Cruising around the internet I happened upon a thesis for a doctorate written by Pippin Bar. The paper was based on the idea that people are pushed to adopt certain values when playing games. Specifically, here we are talking about the interactions between humans and computers. Why we decide whether we go stealth or kill the soldiers. Why we decide to kill NPCs or save them. It encompasses the way we act morally or amorally towards a computer.
In most games, particular values are forced upon you. In Dark Souls you kill the knights because the knights will kill you. In Warcraft you attack the Orcs because they are attacking the humans. While moral questions are asked the correct value the player should be motivated towards is highly controlled by the video game that you are playing. The video game gives you an interface to enact the values that it demands of you.
The underlying motivation of a player is not necessarily in parallel with the motivation or the values of the game. There is a distinct difference between the character of the person playing a game and what they are doing in the game. While the video game values of Grand Theft Auto is promoting the shooting of rival gangs, the actual player themselves is in it for the motivation of completion or attaining the in-game goals. If you want complete the game then you must do this action.
What I found most interesting about this concept is that from the outside I believe there is a general misunderstanding of the motivation within the game and the player. A lot of people see the values of a game like Grand Theft Auto and believe that the values of the game are the values subscribed to by the players themselves. This is a distinction that to anyone who has plays games most likely already knows but those looking in might not see. At some level, it is reasonable to ask why you would simulate shooting cops in Heist if you don't think it is okay to shoot cops.
In order to better understand the motivation behind following these values, two concepts are brought in to help give some idea. PAIDIA is the sustained belief that creative and exploratory conduct for its own sake in a video game is preferable to other forms of conduct during play.(Pippin 2008) LUDUS is the sustained belief that following rules and conventions in order to achieve defined goals in a video game are preferable to other forms of conduct during play.(Pippin 2008) These concepts were originally created by Roger Caillois. These also help bring in a well-defined convention.
In most games, particular values are forced upon you. In Dark Souls you kill the knights because the knights will kill you. In Warcraft you attack the Orcs because they are attacking the humans. While moral questions are asked the correct value the player should be motivated towards is highly controlled by the video game that you are playing. The video game gives you an interface to enact the values that it demands of you.
The underlying motivation of a player is not necessarily in parallel with the motivation or the values of the game. There is a distinct difference between the character of the person playing a game and what they are doing in the game. While the video game values of Grand Theft Auto is promoting the shooting of rival gangs, the actual player themselves is in it for the motivation of completion or attaining the in-game goals. If you want complete the game then you must do this action.
What I found most interesting about this concept is that from the outside I believe there is a general misunderstanding of the motivation within the game and the player. A lot of people see the values of a game like Grand Theft Auto and believe that the values of the game are the values subscribed to by the players themselves. This is a distinction that to anyone who has plays games most likely already knows but those looking in might not see. At some level, it is reasonable to ask why you would simulate shooting cops in Heist if you don't think it is okay to shoot cops.
In order to better understand the motivation behind following these values, two concepts are brought in to help give some idea. PAIDIA is the sustained belief that creative and exploratory conduct for its own sake in a video game is preferable to other forms of conduct during play.(Pippin 2008) LUDUS is the sustained belief that following rules and conventions in order to achieve defined goals in a video game are preferable to other forms of conduct during play.(Pippin 2008) These concepts were originally created by Roger Caillois. These also help bring in a well-defined convention.
These motivations seem obvious but at the same time make a lot of sense. Exploring and discovering are constantly what is described as the alluring aspect of open world games while following the rules to complete the game is something that a lot of players desire. These values are also reinforced with achievement that will give players some reward for their exploration or achievements. One can be emphasized more than other based on the type of game.
The idea of video game values is one that is circled around a lot in video game literature. Many articles I have read do not necessarily add this terminology to their text it is there. It is a great way of defining the actions forced upon the player of a given game. It is a good way of expressing the motivation and values put in by the developers of the game but it is not necessarily the value of all people who play the games.
The paper I linked above and here is a bit of a lengthy read by one worth reading.
The paper I linked above and here is a bit of a lengthy read by one worth reading.
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