Player-Defined Goals

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

Goals and subgoals that players can create or customize within the game itself. Structured Player Defined Goals are possible by providing mechanics to let players determine the requirements, rewards, and punishments of the goals by having explicit game rules that govern these goals. By specifying the end conditions and evaluation functions within the game as conditions of the game state, these Player Defined Goals can then be monitored by the game system similarly to other goals.

Example: Player Defined Goals are employed in Diplomacy in a way that the players can set their own secret goals and strategies, but the impact of the Player Defined Goals is more evident when some players agree on acting together against another player. However, the goals are only an agreement between the players and they are not explicitly stated in the game mechanics or rules.

Example: SimCity and most of the other Sim -games are good examples of games where Player Defined Goals are possible and also integral to the resulting gameplay. The gameplay is open as there are no winning conditions provided by the game itself and the game system is complex enough to allow huge amounts of different outcomes. The player is free to choose and pursue as a goal almost any possible game state from building the biggest city to making a strong police state to having fun in bulldozing the suburban areas when they are flourishing.

Examples

Anti-Examples

optional

Using the pattern

Games can provide support for defining the Player-Defined Goals so the game system can automatically detect successes and failure as well as applying Penalties or Rewards. However, this is not necessary for Player-Defined Goals to be part of a game design. In fact, players can add their own goals to any game so the pattern can exist in any game, and is for that reason a possible Subjective Pattern in any game. However, it can be encouraged by providing players with information so they can see that certain series of actions and activities can result in specific outcomes and can therefore be potential Player-Defined Goals. These Player-Defined Goals can also Mutual Goals in that several players agree to have them; In contrast, goals that are both Mutual and Player-Defined and are created through game rules require players to engage in Negotiation — especially when a game forces players to create such goals.

High Score Lists is an example of a pattern that can help players defined their own goals since it provides players with the information they need to set up a goal of their own (beating a certain score or getting onto the list). A Game State Overview

Can Be Instantiated By

Betting, Bidding, Collecting, Player-Planned Development

Construction with Creative Control

Can Be Modulated By

Player Balance

Other patterns typically do not conflict with Player-Defined Goals. Even Predefined Goals does not need to be a problem since they can form a basis upon which other Player-Defined Goals can be created. One of the few that can be seen as conflicting is Goal Indicators since these draw players' attention to Predefined Goals during gameplay and can therefore draw their attention away from defining goals of their own.

Consequences

Player-Defined Goals let players have Creative Control in games and can add Freedom of Choice regarding which goals are available. While any goal can provide Anticipation and Emotional Engrossment, Player-Defined Goals have additional possibilities to do so because players can choose them to fit what they find most interesting as well as the fact that the goals can be perceived as their goals.

The goals defined by players are typically Optional Goals and in many cases also Ephemeral Goals. When defined based on the existence of other players' goals they can inject Preventing Goals into a game and since players can add Rewards or Penalties outside the game system they can also provide Extra-Game Consequences.

One effect of Player-Defined Goals is that they can allow players to have closures in Unwinnable Games. This can in practice let players have winning conditions for a game of their own built upon the game or can simply add structure to what otherwise may be perceived as one long continuous experience without variation.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Anticipation, Creative Control, Emotional Engrossment, Ephemeral Goals, Extra-Game Consequences, Freedom of Choice, Optional Goals, Preventing Goals

with Mutual Goals

Negotiation

Can Modulate

Mutual Goals, Penalties, Rewards, Unwinnable Games

Can Be Instantiated By

Betting, Bidding, Collecting, Game State Overview, High Score Lists, Player-Planned Development

Construction with Creative Control

Can Be Modulated By

Negotiation, Player Balance

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Goal Indicators

History

An updated version of the pattern Player Defined Goals that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design.

Acknowledgements

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