Difference between revisions of "Gameplay Statistics"

Revision as of 18:37, 13 January 2011

Records of game state values or events that can be accessed during or after gameplay.

The gameplay contained in games are not enjoyable unless players care about what happens when one games. This interest easily transfers into players wanting to be able to have accounts of the gameplay after or between game sessions. Games can support this through having various Gameplay Statistics recorded and stored.

Examples

Tabletop roleplaying games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu, which typically have campaigns that span several play sessions, store information about the players' characters on paper sheets. These form a type of Gameplay Statistics, since changes over time can leave physical marks from in-game events such as raises to skills, attributes, and levels or from extra-game events such as when coffee was spilled.

The high score lists recorded in pinball games, e.g. Star Trek:The Next Generation, and arcade games, e.g. Pac-Man and Space Invaders, are all examples of how Gameplay Statistics can be recorded and presented to people during and between games.

Assassin's Creed II of the Assassin's Creed series keeps track of how much money the player has both stolen and spent on certain expenses to be able to award various achievements. From Battlefield 2, gameplay on official servers of the Battlefield series has kept track of player statistics, including ranks. These statistics are used to allow players to compare themselves to others and to determine when they receive ribbons, badges, and medals. Advancements in ranks allow players to unlock weapons that can replace the original outfits of the various playable classes.

Using the pattern

An obvious choice that needs to be done when using Gameplay Statistics is what information or events to record. Players' Scores to provide High Score Lists is a well-known example present already in the first arcade version of Pac-Man and Space Invaders. Speed Runs is another, which is the keeping track of how long time it takes to complete levels or races in a game, and can be found in the Need for Speed series and well as in Portal. Having become popular when the advent of online connectivity, Achievements can be used to translate almost any type of statistic or event into something recorded outside the game instance and available irregardless of game sessions. Replays go a step further, letting players themselves choose what gameplay is worth saving for posterity and thereby giving them Creative Control.

Trans-Game Information

Time Pressure

Dedicated Game Facilitators

Memorabilia

Excise

Characters

Character Sheets

Diegetic Aspects

Interface Aspects

Narrative Aspects

Consequences

Relations

Can Instantiate

Can Modulate

Score

Can Be Instantiated By

Achievements High Score Lists Replays Speed Runs

Can Be Modulated By

Possible Closure Effects

Potentially Conflicting With

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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