Open Thread Summary: We Need More … Depth

This topic exploded quickly with comments, but kind of slowed down as it became clear there was pretty overwhelming consensus on what was wanted. Depth was the clear favorite, though it comes in a couple of different types.

I’m going to outline a few of the ideas suggested, though for anyone who hasn’t checked it out, the original thread has lot of great ideas not covered here.

Warning: First, as Another Wannabe noted, a lot of these suggestions take time. One of the reasons for there not being that many ‘deep’ games is that you are adding a lot of time to what is already a lengthy process. Authors should carefully consider what they are putting in and whether the time is worth the benefits.

Player Agency:  From ExLibris, “The definition that I favour (paraphrased from Michael Mateas) is that player agency is the feeling of empowerment that comes from being able to take actions in the gameworld, the effects of which relate to the player's intentions.”

Do you, the player, control the game, or are you merely following a story? A lot of people expressed that desire for control, for impact, on the story. To feel like you are a character within it, not just an observer.

More Plot: The same story can be written in two different ways; “It’s prom, bang Lisa” or “After years of trending on the bottom of the social ladder, it’s your high school prom. All evidence indicates this should be just another night of nothing happening. But you’ve been paying attention and have noticed that Lisa, the girl you have been dreaming of since middle school, has been having problems with her boyfriend. Maybe she needs a shoulder to cry on, or just to see someone stand up to that jerk. You know if you are ever going to have a chance with her, tonight is the night.”

Why does the player want to sleep with the designated lust object? Why does or would she want to sleep with him? Are there larger issues at play? Are these characters just randomly inserted, or do they feel like people?

Part of the problem/difference of taste here is that there is a disconnect between the player and the player character. Should the author give details on character background, or leave it vague and allow the player to imagine they are the character. Neither approach is right or wrong and varies based on player and author.

More non-sex story: Is the player’s goal just to get in as many sex scenes as possible, or is there something else they are striving for? This goes along with more plot; is the whole purpose of the story to sleep with a certain character, or is the player trying to do something else, and sleeping with npcs along the way is a bonus?

Challenge:
Player: Hey, I found that shirt you wanted.

DLO: Oh, where at?

Player: In the closet, under the old boxes. Not under the laundry, or just boxes, but the old boxes in particular. I must have searched the former two dozen times.

DLO: Oh, well thanks, let’s have sex.

Does the player’s ‘getting the girl(s)’ feel real, or completely contrived. Many games have kept it simple, the player character is incredibly desirable, and with just a little push npc(s) will be willing to jump into bed with them. Having more of a mechanism then ‘give the girl the item’ can add to the payoff.

Choices: Do you actions have an impact on the game. Does sleeping with Amy upset Lisa, or is she just completely cool with it? When the player skipped school was the principal cool with it, or did it have consequences? Will what the player does have an overall impact on the game.

Choices are probably one of the biggest desires in a game, and one of the hardest to implement. It requires the author to write multiple paths, some of which the player may not even care about. However, it can really up the level of enjoyment and make the player feel like they are the character.