This mind map is my note of the talk: Precision of Emotion: A New Kind of “Fun” Approach in Educational Games.
Reflection: Analyzing the Civilization Series Using Sophia
Using Sophia, I can explain a common phenomenon: why many games are most fun at the beginning, but gradually become uninteresting in the mid-game.
Taking Civilization VI as an example, in the first 50 turns, the player faces an unknown map, a weak civilization, and scarce resources. This creates a feeling of fear in the player. Around turn 100, the player has basically mastered various abilities: technology, culture, military, faith… At this point, the player’s happiness reaches its peak. The player’s control over the game is far stronger than at the start, and all of this develops gradually through exploring the map, researching technology, and building wonders (these exploratory actions are often accompanied by surprise, especially when you discover a natural wonder or a hostile civilization next to your own). By around turn 200, the game has entered “garbage time.” The player is already very clear that they can win. Meanwhile, the amount of operation becomes huge, causing a loss of interest.
To solve the problem of “many players not playing until the endgame,” Civilization VII made a change, requiring players to re-select and rebuild their civilization in three stages: early, mid, and late game. However, it doesn’t seem to be very successful, because the fear in the mid and late stages is not genuine fear. Although the player’s stats are reset, their ability to control the environment remains. Furthermore, the lack of surprise (for example, the map can only be explored once) also makes the civilization rebuilding in the mid and late stages lack an exploratory experience. This is a practical exercise in diagnosing a game using Sophia.
