 |
 |
| Buy the book | Free PDF |
Updated 14.5.2010: Added download link.
Back cover says:
In the Character-Driven Game Design, Petri Lankoski presents a theory that illuminates how game characters contribute to shaping the playing experience. Based on this theory he provides design tools for character-based games which utilize methods and theories derived from dramatic writing and game research.
“The use of Lajos Egri’s bone structure for a three dimensional-character and of Murray Smith’s three levels of imaginative engagement with characters allows the candidate to expose the full complexity of the imaginary persons represented and controlled in a single-player game. What makes his design-center approach even more interesting is that gameplay is an integral part of it.”
Bernard Perron, Associate Professor, Université de Montréal“Lankoski does a great job laying out the theory of primary interest to him, and making the case for the need to tether character design to game design more tightly than has been the case in the past. Certainly, too, putting attention to social networks of characters and finding useful design patterns to guide this level of game design is also of great value, and underexplored in the field.”
Katherine Isbister, Associate Professor, Polytechnic Institute of New York University
CONTENTS
| List of Publications | 9 |
| Acknowledgements | 10 |
| Introduction | 11 |
| – Characters as Facilitators of the Playing Experience? | 12 |
| – The Context of This Study | 13 |
| – Game Design | 14 |
| – Game Research | 15 |
| – Cognitive Sciences and Film Studies drawing on Cognitive Sciences | 16 |
| – Dramatic Writing for Theatre and Film | 17 |
| – Goals | 18 |
| – Methods | 18 |
| – Qualitative Analysis | 19 |
| – Gameplay Design Patterns | 19 |
| – Structure of This Thesis | 20 |
| Game Characters | 21 |
| – Understanding Other People | 21 |
| – Mimicry and Empathy | 22 |
| – Person Schema | 22 |
| – Player Characters | 23 |
| Game and Gameplay Design | 29 |
| – Game Design Approaches | 29 |
| – Game Design and Character Design | 30 |
| – Missing Link: From Character Design to Gameplay Design | 33 |
| Character Engagement and Game Design | 35 |
| – Characters in Computer Games: Toward Understanding Interpretation and Design | 35 |
| – Player Character Engagement in Computer Games | 35 |
| – Gameplay Design Patterns for Believable Non-Player Characters | 36 |
| – Gameplay Design Patterns for Social Networks and Conflicts | 37 |
| – Lies and Seductions | 38 |
| – Character-Driven Game Design: Characters, Conflict, and Gameplay | 38 |
| Conclusions | 41 |
| – Characters and the Playing Experience | 41 |
| – Game and Character Design | 44 |
| – Concluding Remarks | 46 |
| References | 47 |
| Appendix 1: Research Material | 57 |
| Appendix 2: Gameplay Design Patterns | 61 |
| – Actions Have Social Consequences | 61 |
| – Character Defining Actions | 62 |
| – Detective Structure | 63 |
| – Enforced Character Behavior | 64 |
| – Faction | 64 |
| – Information Passing | 65 |
| – Internal Conflict | 66 |
| – Internal Rivalry | 67 |
| – Loyalty | 67 |
| – Melodramatic Structure | 68 |
| – Outcast | 69 |
| – Player-Designed Character | 70 |
| – Social Gatekeeper | 70 |
| – Social Maintenance | 71 |
| – Social Norms | 71 |
| – Traitor | 72 |
| – Trait Regulated Behavior | 73 |
| – References | 74 |
| Appendix 3: Lies and Seductions Credits | 75 |
| Articles | |
| – Article 1 | 76 |
| – Article 2 | 92 |
| – Article 3 | 116 |
| – Article 4 | 132 |
| – Article 5 | 156 |
| – Article 6 | 162 |
| Abstract | 182 |
Lies and Seductions (CD / download: www.liesandseductions.com)
Petri Lankoski 