Difference between revisions of "Altruistic Actions"

Revision as of 21:40, 7 February 2011

Game actions that are beneficial to somebody but not directly to the players who performed them.

Given that players try to reach various types of goals while gaming, most of their actions during gameplay are directed towards reaching these goals. However, in multiplayer games other players may be trying to reach their goals and this provides an opportunity for Altruistic Actions that don't help the players themselves, but simply the other players. The reason for these actions may not be completely without a degree of self-interest - they may be for social reasons or the hope of help in return - but as long as they don't automatically provide a benefit they may best be, or ought to best be, considered altruistic. As an alternative, the Altruistic Actions may be game actions that provide some type of help to people not playing the game or the game may accept the input from non-players to help players.

Examples

Sending gifts to other players in FarmVille or Mafia Wars do not automatically provide a benefit for the giver and as such are examples of Altruistic Actions. That players may expect gifts in return is another matter.

Conspiracy for Good made players collect books for charities as part of its gameplay.

Using the pattern

Altruistic Actions can be used in games with Teams but this depends on how Rewards and Penalties are constructed. Games with Shared Rewards and Penalties make helping other team members intrinsically tied to the players' own fortunes and are therefore difficult to combine with Altruistic Actions. This can be mitigated through the use of Limited Gameplay Time and/or Drop-In/Drop-Out gameplay, e.g. Counter-Strike and the Team Fortress series.

Free Gift Inventories is an easy way to encourage Altruistic Actions. Discouraging them, or at least associating them with Risk/Reward can be done by requiring players to use some resource (making the actions a form of Investment) or by having Inherent Mistrust in the game.

One way of creating Altruistic Actions is to make actions in a game have Extra-Game Consequences that are altruistic. Taking an opposite approach, Non-Player Help allow people who are not participating in a game to perform Altruistic Actions aimed at those playing.

Given their non-offensive nature, Altruistic Actions are well suited as those available to players on Visits to other players' Private Game Spaces, including Massively Single-Player Online Games.

Consequences

Given that Altruistic Actions do not directly help the player performing them, they can easily instantiate Individual Rewards by simply just affecting one other player. They are also a way to invite other players into Cooperation in Uncommitted Alliances based on the assumption of Delayed Reciprocity. In this sense the actions may not be fully altruistic but at least is only indirectly done for personal gain. When doing the Altruistic Actions requires some form of Investment they are a Risk/Reward action due to the risk of not being return, something that is likely to be felt as Betrayal.

For the people at the receiving end, Altruistic Actions may lead to Guilting. For games with Drop-In/Drop-Out gameplay, both the giver and givee of Altruistic Actions can feel the pressure of Encouraged Return Visits.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Betrayal, Cooperation, Delayed Reciprocity, Encouraged Return Visits, Guilting, Individual Rewards, Risk/Reward, Uncommitted Alliances

with Drop-In/Drop-Out

Encouraged Return Visits

Can Modulate

Massively Single-Player Online Games, Private Game Spaces, Visits

Can Be Instantiated By

Extra-Game Consequences, Non-Player Help

Can Be Modulated By

Inherent Mistrust, Investment

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Shared Penalties, Shared Rewards

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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