Altruistic Actions
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.
Contents
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
Altruistic Actions are 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.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Betrayal, Cooperation, Delayed Reciprocity, Guilting, Risk/Reward, Uncommitted Alliances
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
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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