Player Physical Prowess

Players abilities to perform physical activities are used to determine the outcome of a game.

This pattern is a still a stub.

Examples

Sports such as Soccer, Decathlon, and Marathons are examples of games where different types of Player Physical Prowess are critical to how well one can participate. Games that require quick eye-hand coordination, e.g. Counter-Strike or the Tekken series, also require Player Physical Prowess even if they may not be as physically exhausting.

Using the pattern

Specific ways of requiring Player Physical Prowess in games include using Dexterity-Based Actions (which are important in First-Person Shooters such as the Quake and Doom series), strength tests (as in Weightlifting), and endurance tests (as in for example Marathons and Ironman Triathlons). Mimetic Interfaces that copy activities that require physical skills is another apparent way to insert the pattern in a game. Time Limits can be used to restrict for how long players have to be able to maintain a certain activity and thereby the requirements of Player Physical Prowess.

Simply having Player-Location Proximity as part of a game may introduce requirements of Player Physical Prowess into a game if it is important who reaches the location first or it is important in which order players arrive there.

Interface Aspects

Quite obviously, games using Player Physical Prowess needs some way of measuring the players' physical activities. This can either be through letting the players physical interact with the game system or through having sensors that measure their activities.

Consequences

Since the physical abilities are often ones that can be improved, Player Physical Prowess offers one route for players to develop Game Mastery. However, the pattern may work against Decontextability since both players' abilities and their possibilities to improve depends quite heavily their inclination.

Since Player Physical Prowess makes players perform physical activities, it is likely to lead to the Extra-Game Consequences of training of these, which may include physical exercise. Taking an perspective, the pattern can be seen as instantiating Real Life Activities Affect Game State since players actually need to do specific physical activities themselves to affect the game.

In games with Physical Navigation, the presence of Player Physical Prowess affects players' ability to be the first to reach the goal locations.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Extra-Game Consequences, Game Mastery, Real Life Activities Affect Game State

Can Modulate

Physical Navigation

Can Be Instantiated By

Dexterity-Based Actions, Mimetic Interfaces, Player-Location Proximity

Can Be Modulated By

Time Limits

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Decontextability

History

Updated version of the pattern Player Physical Prowess first described in the report Game Design Patterns for Mobile Games.

Acknowledgements

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