Why is designing game worlds for different player types important?

Designing game worlds for different player types is important because it allows us to create engaging experiences by focusing on their preferences and adapting our designs accordingly.

How can game designers cater to different player types?

Game designers can cater to different player types by prioritizing aspects like immersion, creativity, story, and player agency, while also considering the importance of multiplayer gameplay and finding the right balance of difficulty and trust.

What can happen if game designers try to cater to every type of player?

Trying to cater to every type of player often leads to failure and frustration in game design.

How can sidequests be made more engaging in open world games?

Sidequests can be made more engaging by having a central problem, a sense of closure, and connections to the main game, which helps prevent players from losing interest.

How can multiplayer activities be designed to encourage collaboration?

Multiplayer activities can be designed to encourage collaboration by finding the right balance of difficulty and considering the level of trust players have with each other.

Designing for Different Player Types

Name: Designing for Different Player Types
Uploaded: 2023-09-07 05:44:14
Description: Designing game worlds that cater to different player types is essential for creating engaging experiences and requires prioritizing aspects like immersion, creativity, story, and player agency while considering the importance of multiplayer gameplay and finding the right balance of difficulty and trust.

This article is a summary of a YouTube video "World Design for Different Player Types" by GDC

TLDR Designing game worlds that cater to different player types is essential for creating engaging experiences and requires prioritizing aspects like immersion, creativity, story, and player agency while considering the importance of multiplayer gameplay and finding the right balance of difficulty and trust.

Player Values and Experience

🔄

As game designers, we often focus on building systems and mechanics for specific player types, but we should also consider how world design can cater to different audiences and adapt to their changing values over time.
🎮

Focusing on what the player values will help game designers ship a successful game, as it narrows down the possibilities and avoids feature creep and crunching on something that players don't truly value.
🌊

The controversial decision to flood the village to stop the disease from spreading highlights the moral dilemmas that players may face in games.
⏸️

Building intentional downtime in games is important to allow players to relax and connect with others, as they will seek downtime outside of the game if it's not provided.
🐉

The option to choose to fight a dragon in a game gives players agency and adds to their enjoyment, rather than being forced into it.
💡

The principles behind the examples provided are more important than the examples themselves, serving as starting points for game design.

World Design and Community

🌊

The player's actions of draining the lake in order to access old Crestwood and defeating the boss result in a transformation of the world from dark and stormy to sunny and peaceful.
🤝

Designing multiplayer worlds is a complex task as designers need to create a personal experience for each player while also allowing them to feel important and accomplish goals together with their group of friends.
😊

One of the goals in designing public events in Destiny is to make players happy to see each other and create an environment where strangers cannot negatively impact each other's experiences.
🚩

Public events in the game serve as a focal point for strangers to come together and collaborate, creating a sense of community and teamwork.

Q&A

Why is designing game worlds for different player types important?

— Designing game worlds for different player types is important because it allows us to create engaging experiences by focusing on their preferences and adapting our designs accordingly.
How can game designers cater to different player types?

— Game designers can cater to different player types by prioritizing aspects like immersion, creativity, story, and player agency, while also considering the importance of multiplayer gameplay and finding the right balance of difficulty and trust.
What can happen if game designers try to cater to every type of player?

— Trying to cater to every type of player often leads to failure and frustration in game design.
How can sidequests be made more engaging in open world games?

— Sidequests can be made more engaging by having a central problem, a sense of closure, and connections to the main game, which helps prevent players from losing interest.
How can multiplayer activities be designed to encourage collaboration?

— Multiplayer activities can be designed to encourage collaboration by finding the right balance of difficulty and considering the level of trust players have with each other.

Timestamped Summary

🌍

00:00
Designing worlds for different player types is crucial for creating engaging experiences, as understanding what players value allows us to adapt our designs accordingly and avoid frustration.
🎮

03:39
Designing game worlds for different player types: focus on immersion, creativity, friendly shared worlds, and player agency for mastery and achievement; conflicting motivations in role-playing games; players feeling overwhelmed with content in Dragon Age Inquisition.
🎮

06:17
Smaller, focused worlds with simple sidequest narratives can provide a satisfying experience for players who enjoy story and exploration, while integrating and presenting content in a meaningful way is crucial for engagement in open world games.
🌍

11:28
Designing RPG worlds for different player types requires prioritizing aspects like story for story-driven players, while still creating a multiplayer experience where players can feel important and accomplish goals together, as seen in Dragon Age and Destiny 2.
🎮

14:05
Shorter adventures were created to improve social interaction in the game, but players often didn't understand the narrative context; simplified narratives were used, but long quest lines were eventually brought back due to their value to players; public events in Destiny bring strangers together in short combat experiences to make players happy to see each other and prevent negative impact; intentional downtime is important in game design to bring players together and prevent seeking downtime outside of the game.
🎮

19:08
Finding the right balance of difficulty and trust is crucial for encouraging multiplayer gameplay, while considering the importance of immersion and gameplay for different player types.
🎮

23:03
Create challenge and agency for players by allowing them to choose when and where to engage in difficult encounters, cater to different player preferences, avoid difficulty spikes, and add surprises to maintain excitement in repetitive gameplay.
🌍

27:57
Design worlds for different player types by considering their motivations and justifying design decisions based on the target audience, as world design is constantly evolving.