?" Although it's a simple question, many games don't seem to have a decent answer to this question.

When I think about the question, "What will the players do?", some related questions come to my mind:

What do the players want to do? IE: What are their goals?
Should the game designer let the players achieve their goals?
And with what amount of effort?

I have discussed the idea of "What players want to do" in some previous articles, such as in Virtual world equation, where I provide several examples of desires/goals that players wish to fulfil. However, I assumed that players would eventually be able to fulfil those desires, as they imagined them. This is not necessarily the case...

To illustrate my points, I'll draw on two example desires/goals that a player might have:

To be an innkeeper - A player may wish to own and run a virtual (or real) inn.
To climb Mt. Everest - Some people (in real life) spend a large chunk of their lives training climb Mt. Everest. Mt. Everest (or an equivalent) could be built into a virtual world.

Working towards a desire/goal

When I was young (around 10 years old) and was GM-ing my first Dungeons & Dragons campaign, I quickly realised that my players wished to be powerful within the world, and able to defeat any monster they came upon. Not wishing to disappoint them, I handed out some fabulous magic items that made their characters virtually invincible... As you have undoubtedly guessed, it ruined the game.

Likewise, if a mountain climber were instantly teleported to the summit of Mt. Everest, they would be very unhappy. However, someone wishing to run an inn might not mind being given an already-working inn to run, because the fun part for them is the destination.

When designing the path to achieving a desire/goal, the designer might want to consider the following:

Sometimes the journey is more interesting/important than the destination, as in the case of Mt. Everest. After all, mountain climbers spend months trying to get to the summit, and only a few breathless hours at the top.
The more difficult it is to attain a goal, the more valuable it is to the player. Again, teleporting climbers to the summit of Mt. Everest devalues the experience.
In a multiplayer world, some goals must be difficult to attain since if they're not difficult, too many players will be competing for the same goal (aka: resource). A world can only support so many innkeepers. Likewise, if too many players reach the summit of Mt. Everest, it won't be a valuable goal any more. (See The parlour, the lobby, and the sand box.)
A goal can be divided into sub-goals. For example: To climb Everest, a mountain climber must fly to Nepal, drive to the base, hike to the first camp, acclimatise himself, hike to the second camp, etc.
- A sub-goal can be used to get players to try activities they wouldn't have tried on their own, expanding their horizons. A mountain climber flying to Mt. Everest may never have flown before, and decide that flying is more interesting than mountain climbing.
- Sub-goals introduce variety into the larger goal; variety makes the experience more fun. To get to the summit, a player must survive maze-like airports, drive the winding roads to Mt. Everest, climb to base camp, talk to people from all over the world, learn to use mountain climbing gear, understand how oxygen bottles work, etc. (See Stop the buffet.)
- Sub-goals can be used to get players to help fulfil each other's goals... On the way to Mt. Everest, the mountain climber must spend a night at an inn, fulfilling the innkeeper's goal.
The more realistic the game, the more the player can use his virtual experiences to aid his real-life goals. An accurate depiction of innkeeping will help players decide if they want to become a restaurant or B&B owner in real life. The same could be said for climbing Mt. Everest, if the game could simulate the physical stresses of climbing and elevation.

However, if the experience it too realistic, not many players will stick with the game. After all, paying virtual taxes is even less fun than paying real taxes.

Experiencing the desire/goal

What happens when the player achieves his desire/goal? What is the summit of Mt. Everest like? What does an innkeeper really do for his job?

One very important rule for fiction authors is to never give the readers exactly what they expect; if possible, give them something better than they are expecting. Why? Because pleasant surprises are more fun.

In terms of gameplay, those players that reach the top of Mt. Everest should encounter an unexpected twist. Being an innkeeper should also present an experience slightly different that what players think innkeeping should be like, including some negative aspects such as chasing down customers that don't pay, and cleaning the toilets.
A brave game designer might even do a "bait and switch." When the player finally achieves his desire/goal, he discovers that the game designer isn't really providing an innkeeper or Mt. Everest experience, but something different which still resonates with the player's desires, if only at a sub-conscious level. Of course, the "plot twist" had better be pretty spectacular to offset the disappointment that some players will have.
In a multiplayer world, players may have to work to hold onto their goal. For example: The innkeeper must stay profitable, or he will go out of business. Failed inns allow other players a chance to be an innkeeper.
The experience can be divided into sub-activities, much as sub-goals are needed to achieve the major goal.
- The sub-activities might be designed to get players to try different sub-games and expand their horizons. The innkeeper might need to deliver some pizza to the base-camp at Everest, thereby experience some mountain climbing.
  
  Such sub-activities might help the player determine what he really wants to get out of the game, not what he thinks he wants. In the case of being an innkeeper, maybe the player really wants to be an innkeeper because he likes to socialise with a lot of different people. Sitting around base-camp and talking to all the mountain climbers would also be rewarding to the player.
- Sub-activities should introduce variety into the routine, so it doesn't become dull.
- To maintain their goal, players may be required to help other players with their own goals. The innkeeper might need to help mountain climbers that stop by his inn.
  
  Sub-activities could be further augmented so players see how their actions (and desires) affect other players.
Realism of the game, as mentioned previously.

After the desire/goal has been achieved

At some point, all mountain climbers (except the dead ones) must leave the summit, and an innkeeper must give up his inn. What happens then?

Some goals/desires include fame or other perks. Many mountain climbers tackle Everest so they can tell their friends, family, and strangers that they are one of the few that have reached its peak. While bragging about having run an inn is rare, many innkeepers get to know their patrons and continue to socialise with them long after then inn has been sold.
The completion of of goal may open up doors to other goals; maybe a mountain climber will decide to buy the quaint inn he stopped by on the way to Everest, or vice versa.

Complexities

Throughout this document I have discussed a player's desires and goals in somewhat simplistic terms:

I have implied that a player will only have one goal. Of course, this is an oversimplification since players will have many goals and desires, some of them conflicting.
Some goals and desires will be subconscious. Players will only be able to describe their conscious desires. A good game design fulfils their subconscious goals too.
Players will have goals and desires that may be different than the player characters' goals and desires. The strongest motivations come from the player's personal goals/desires, while the character-based motivations are easier for the game designer to control.

Example: The player's motivations might come from childhood fantasies, such as the desire to fly or to be a prince/princess. Every player approaches the game with different motivations, filtered by the player's expectations of what the game will be about. (Players looking for romance won't expect to find it in a FPS.)

The character's motivations are provided by the game's backstory. They could include rescuing the character's kidnapped father, saving the village, or just getting more points. The more the player can empathise with his character, the more easily the player can incorporate his character's goals into his own.

What does this mean?

For a goal, determine how working towards the goal, achieving it, and reminiscing on the experience work within the game's experience. Sometimes the "game" part will only occupy one of the three phrases of the goal.
Don't give players exactly what they expect.
Use sub-goals and sub-activities as a way to introduce different goals, games, real-life skills/knowledge, and interactions between players.
Players do not necessarily have the same goals as their characters.