Everyday heros

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/144545204@N05/40095710713/in/dateposted-public/" title="Stress"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7861/40095710713_13137e802c_z.jpg" width="618" height="421" alt="Stress"></a> "Argh," cries Lara. "I am so stressed!" She clicks and drags the arrow again to try and find the hammer. "I keep messing up and am afraid I won't be able to stop Nathan from killing that girl in time!" What should Lara do? [[A.: Give up and quit. Cognitive friction sucks.|Quit]] [[B.: Keep going ... after all, she'll get in the flow eventually.|Go]] <big>[[What's going on?|Introduction]]</bg>

Although marketed as a videogame, according to David Houghton (2014), //Life is strange I// doesn’t feel **“videogamey.”** In fact, he says the game world seems almost like **“a deeply naturalistic, playable indie movie."** **Synopsis** //Life is strange I// was released in 2015 by Dontnod Entertainment, a video games studio based in Paris, France. Described as a narrative or episodic adventure (Dontnod, 2018; TVTropes, n.d.), gameplay revolves around **photography student Max Caulfield**, the various moral choices she makes—big and small—and how she uses her “super time travel” power to effect the impact of these choices. So, is this a game we’re experiencing <big>**or not**</big>? We found it was more like playing an **<big>episode of a TV show.</big>** Bringing together the ideas of various scholars, let’s unpack the player ecosystem and if we can resolve this dilemma. [[<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7898/46352057904_524085376c_z.jpg" width="639" height="640" alt="Game ecosystem"></a>->Ecosystem]]

Isbister (2016) argues that **<big>“Compelling games don’t happen by accident”</big>** (p. 21). If this is the case, then how does a game’s architecture makes it “ethical”? <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7826/47090534821_2499fbff7e_z.jpg" width="570" height="465" alt="Game architecture"> [[Let’s find out.|Architecture 2]]

<img src=https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKX2VKNLMC8/V61NI1D-YrI/AAAAAAAAAm8/4EH5DJjmcVAe2gqkrvSFy1RMPnVbwcFhwCLcB/s1600/Consequences.png height=150% width=120% align=center> [[This is a game]].

Quit, why would she quit? She hasn't even been able to decide is she will play "good" or "evil" yet. [[Keep going!|In the beginning]]

Of course she should go on. Getting into the flow is what makes games fun ... she owes it to herself and Max to keep making choices. [[Get going|In the beginning]]

<big>**//Everyday heros: Affect and ethics in Life is strange//**</big> Life is odd sometimes. We get stuck in loops or moral dilemmas and feel uncomfortable and certainly not heroic. That’s no fun, or at least no fun in a game … **or is it?** That’s what we’re looking at today: Affect (i.e., emotion), ethics and how game design can support the creation of ethical or morality-based games, specifically "Chrysalis, the first episode of <big>**//Life is strange I//**.</big> First, some **<big>introductions</big>**: [<img src='https://avataaars.io/?avatarStyle=Circle&topType=LongHairCurvy&accessoriesType=Blank&hairColor=BrownDark&facialHairType=Blank&clotheType=ShirtCrewNeck&clotheColor=Black&eyeType=Default&eyebrowType=Default&mouthType=Default&skinColor=Light' />[**Lara**]] [<img src='https://avataaars.io/?avatarStyle=Circle&topType=ShortHairShortRound&accessoriesType=Blank&hairColor=Black&facialHairType=Blank&clotheType=BlazerShirt&eyeType=Squint&eyebrowType=Default&mouthType=Smile&skinColor=Yellow' />[**Sam**]] [<img src='https://avataaars.io/?avatarStyle=Circle&topType=ShortHairShortFlat&accessoriesType=Round&hairColor=SilverGray&facialHairType=Blank&clotheType=ShirtVNeck&clotheColor=PastelGreen&eyeType=Happy&eyebrowType=Default&mouthType=Twinkle&skinColor=Pale' />[**Martha**]] [<img src='https://avataaars.io/?avatarStyle=Circle&topType=LongHairStraight&accessoriesType=Blank&hairColor=BlondeGolden&facialHairType=Blank&clotheType=BlazerSweater&eyeType=Close&eyebrowType=DefaultNatural&mouthType=Default&skinColor=Light' />[**Susu**]] In the <big>**next 55 minutes,**</big> we’re going to walk you through our analysis of “Chrysalis,” the first episode of //Life is strange//, by asking these key questions: 1. Is this a game? 2. If it's a game, can it be ethical and have flow? 3. if it's ethical, how does the architecture support this aspect of the game? So ... [[What do you think? Is this a game?]]

**<big>How come ecosystem?</big>** I like this idea … it suggests that the gaming experience is an interconnected network or community and allows us to bring together several methodologies for game analysis: <blockquote> **Mechanics-dyanmics-aesthetics** (Hunicke, LeBlance, & Zubek, 2004) **Gamplay, game-structure, and game-world** (Aarseth, 2003) **Object inventory, interface study, and interaction map** (Consalvo & Duntton (2006) </blockquote> [[Okay, so how does this help us figure out if //Life is strange I// is a game?|Structured world]]

<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7826/33202563888_b1f2d314db.jpg" width="394" height="395" alt="Structured world"> Theoretically, a game has a structured world, i.e., we can identify content and mechanics. Content is stuff like: * <big>**Objects**</big> * <big>**Characters**</big> * <big>**Interface(s)**</big> * <big>**Narrative(s)**</big> And **"Chrysalis,"** the first episode of //Life is strange I//, definitely has this **<big>[[stuff:]]**</big>

Game mechanics are "the various actions, behaviors and control mechanisms afforded to the player in the game context" (Hunicke, LeBlanc, & Zubek, 2004). The **<big>obvious</big>** mechanic in //Life is strange I// is being able to **<big>time travel</big>** … make a decision and change your mind so that you have influence the past, present and future. **<big>But you can also:</big>** * read the journal (to monitor your progress) * stop and go back to the beginning of a scene * or simply move around a micro-world (e.g., the dorms) without doing anything So, with objects, characters, interfaces and narratives that facilitate mechanics, we have Max's world, right? <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7885/46164221705_9575b1667d.jpg" width="500" height="435" alt="Max Caulfield"></a> Well, **<big>yes and no</big>** … there is this little thing called **<big>[[interactivity|Dynamics]]</big>** (Juul, 2001).

<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7815/46354154534_1195c32ddd.jpg" width="379" height="367" alt="Dynamic gameplay"> Great content doesn’t make for a great game experience in and of itself—this is almost axiomatic. **Game experience** depends on what the player (or players) do once they are interacting with this structured world, i.e., **making choices, meaningful and otherwise** (Isbister, 2016). Hunicke, LeBlanc and Zubeck (2004) define this interactivity, or the dynamics of gameplay (Aarseth, 2003), as what happens when player input(s) intersect with game mechanics … both result in outputs. In other words, **shi%& happens.** In //Life is Strange I//, players think and act as they: * move around different spaces * meet different characters * hear Max’s inner dialogue as well as her conversations with other characters * encounter choices **(what is Julia’s last name?)** or do **(“Do I take the blame for Chloe’s drugs?”** These interactions (with rules, objects, characters, narratives) make this game dyanmic. Now, let’s deal with the pesky issue of **ludology vs narratology** or, in Juul’s (2001) words, the question of whether interactivity and narrative(s) can co-exist. [[Yes?|ludology vs narratology]] [[No?|ludology vs narratology]]

Before we tell you what you think, we'd like to know what you think ... Yes, we've got a [[Poll]]. <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7823/46357333174_1aaf0d252e.jpg" width="500" height="337" alt="poll"> Good to have taken the pulse of the room ... [[now we'll tell you what we think.|Is this a game?]]

(open-url: "https://pollev.com/marthabufton245")

<img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7847/46354162934_7ce74b1945.jpg" width="383" height="338" alt="Aesthetic"> Hunicke, Leblanc and Zubek (2004) define aesthetics as the "desirable emotional responses evoked in the player" which can be interpreted as the feelings that designers hope players will have. But here's where we can begin to think about the theme of the week—**<big>affect and ethics</big>**—and how design architecture can make a game "fun" by perhaps evoking/provoking certain feelings or emotional experiences along with "cognitivie friction" as players make choices. //Life is strange I// has the following aesthetic components: <div class="aesthetics"> * Narrative (the big story in of the episode and the mini stories of the scences * Challenge (the quests) * Discovery (new territory) * Expression (moral self-discovery)</div> Together, these components are designed to create an “emotional palette” (Isbister, 2016). <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7875/46354443594_3b687948f4.jpg" width="410" height="323" alt="Palette"> And the "Chrysalis" palette (or emotional range) includes **frustration, fear, laughter, guilt and [[tenderness]] ...**

<big>**Yes or no ... here we are ...**</big> We think this is a non-issue. As Ang (2006), points out, game designers create “worlds and spaces that are shaped by game rules” and they also tell stories (p. 313). In other words, games **“must also provide interesting play”** and can **benefit from a strong story line** because narrative and gameplay affect each other and ultimately the player experience (Ang, 2006, p. 313). Now, one last point: <blockquote>Game experience is **<big>physical, cognitive and affective</big>** (i.e., we act, think and feel when we play) … which leads us to the third component of the game ecosystem, **<big>[[aesthetics|Aesthetics]]</big>**</blockquote>

Having established that //Life is Strange I// is a game, we can begin to think about what drives the gaming experience. And we’d like to know how you felt when playing //Life is Strange.// <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7832/46180289845_06e7d9276b_z.jpg" width="640" height="439" alt="Word cloud"> Let’s create a [[word cloud]] ... Which means we can start by thinking about the players and how they feel when they interact with the game. Flow is one way to think about players and how they feel, so we can start by asking, “Is this an emotional game?” <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7885/46180597185_4ca6ba3fb8_b.jpg" width="700" height="404" alt="Emotion2"> Let’s find out … which answer do you think is **correct?** Yes, we've got another [[Poll|Poll2]]. But [[how do you know?|let’s explore]]

So is "Chrysalis" (and //Life is strange I//) a game or a [[playable TV show?]] Let's talk ... and start with the **<big>results of the earlier poll</big>**.

**<big>Rules</big>** <div class="rules"> * Rules to play (e.g., using the arrow keys & mouse to move around) * Rules to progress or win (e.g., finishing each quest to go on)</div> <blockquote>(Ang, 2006)</blockquote> <big>**Objects**</big> <div class="objects"> * A pencil case * A HiFi * library books **(my personal favourite)**</div> **<big>Characters</big>** (which we can't customize): <div class="characters"> * Avatar (Max Caulfield) * Non-playing characters (Chloe, Victoria, Prof. Jefferson)</div> **<big>Interface(s)</big>** <div class="interfaces"> * Icons: The butterfly, time travel spiral and journal * Menus: The mouse for action options</div> **<big>Narrative(s)</big>** <div class="narratives"> * Each scene (a micro-world), such as the bathroom * Each episode (a macro world made up of micro-worlds)</div> And content **<big>"affords"</big>** (i.e., makes possible) or **<big>"constrains"</big>** (i.e., prevents) game **<big>[[mechanics]]</big>** (Sicart, 2013).

We think it's a game, even though the story seems like the episode of a TV show sometimes. Why? Because: * gameplay is privileged; * and enhanced by a good story line with which the player interacts as they make choices and evalute consequences. And both these characteristics potentially take our **experience in the game ecosystem** beyond **<big>"fun"</big>** and into **<big>“the flow zone.”</big>** And if so, we can go on to ask if it's a game, **<big>[[can it be ethical and have flow?]]</big>**

It is a game that’s less about action than it is about [[choices]]. <img src= http://img.memecdn.com/can-amp-039-t-i-have-both_o_5363185.jpg height=80% width=80% align=center>

There are dark twists and heartbreaking reveals and stakes both large and small, and the supernatural element of time travel, which is one of the primary [[mechanics|mechanics2]] of this game.

Life is Strange is an [[ethical game]].

According to Sicart (2013), "An ethical game is the experience of a game by players who make choices that are based on their morality considerations from their understanding of the game" (p.90). * In this game, the rules make players interact in specific ways in order to confront ethical issues. * But the rules also force the player to interact with these ethical issues by requiring that some choices be made. * The player would usually perceive that the character is making an ethical choice, however, in reality, the player is making a decision based upon their perception of the game [[rules]].

The game brings players an emotional experience. //Life is Strange I// is an indie movie or adventure game, people are not watching or playing it, they are experiencing it. <img src=file:///Users/susuwang/Desktop/Screen%20Shot%202019-02-12%20at%2011.39.36%20PM.png height=70% width=80% align=centre> But with [[agency|player agency]]

//Life is Strange I// covers a lot of modern social, societal, and emotional themes. The design is critical to creating the possibility of this [[experience]].

Overall, "Chrysalis," the first episode of //Life Is Strange I//, skillfully uses a combination of catharsis and exploration to create a compelling narrative for the player to enjoy. The game creates meaningful and engaging heuristics to immerse the player into the game. The game’s narrative uses social relationships and character development to make players relate to and enjoy the characters and ultimately care about their experiences and troubles. The game gives the player agency through the choices the game provides, by doing so the player has a stronger emotional reaction to the content than what could be possible in a non-interactive medium. <img src=https://terracatblog.files.wordpress.com/2017/10/img_0790.gif height= 80% width=80% align=centre> Want to [[go back in time|In the beginning]] and see this presentation again?

To answer this question, we first have to start by **defining ethical play**. Just to refresh our memories, an ethical game can be defined as one where “regulation, mediation, or goals require from the player moral reflection beyond the calculation of statistics and possibilities” (Sicart, 24). [[Here’s a question|Architecture 3]]

Can you think of an example of a game without the need for moral reflection? And is it at all **<big>enjoyable? Compelling? Immersive?</big>** So, back to our main quest, [[how does one make an ethical game?|Architecture 4]]

According to Sicart (2013), three elements are present in the experience of ethical gameplay. * [[game world|The Game World]] * [[game rules|The Game Rules]] * [[game mechanics|The Game Mechanics]] So I wonder if we can find these elements in**<big>"Chrysalis"</big>** (i.e., //Life is Strange I//. **<big>Let's fine it!</big>**

What is the Game World of Life is Strange like? [[The Game Rules|The Game Rules]] [[The Game Mechanics|The Game Mechanics]] [[Let’s Move On|Architecture 5]]

What are some of the game rules in Life is Strange? [[The Game World|The Game World]] [[The Game Mechanics|The Game Mechanics]] [[Let’s Move On|Architecture 5]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

Let’s take the scene in episode one where Nathan had a pistol and Max sounds the fire alarm to save Chloe. Following this incident, Max has **<big>two choices</big>**: * Report Nathan to principal Wells and face his disapproval * Hide the truth and please Chloe <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7813/46180223745_6268ac8d27_z.jpg" width="635" height="360" alt="Principal Wells"> [[So how are these choices linked to a player's emotional response during a gaming experience?| emotional response]]

<big>**Emotional responses**</big> Particular challenges such as these lead to a greater emotional response from players. Research found that actively engaging with the game, activates parts of the brain associated with motivation and reward, then it would for those who watched passively. The ability to choose and control your actions gives rise to **flow**, which is the ease with which players can enter a pleasurable, optimal performance state. <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7919/47093917351_ea4775b165_z.jpg" width="640" height="337" alt="Flow zone"> According to Ibister (2016), there are [[8 factors]] that define the optimal state of flow.

(open-url: "https://pollev.com/marthabufton245")

<big>**When considering the emotional impact of games that sets them apart from other media, there are two unique qualities: choice and flow**</big> (Isbister, 2016) **Choice** is when players have the unique ability to control what unfolds. Having actions with consequences, or interesting choices, unlock emotional possibilities. These possibilities exist because our feelings in everyday life, as well as games, are integrally tied to our goals, our decisions, and their consequences In the game there are choices that can be undone, remade, and tailored to whatever future you wish to create. Most of these [[choices|Nathan Prescott shoots Chloe Price]] have consequences, but they are not always immediately apparent.

<big>**The 8 factors that define an optimal state of flow:**</big> <div class="objects"> 1. A challenging activity requiring skill 2. a merging action and awareness 3. clear goals 4. direct, immediate feedback 5. concentration on the task at hand 6. a sense of control 7. a loss of self-consciousness an altered sense of time </div> When players discuss the emotions felt when playing a game, it relates to flow. Did you feel any of these things while playing// Life is strange//? <div class="objects"> * Curiosity? * Excitement? * Challenge? * Elation? * Triumph? </div> <img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7831/47041868332_bb0bc12762_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="Excitement">Photo by Val Vesa on Unsplash According to Isbister (2016), all of these are [[social emotions]]

[[How does the architecture support ethical play?]]