Does instructing the player to hurry mean they’ll go faster? Would simply showing a time limit on the screen change behavior? What if the environment the avatar is in appears to be only moments from collapse?
Importantly: if the above are included, does there even need to be severe gameplay consequence for failing to go fast enough?
There are many ways that we communicate through the games we make. Among those ways are instruction, impression, interface and implementation.
Origin of the Question
Games with a Message
In a game purely for entertainment, flexibility in interpretation does not pose a problem. If everyone has fun in a different way, or imagines different details behind the play experience, that’s fine. However for a game with a planned message, understanding how the experience will be interpreted is essential to avoiding miscommunication.
Symbolism in Gameplay
I designed Alice in Bomberland, in part, to suggest through its gameplay various ways of thinking. In an effort to emulate the sort of symbolism common in children’s literature, I buried the intended meanings in the gameplay relationships, reserving the audio/visual impression for playful content. Textual instruction and in-game interface served utility only.
I tried to convey information in the implementation – in the interactions between gameplay elements – without making it explicit on the surface. Consequently, I believe that the meaning was largely lost, inaccessible until an uncommon amount of practice with the game, and even then invisible compared to the simpler, more literal forms and explanations accessible to every first-time player [...]
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