Expressiveness / "Autonomy" / "Volition"

  • The Fallacy of Autonomy: Understanding How to Give Volition to the Player .

    • GREAT video.

    • "Volition and Self-determination theory".

    • "Volition" ~= "Will".

      • Autonomy (I think the correct word is Agency)

        • "Narrative Purpose".

        • "Meaningful choices".

      • Relatedness.

        • "Someone needs me".

        • "Belonging" -> "Tank + Healer".

      • Competence.

        • "Growth"

        • "Conquering challenge".

    • "Procedural Volition".

      • More verbs (variables) for the player.

        • Players can make choices and act on them, procedurally changing the world at scale.

      • Focus on impact that has value.

        • Content changes dynamically along with objectives, structures and activities.

      • Latent variables.

        • Player patterns become important to "weight other variables", so opportunities and content that appear will resonate most with the player.

        • Align based on affinity.

    • Several criticisms are made about "lack of autonomy", for example in Sandbox and Procedural elements.

      • Cool!! I agree with everything!

    • Examples of problems found in games are given:

      • GTA V.

      • Skyrim.

      • Mass Effect 3.

      • The Witcher 3.

      • No Man's Sky.

      • Spore.

    • At the final minutes it is said that "Character Customization" is not what moves players to have Volition, since data shows that mechanics and how the player interacts with the world are what really impact the feeling of Volition.

    • The video ends at {47:17}. The final questions in the video are irrelevant.