Quick Time Events

The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

The Dragon's Lair series was an early example of games that used Quick Time Events to let players avoid having their characters dying while trying to free a princess kidnapped by a dragon. While in this game all the actual gameplay was in form of Quick Time Events, later games such as the Shenmue series, Fahrenheit, and Heavy Rain uses Quick Time Events interjected with other types of gameplay.

The WarioWare series can be said to consist of a large collection of mini games that are actually Quick Time Events. Likewise, the main interaction provided by the toy Simon can be said to be Quick Time Events.

Wikipedia has an entry about Quick Time Events including several examples

Using the pattern

Narrative Aspects

As a form of Cutscenes, Quick Time Events can provide specific presentations of Game Worlds but - as the Simon toy shows - this is not always the case since some Quick Time Events are abstract.

Consequences

Quick Time Events are a way of introducing Rhythm-Based Actions (which may devolve into Button Bashing) into games in the form of Cutscenes or Minigames. They give players explicit Ephemeral Goals and the arrival of these can be Surprises that give Tension.

Quick Time Events can work against Spatial Engrossment since they give players instructions of what to do through Non-Diegetic Features.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Button Bashing, Cutscenes, Ephemeral Goals, Minigames, Non-Diegetic Features, Rhythm-Based Actions, Surprises, Tension

Can Modulate

Predetermined Story Structures

Can Be Instantiated By

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Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Spatial Engrossment

History

New pattern created in this wiki.