Difference between revisions of "Cosmetic Game Items"

Revision as of 21:44, 13 April 2011

Category:Diegetic Patterns Game Items that differ from other game items solely based on their cosmetic characteristics.

When players have the possibility to create characters in games, and the surroundings they inhabit, they often wish to beautify or distinguish these in various ways. While this may be achieved to a certain degree by choosing any game items to wear or furnish that looks different from others, Cosmetic Game Items provide an extra level of this by providing variety for the same type of functional game items, or by providing extra game items that exist only for this purpose.

Examples

The Sims series lets players personalize their sims' appearances to a high degree, including giving them clothing and jewelry. These do not provide any system benefits but provide players with a wide range of possibilities. While all furniture in the games do provide benefits or the possibilities of performing actions, tiles and wallpaper do not even if they vary in price depending on their appearance.

Entering body shops in the Grand Theft Auto series to change colors of one's car is not only done to escape the attention of the legal authorities; it can simple be because one wants a new color.

Shirts and tabards worn in World of Warcraft do not affect gameplay but only the appearance of the characters that wear them. Many of the game items in Entropia Universe likewise do not have to have any gameplay value but can still be sought after items in trading.

Players of FarmVille, Ravenwood Fair, and Zombie Lane can purchase both clothing and ornaments that have no direct gameplay effect, except possibly that the ornaments take up space. Several of the items created in Minecraft, e.g. paintings and books, have no practical value except enable players to create the appearance of various items found in the real world.

Using the pattern

Creating Cosmetic Game Items consist of choosing Game Items and then

Creative Control

Limited Resources

Game-Induced Player Social Status

Functional Roles

Coordination

Achievements Avatars Equipable Items Equipment

Diegetic Aspects

Cosmetic Game Items may seem to be a purely Diegetic Pattern but since these Game Items are chosen by players for their appearance they are likely to have a significance outside the game as well.

Interface Aspects

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

Cosmetic Game Items are a way to modulate Game Items

They can on their own merits lead to both in-game Trading and the Extra-Game Consequences of Game Element Trading in Multiplayer Games.

Relations

Can Instantiate

with Multiplayer games

Extra-Game Consequences, Game Element Trading, Trading

with Game Element Trading

Extra-Game Consequences

Can Modulate

Game Items

Can Be Instantiated By

Can Be Modulated By

Possible Closure Effects

Potentially Conflicting With

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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