Games Decisions
So today will be discussing an article by Daniel Cook in where he
talks about an app which appends to involve some the core concepts of game
design and how fun is introduced.
He starts off by talking about cosiness,
so what is cosy?
Cosiness is how strong a game
evokes fantasy of safety, abundance and softness.
each of these elements make a
game have very little risk, most things like food and shelter and provided and
the game gives a low level of stress vibe so it's more about being safe and it
also sometimes involves ways to make you more feeling good about yourself.
This usually involves setting a
safe precise place for people to escape there day to day life and opt in for a
more relaxed safe space where they can get lost in a fantasy world.
As humans when we get hungry,
we are motivated to get some food because we need it, same can be said in
computer games, when we want to escape the stress of life, we tend to go to
them instead.
if you can make players come
back for more then you made a good game.
cosy games tend to fulfil our
needs as a player, there is a hierarchy when it comes to games made by Maslow,
below you can see the table, mastery/self-reflection and connectedness is all
required in a cosy game. Cosy games give players a space
to deal with all the stress of life and make them enjoy their time in a fantasy
world for a little while and don’t need to worry about the high stress.
Maslow's Hierarchy of need as it relates to coziness
some games however negate cosiness and opt for a more hands on
approach to make players want to engage and make other things a priority.
Factors that negate cosiness
include:
Extrinsic reward, Danger, fear, threat, Responsibility, Unpleasant distractions, Intense stimulus, Distance, Phobia
sources, Non-consensual social presence, Confinement, Deception, betrayal,
lies, insincerity, Opulence, pretentiousness.
All of which make a game feel
more pushed towards the need to get more than then basics done which can usually
cause a little stress.
Why make cosy games? mostly because it gives a joy to a lot of
people in the world to make something happen outside of the real world and
allows players to explore a life, they wish they had.
most gamers are usually motivated on these things below
a good example of a game with cosiness is hearthstone, it's a
simple card game where you play other players to destroy your opponent, but
there is not much loss and players really enjoy it.
visuals can also be cosy in an RPG with games like the Witcher,
colours and light often play a big role in this.
Patterns in a cosy narrative would be, when cosiness is the central mode of a game’s
narrative, it tends to exhibit certain qualities, Low-pressure, Low-intensity, Ensemble, Non-violent, Intimate, Down-to-earth, Emphasis
on ritual seasons and Episodic
Cosy characters tend
to try befriending you in a game, they make you feel welcome and often offer
help and support to guide you on your journey, be it offering food or shelter
or even companionship.
so, in conclusion developers try to make cosy
games because it makes them feel good about making others happy, and games like
this tend to appeal to others which increases sales efforts.
The whole process of making a cosy game can have
a positive philosophy and make a big change in the world for all who play them.
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