Difference between revisions of "Player Elimination"

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[[Category:Negative Patterns]]
 
[[Category:Negative Patterns]]
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[[Category:Needs revision]]
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''The forced endings of players' game sessions before game instances are finished.''
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''The forced ending of players' game sessions before game instances are finished.''
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This pattern is a still a stub.
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Games often require players to fulfill certain goals to be allowed to continue playing, or provide dangerous environments which can kill their avatars, characters, or units. Failing these goals or having one's game elements killed can thereby lead to [[Player Elimination]] - that one is not allowed to interact with the game anymore. This is equal to the game ending in single-player games but gameplay can continue for the other players in multiplayer games.
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[[Player Elimination]] determines the evaluation function for an end condition in the game in such way that the player's game session is terminated.
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=== Examples ===
 
=== Examples ===
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Most arcade games, e.g. the first versions of [[Pac-Man]], [[Space Invaders]], and [[Asteroids]], end players' game sessions when they have run out of lives.
 
Most arcade games, e.g. the first versions of [[Pac-Man]], [[Space Invaders]], and [[Asteroids]], end players' game sessions when they have run out of lives.
  
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In [[Magic: The Gathering]], the players whose health level drops below zero are removed completely from play, thus ending their game sessions.
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Players whose health level drops below zero in [[Magic: The Gathering]] are removed completely from play, thus ending their game sessions.
  
 
== Using the pattern ==
 
== Using the pattern ==
 +
[[Player Elimination]] can be a [[:Category:Negative Patterns|Negative Pattern]] if game designers intend to make games where all players begin and end their individual play sessions together. The typical case for this is when games are supposed to support [[Social Interaction]] and [[Togetherness]] both in and outside the actual gameplay. However, since players can always prematurely end game instances through [[Surrendering]] it may be worth considering what to modulate this pattern even if one tries to minimize the risks of players [[Surrendering]] and thereby causing [[Player Elimination]]. This may not be the case in late phases of game instances, i.e. [[Endgame]] phases, and [[Player Elimination]] may be seen as an acceptable aspect of these phases. 
  
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Player Elimination, as the name implies, requires that the players or the game system have a possibility to Eliminate other players. This consists of either the explicit goal to Eliminate other players or that the players fail in Survive goals. Overcome basic goal with Combat actions is one of the most used compounds for Player Elimination and gives rise to Conflict, but also other end conditions as basic goals are possible for determining the elimination, for example, completing Connection or Enclosure goals or the side effects of Bidding. For example in Tetris, the end condition for the game session is that there is a Connection of blocks from the bottom to the top of the game area. Player Elimination is an Individual Penalty, and quite a heavy one, for the player. In games with Team Play, the elimination of one of the team members is also a form of Shared Penalty, as the performance level of the whole team suffers from it.
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Letting eliminated players continue as [[Spectators]] provides some compensation for not being able to play, but does also force them to experience [[Downtime]]. There are however several reasons why one might want to have [[Player Elimination]] in games.  
  
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Lives and Parallel Lives can be used to give the players, in one sense, additional chances in the game and at the same time have more varied Tension structure in the game. Letting eliminated players continue as Spectators allows them some compensation for not being able to play since they at least can follow the continued gameplay.
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[[Unwinnable Games]] nearly always built around have [[Player Elimination]] that is inevitable eventually; the alternatives, eternal [[Downtime]] or goals that cannot be completed, are likely to first frustrate and then bore players. The main exception to this is [[:Category:Roleplaying Games|Roleplaying Games]], primarily [[:Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], that are built upon [[Never Ending Stories]] and can be played as long as the players (and [[Game Masters]] find these stories compelling. Another reason for having [[Player Elimination]] is that the [[Last Man Standing]] goal can be based upon it - players win by being the last surviving player in the game instance. Other, weaker, reasons for [[Player Elimination]] are to support [[Limited Gameplay Time]] and [[Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses]]. These reasons are weaker because they are not guaranteed to be supported by the pattern and that they may not apply equally for all players.  
  
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In games with Closed Economies, the use of Player Elimination may be the only way to ensure that Resources are gathered in larger and larger groups as gameplay progresses.
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One the most general level, [[Player Elimination]] is created through having [[Game Termination Penalties]] (but they are not the same since some other causes can create [[Player Elimination]], see below). A more specific, and obvious, way to support [[Player Elimination]] is - as the name suggested - to let players or the game system have possibilities to [[Eliminate]] players' [[Focus Loci]] and link these eliminations with the eliminations of the player themselves. Either this consists of the explicit goal to [[Eliminate]] players or that players can fail in [[Survive]] goals, and gameplay can be structured so these goals come in focus mainly in [[Extermination]] phases of game instances. These [[Eliminate]] goals can be built on [[Overcome]] goals made possible through [[Combat]], and can lead to [[Player Killing]] in [[Multiplayer Games]] (giving players [[Internal Rivalry]] further encourages the [[Player Killing]]). However, [[Player Killing]] or other types of killing game elements do not create [[Player Elimination]] unless some form of [[Lives]] are used as well ([[Permadeath]] being the approach that can most quickly lead to eliminations). [[Player Elimination]] can also happen indirectly, e.g. through suffering [[Ability Losses]] that effectively enforces permanent [[Downtime]], through having lower [[Scores]] than other players in [[Tournaments]], or through failing to complete goals within [[Time Limits]] (especially common in [[:Category:Racing Games|Racing Games]]). Losing all one's supply centers in [[Diplomacy]] can be seen as an indirect form of [[Player Elimination]]. An [[Extra-Game Actions|Extra-Game Action]] that can cause [[Player Elimination]] is [[Player Kicking]] - this is typically providing in [[Multiplayer Games]] to let players police their own behavior through [[Voting]]. This type of [[Player Kicking]] may also happen because a majority of players wants to make room for a [[Late Arriving Players|Late Arriving Player]] on the expense of an active player. This is a case when [[Player Elimination]] is not a [[Game Termination Penalties]].  
  
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[[Player Killing]] in itself does not create [[Player Elimination]] in [[Multiplayer Games]], but combined with some form of [[Lives]] it can speed up the appearance of it in game instances.
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The presence of [[Player Elimination]] may cause [[Early Elimination]], especially if the pattern is instantiated through [[Permadeath]]. This breaks designs of [[Synchronous Gameplay]] but [[Player Elimination]] can be seen as modifying [[Synchronous Gameplay]] to only concern players that have not yet been eliminated. Ways of having [[Player Elimination]] but letting players have means to avoid it, include [[Extra Chances]] and [[Lives]] (including [[Parallel Lives]]). These however only temporarily avoid the elimination as long as the [[Extra Chances]] and [[Lives]] are not [[Renewable Resources]]. In contrast, the use of [[Game Masters]] can - on their sufferance - avoid the pattern temporarily or infinitely through [[Fudged Results]] but also make it happen whenever they feel like it.
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+
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[[Unwinnable Games]] nearly always built around have [[Player Elimination]] that is inevitable sooner or later; the alternatives, eternal [[Downtime]] or goals that cannot be completed, are likely to first frustrate and then bore players. The main exception to this is [[:Category:Roleplaying Games|Roleplaying Games]], primarily [[Category:Tabletop Roleplaying Games|Tabletop Roleplaying Games]], that are built upon [[Never Ending Stories]] and can be played as long as the players (and [[Game Masters]] find these stories compelling.
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+
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[[Player Elimination]] can be a [[:Category:Negative Patterns|Negative Pattern]] if game designers intend to make games where all players begin and end their individual play sessions together. The typical case for this is when games are supposed to support [[Social Interaction]] and [[Togetherness]] both in and outside the actual gameplay.
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=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
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[[Ability Losses]],  
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[[Game Masters]],
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[[Internal Rivalry]],
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[[Late Arriving Players]],
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[[Lives]],
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[[Permadeath]],
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[[Parallel Lives]]
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=== Diegetic Aspects ===
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=== Interface Aspects ===
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=== Narrative Aspects ===
 
=== Narrative Aspects ===
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Gives that [[Characters]] controlled by players often have prominent parts in [[Predetermined Story Structures]] and these roles are rarely planned to die, at least not until the near end of the stories, killing players is likely to cause breakdowns in the [[Predetermined Story Structures]].
  
 
== Consequences ==
 
== Consequences ==
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The risk of [[Player Elimination]] raises the [[Tension]] level for players, as they essentially lose all their [[Value of Effort]] in a game if the game session is finished without their consent. The presence of the [[Player Elimination]] pattern gives a fundamental presence of the [[Survive]] goal - even if this may not be linked to a diegetic presence (such as an [[Avatars|Avatar]] or [[Characters|Character]]).  
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[[Player Elimination]] are [[Individual Penalties]] since they specifically address single players. They give rise to [[Game Over]] events for affected players. The risk for this raises [[Tension]] levels for players, as they essentially lose all their [[Value of Effort]] in a game if the game session is finished without their consent. The upside to this is that those that survive possible eliminations can have a strengthened [[Value of Effort]] experience (and a [[Value of Effort]] can be strengthened for a player responsible for a [[Player Elimination]]). However, [[Player Elimination|Player Eliminations]] can in some circumstances also give eliminated players [[Spectacular Failure Enjoyment]].  
  
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The presence of the [[Player Elimination]] pattern gives a fundamental presence of the [[Survive]] goal - even if this may not be linked to a diegetic presence (such as an [[Avatars|Avatar]] or [[Characters|Character]]). [[Unsynchronized Game Sessions]] occurs when the time difference between the first player is eliminated and the rest are or the game ends becomes noticeable.
  
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The gameplay of [[Multiplayer Games]] with [[Player Elimination]] can force extended [[Downtime]] on eliminated players, especially if there is a possibility of [[Early Elimination]]. Player Killing is a special case of Player Elimination where there is a possibility for the players to continue their game session even after initial elimination.  
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[[Multiplayer Games]] with [[Player Elimination]] cause problems with [[Player Balance]], and are also likely to cause problems with [[Team Balance]] if [[Teams]] exist. The gameplay of [[Multiplayer Games]] with [[Player Elimination]] can also force extended [[Downtime]] on eliminated players, especially if there is a possibility of [[Early Elimination]]. This can make [[Player Elimination]] counteract the possibilities for players to engage in [[Social Interaction]] on the same terms and make it difficult for them to experience [[Togetherness]]. [[Game Lobbies]] can mitigate this issue to a certain extent, since eliminate players can interact which each others while waiting for the game to finish. It goes without saying that games that combining [[Player Elimination]] and [[Teams]] can lead to [[Team Elimination]] since [[Player Elimination]] are successful resolutions of [[Eliminate]] goals; that is, combinations of [[Eliminate]] and [[Teams]] can result in [[Team Elimination]]. However, elimination of every [[Characters|Character]] in a [[Teams|Team]] consisting of these can result in [[Player Elimination]] so the patterns can instantiate each other depending on the natures of the [[Teams]] involved.
  
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The Last Man Standing higher level goal is based on a player completing a Collection of goals of eliminating other players; that is, by being the last surviving player in the game instance. The same principle applies to Team Elimination, as the other team has to eliminate the players of the team. Player Elimination is also the most drastic version of Ability Losses; the player loses the ability to participate in the game.
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The presences of [[Player Elimination]] works against players having an [[Exaggerated Perception of Influence]] since they know that game instances in no way guarantees that they will be allowed to play until the game is won or completed. In games with [[Closed Economies]], the use of [[Player Elimination]] may be the only way to ensure that [[Resources]] are gathered in larger and larger groups as gameplay progresses; this can be seen as a case of supporting [[Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses]].
  
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== Relations ==
 
=== Can Instantiate ===
 
=== Can Instantiate ===
 
[[Game Over]],  
 
[[Game Over]],  
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[[Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses]],
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[[Individual Penalties]],
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[[Last Man Standing]],
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[[Limited Gameplay Time]],
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[[Spectacular Failure Enjoyment]],
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[[Spectators]],
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[[Tension]],
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[[Unsynchronized Game Sessions]],
 
[[Unwinnable Games]]
 
[[Unwinnable Games]]
  
 
==== with [[Multiplayer Games]] ====
 
==== with [[Multiplayer Games]] ====
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[[Downtime]],
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[[Downtime]]
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[[Early Elimination]]
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=== Can Modulate ===
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[[Multiplayer Games]]
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=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
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[[Fudged Results]],
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[[Game Masters]],
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[[Social Interaction]],
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[[Togetherness]]
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== Relations ==
+
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=== Can Instantiate ===
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[[Game Over]]
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=== Can Modulate ===
 
=== Can Modulate ===
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[[Endgame]],
 +
[[Closed Economies]],
 
[[Multiplayer Games]],  
 
[[Multiplayer Games]],  
 +
[[Synchronous Gameplay]],
 +
[[Teams]],
 +
[[Tournaments]],
 
[[Value of Effort]]
 
[[Value of Effort]]
  
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
 
[[Ability Losses]],  
 
[[Ability Losses]],  
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[[Combat]],
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[[Eliminate]],
 +
[[Extermination]],
 
[[Game Masters]],  
 
[[Game Masters]],  
 +
[[Game Termination Penalties]],
 
[[Internal Rivalry]],  
 
[[Internal Rivalry]],  
 
[[Late Arriving Players]],  
 
[[Late Arriving Players]],  
 
[[Lives]],  
 
[[Lives]],  
 +
[[Overcome]],
 
[[Permadeath]],  
 
[[Permadeath]],  
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[[Parallel Lives]]
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[[Parallel Lives]],
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[[Player Kicking]],
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[[Scores]],
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[[Surrendering]],
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[[Time Limits]]
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 +
[[Characters]] together with [[Team Elimination]]
  
 
=== Can Be Modulated By ===
 
=== Can Be Modulated By ===
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-
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[[Early Elimination]],
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[[Extra Chances]],
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[[Fudged Results]],
 +
[[Game Lobbies]]
  
 
=== Possible Closure Effects ===
 
=== Possible Closure Effects ===
Line 100: Line 93:
  
 
=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
 
=== Potentially Conflicting With ===
 +
[[Exaggerated Perception of Influence]],
 +
[[Extra Chances]],
 
[[Fudged Results]],  
 
[[Fudged Results]],  
 
[[Game Masters]],  
 
[[Game Masters]],  
 +
[[Player Balance]],
 +
[[Predetermined Story Structures]],
 
[[Social Interaction]],  
 
[[Social Interaction]],  
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[[Togetherness]]  
+
[[Team Balance]],
 +
[[Togetherness]],
 +
[[Value of Effort]]
  
 
== History ==
 
== History ==

Latest revision as of 13:01, 25 August 2022

The forced endings of players' game sessions before game instances are finished.

Games often require players to fulfill certain goals to be allowed to continue playing, or provide dangerous environments which can kill their avatars, characters, or units. Failing these goals or having one's game elements killed can thereby lead to Player Elimination - that one is not allowed to interact with the game anymore. This is equal to the game ending in single-player games but gameplay can continue for the other players in multiplayer games.

Examples

Players who cannot pay rent in Monopoly even after selling their assets are no longer allowed to play the game.

Most arcade games, e.g. the first versions of Pac-Man, Space Invaders, and Asteroids, end players' game sessions when they have run out of lives.

Players whose health level drops below zero in Magic: The Gathering are removed completely from play, thus ending their game sessions.

Using the pattern

Player Elimination can be a Negative Pattern if game designers intend to make games where all players begin and end their individual play sessions together. The typical case for this is when games are supposed to support Social Interaction and Togetherness both in and outside the actual gameplay. However, since players can always prematurely end game instances through Surrendering it may be worth considering what to modulate this pattern even if one tries to minimize the risks of players Surrendering and thereby causing Player Elimination. This may not be the case in late phases of game instances, i.e. Endgame phases, and Player Elimination may be seen as an acceptable aspect of these phases.

Letting eliminated players continue as Spectators provides some compensation for not being able to play, but does also force them to experience Downtime. There are however several reasons why one might want to have Player Elimination in games.

Unwinnable Games nearly always built around have Player Elimination that is inevitable eventually; the alternatives, eternal Downtime or goals that cannot be completed, are likely to first frustrate and then bore players. The main exception to this is Roleplaying Games, primarily Tabletop Roleplaying Games, that are built upon Never Ending Stories and can be played as long as the players (and Game Masters find these stories compelling. Another reason for having Player Elimination is that the Last Man Standing goal can be based upon it - players win by being the last surviving player in the game instance. Other, weaker, reasons for Player Elimination are to support Limited Gameplay Time and Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses. These reasons are weaker because they are not guaranteed to be supported by the pattern and that they may not apply equally for all players.

One the most general level, Player Elimination is created through having Game Termination Penalties (but they are not the same since some other causes can create Player Elimination, see below). A more specific, and obvious, way to support Player Elimination is - as the name suggested - to let players or the game system have possibilities to Eliminate players' Focus Loci and link these eliminations with the eliminations of the player themselves. Either this consists of the explicit goal to Eliminate players or that players can fail in Survive goals, and gameplay can be structured so these goals come in focus mainly in Extermination phases of game instances. These Eliminate goals can be built on Overcome goals made possible through Combat, and can lead to Player Killing in Multiplayer Games (giving players Internal Rivalry further encourages the Player Killing). However, Player Killing or other types of killing game elements do not create Player Elimination unless some form of Lives are used as well (Permadeath being the approach that can most quickly lead to eliminations). Player Elimination can also happen indirectly, e.g. through suffering Ability Losses that effectively enforces permanent Downtime, through having lower Scores than other players in Tournaments, or through failing to complete goals within Time Limits (especially common in Racing Games). Losing all one's supply centers in Diplomacy can be seen as an indirect form of Player Elimination. An Extra-Game Action that can cause Player Elimination is Player Kicking - this is typically providing in Multiplayer Games to let players police their own behavior through Voting. This type of Player Kicking may also happen because a majority of players wants to make room for a Late Arriving Player on the expense of an active player. This is a case when Player Elimination is not a Game Termination Penalties.

The presence of Player Elimination may cause Early Elimination, especially if the pattern is instantiated through Permadeath. This breaks designs of Synchronous Gameplay but Player Elimination can be seen as modifying Synchronous Gameplay to only concern players that have not yet been eliminated. Ways of having Player Elimination but letting players have means to avoid it, include Extra Chances and Lives (including Parallel Lives). These however only temporarily avoid the elimination as long as the Extra Chances and Lives are not Renewable Resources. In contrast, the use of Game Masters can - on their sufferance - avoid the pattern temporarily or infinitely through Fudged Results but also make it happen whenever they feel like it.

Narrative Aspects

Gives that Characters controlled by players often have prominent parts in Predetermined Story Structures and these roles are rarely planned to die, at least not until the near end of the stories, killing players is likely to cause breakdowns in the Predetermined Story Structures.

Consequences

Player Elimination are Individual Penalties since they specifically address single players. They give rise to Game Over events for affected players. The risk for this raises Tension levels for players, as they essentially lose all their Value of Effort in a game if the game session is finished without their consent. The upside to this is that those that survive possible eliminations can have a strengthened Value of Effort experience (and a Value of Effort can be strengthened for a player responsible for a Player Elimination). However, Player Eliminations can in some circumstances also give eliminated players Spectacular Failure Enjoyment.

The presence of the Player Elimination pattern gives a fundamental presence of the Survive goal - even if this may not be linked to a diegetic presence (such as an Avatar or Character). Unsynchronized Game Sessions occurs when the time difference between the first player is eliminated and the rest are or the game ends becomes noticeable.

Multiplayer Games with Player Elimination cause problems with Player Balance, and are also likely to cause problems with Team Balance if Teams exist. The gameplay of Multiplayer Games with Player Elimination can also force extended Downtime on eliminated players, especially if there is a possibility of Early Elimination. This can make Player Elimination counteract the possibilities for players to engage in Social Interaction on the same terms and make it difficult for them to experience Togetherness. Game Lobbies can mitigate this issue to a certain extent, since eliminate players can interact which each others while waiting for the game to finish. It goes without saying that games that combining Player Elimination and Teams can lead to Team Elimination since Player Elimination are successful resolutions of Eliminate goals; that is, combinations of Eliminate and Teams can result in Team Elimination. However, elimination of every Character in a Team consisting of these can result in Player Elimination so the patterns can instantiate each other depending on the natures of the Teams involved.

The presences of Player Elimination works against players having an Exaggerated Perception of Influence since they know that game instances in no way guarantees that they will be allowed to play until the game is won or completed. In games with Closed Economies, the use of Player Elimination may be the only way to ensure that Resources are gathered in larger and larger groups as gameplay progresses; this can be seen as a case of supporting Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Game Over, Higher-Level Closures as Gameplay Progresses, Individual Penalties, Last Man Standing, Limited Gameplay Time, Spectacular Failure Enjoyment, Spectators, Tension, Unsynchronized Game Sessions, Unwinnable Games

with Multiplayer Games

Downtime

Can Modulate

Endgame, Closed Economies, Multiplayer Games, Synchronous Gameplay, Teams, Tournaments, Value of Effort

Can Be Instantiated By

Ability Losses, Combat, Eliminate, Extermination, Game Masters, Game Termination Penalties, Internal Rivalry, Late Arriving Players, Lives, Overcome, Permadeath, Parallel Lives, Player Kicking, Scores, Surrendering, Time Limits

Characters together with Team Elimination

Can Be Modulated By

Early Elimination, Extra Chances, Fudged Results, Game Lobbies

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Extra Chances, Fudged Results, Game Masters, Player Balance, Predetermined Story Structures, Social Interaction, Team Balance, Togetherness, Value of Effort

History

An updated version of the pattern Player Elimination that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design[1].

References

  1. ↑ Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.


Acknowledgements

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