View source for Permadeath

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''The event where deaths of characters are permanent.''

The avatars and characters that players control in games are often at risk of dying. While this makes gameplay risky, many games soften this by letting players have many lives or letting them start at a previous location if they die. A few other games instead have [[Permadeath]]. In these the death of one's avatar or character ends the game sessions.

Wikipedia has a entry on ''Permanent Death'' in games<ref name="wiki"/>.

Note: ''[[World of Warcraft]] uses [[Permadeath]] for other purpose ("roleplayed deaths" and removals of characters from servers). These connotations are not included in this pattern but see the entry<ref name="wow"/> on the WoWWiki for more information about this alternative use.''

=== Examples ===
Some [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]] do let player cheat death by reincarnation spells, memory backups, and other devices but these may not be available for players with inexperienced characters. For others, e.g. [[Call of Cthulhu]] and [[Hârnmaster]],  death is irrevocable either because they try to simulate reality closer or they focus on the frailty of humans.

The text-based adventure games [[NetHack]] and [[Rogue]] uses [[Permadeath]] so making single mistakes can lead to game sessions ending, and this feature is a central aspect of this type of games. [[Permadeath]] is considerably more rare in other type of computer-based games; there is a version of [[BatMUD]] where death is permanent and [[Diablo II]] has an option for "hardcore" gameplay that includes [[Permadeath]]. 
Player can restart from earlier positions in the [[Fallout series]] but selecting ''hardcore'' modes in [[Fallout: New Vegas]] means that the deaths of companions are [[Permadeath|Permadeaths]].

[[Counter-Strike]] can be said to have [[Permadeath]] since players' avatars do not respawn after being killed. This does not hinder them from playing for long however, since matches usually are pretty short and all players spawn when new matches begin.

== Using the pattern ==
While deaths occur in many games that include [[Conflict]] or [[Combat]], [[Permadeath]] for players' [[Focus Loci]] are more uncommon (see Klastrup<ref name="Klastrup"/> for a discussion on the role of deaths in games) since it creates [[Player Elimination]]. It should be noted that [[Units]] typically have [[Permadeath]] but this pattern has little effect on gameplay since they most often can be replaced and they have no or little individuality compared to other [[Units]]. Likewise, [[Non-Player Characters]] (but not [[Companions]]) often have [[Permadeath]] if they can be killed at all; if this is possible depends on the types of activities permitted by the game this also depends on how vital the [[NPCs]] are to [[Predetermined Story Structures]]. This means that the pattern has most relevance for [[Avatars]] and [[Characters]] that are [[Player Characters]].

While some games have [[Permadeath]] as an integral part to create [[Challenging Gameplay]], it can also be used as an option to support varying [[Difficulty Levels]]. Examples of games using the pattern in this fashion includes [[Diablo II]] and [[Fallout: New Vegas]] (for [[Companions]] in the latter case). 

The actual implementation of [[Permadeath]] is trivial, it is in principle avoiding to support [[Lives]]. There are however some more subtle decisions. [[Extra Chances]] can be combined with [[Permadeath]], as done for example in the roleplaying game [[Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay]]. This let players have less risk of actually experiencing [[Permadeath]] but still preserve the consequences of the pattern. Supporting the saving of game state whenever player wants ruins the effect of [[Permadeath]] due to the ability of performing [[Save-Load Cycles]] this gives them. [[Save Points]] have a lesser version of this effect in that gameplay can be continued from a previous game state but can, depending on their placements and scarcity, still make gameplay challenging.

=== Interface Aspects ===
In [[Multiplayer Games]], [[Permadeath]] leads not only to [[Player Elimination]] but also [[Downtime]] unless the player leaves the activity completely. Letting these "dead" players be [[Spectators]] of the continued gameplay is one way of encouraging their continued presences - typically to be participants in the next instance of the game.

== Consequences ==

=== Can Instantiate ===
[[Challenging Gameplay]], 
[[Player Elimination]], 
[[Replayability]]

with Multiplayer Games
Downtime

=== Can Modulate ===
[[Avatars]], 
[[Characters]]
[[Player Killing]], 

=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
[[Lives]], 
[[Save-Load Cycles]], 
[[Smooth Learning Curves]]

== Relations ==
=== Can Instantiate ===
[[Challenging Gameplay]], 
[[Player Elimination]], 
[[Replayability]]

==== with [[Multiplayer Games]] ====
[[Downtime]]

=== Can Modulate ===
[[Avatars]], 
[[Characters]], 
[[Player Characters]], 
[[Player Killing]]

=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
[[Difficulty Levels]]

=== Can Be Modulated By ===
[[Extra Chances]], 
[[Spectators]]

=== Possible Closure Effects ===
-

=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
[[Lives]], 
[[Save-Load Cycles]], 
[[Smooth Learning Curves]]

== History ==
New pattern created in this wiki.

== References ==
<references>
<ref name="wiki">Wikipedia [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_death entry] for ''Permanent Death'' in games.</ref>
<ref name="wow">[http://www.wowwiki.com/Permadeath Entry] for [[Permadeath]] on the World of Warcraft Wiki.</ref>
<ref name="Klastrup">Klastrup, L. (2007). http://www.jvrb.org/archiv/1022/ Why Death Matters: Understanding Gameworld Experience]. The Journal of Virtual Reality and Broadcasting, Vol. 4, 2007.</ref>


</references>

== Acknowledgements ==
-