Raph Koster’s Insight on Games:
- Games are essentially teachers, with fun being another way of learning through achieving a “flow state.”
- Glass Lab’s Mars Generation 1: Argubot Academy (RPG Pokémon style) teaches argumentation.
- Funded by Gates and MacArthur foundations, this project saw kids eagerly learning in a school setting, revealing that fun and learning can overlap.
Emotion Lens:
- Paul Ekman identified basic emotions like fear, anger, happiness, etc., as universal across cultures. However, fun is a process, not a standalone emotion.
- In games, the transition from fear to happiness through surprise is termed “Sophia”—a cognitive process where understanding alleviates initial fear.
Sophia Games:
- These games connect the virtual world with reality, using exploration to create order and insight.
- The feeling of understanding at the game’s end gives players a sense of clarity about the real world, making these games more meaningful.
Emotional Hierarchy in Games:
- Games evoke a range of emotions:
- Fear in horror genres.
- Togetherness in multiplayer or cooperative experiences.
- Complicity in games like Papers, Please, where initial engagement leads to regret.
- Fiero or mastery in power-driven games like God of War or DOOM.
Sophia in All Games:
- Sophia drives the core emotional experience in every game to some extent. It is essential for meaningful learning experiences in games.
Learning Games:
- Learning games strive to generate emotional engagement, with sophia being central to driving that process.
- Fear, inherent in all games, helps drive the desire for mastery and alleviates player suffering.
Some Takeaways for Game Design:
- Is the core emotion clear and impactful?
- Is there enough surprise to balance the eventual satisfaction of mastery?
- Is there sufficient tension (fear), without overwhelming the player?
