Player Agency
The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.
This pattern is a still a stub.
Contents
Examples
All games which allow players to develop clear gameplay mastery can provide Player Agency. Examples include Chess, Counter-Strike, Defense of the Ancients, and Quake 3 Arena.
Anti-Examples
4 Minutes and 33 Seconds of Uniqueness and Progress Quest are examples of games made to not let players have any agency while gameplay progresses. Luck-based gambling games such as Baccarat, Craps, and [[Roulette] can also be seen as anti-examples of Player Agency.
Using the pattern
Player Agency can be creative in games by allowing players to develop Gameplay Mastery or by letting them have Creative Control. It can also be given to players through giving them Exaggerated Perception of Influence, or, rather, they can at least be given the impression of Player Agency. Player Agency can also be given about how gameplay should take place, from allowing Negotiable Play Sessions or Negotiable Game Sessions to more generally allowing games to have Social Adaptability. Self-Facilitated Rules also provide Player Agency outside gameplay proper by letting players modify or break rules. Game Masters takes this to an extreme since these can also control the rules of the game.
Some patterns works directly against Player Agency and should therefore be avoided or considered extra times before used together with it. Examples of these patterns include Automated Responses, No Direct Player Influence, and Zero-Player Games.
Player Agency is a Subjective Pattern and can therefore result in fickle designs. For example, the use of Luck, Player/System Action Composites, or Player Augmentations can support Player Agency but just as well work against it if players do not perceive the abilities they have as being under their control.
Consequences
Since Player Agency can make players feel that they can affect and at least partially control gameplay, it can provide Emotional Engrossment to them.
Relations
Can Instantiate
Can Modulate
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Can Be Instantiated By
Creative Control, Exaggerated Perception of Influence, Game Masters, Gameplay Mastery, Negotiable Game Sessions, Negotiable Play Sessions, Luck, Player/System Action Composites, Player Augmentations, Self-Facilitated Rules, Social Adaptability
Can Be Modulated By
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Possible Closure Effects
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Potentially Conflicting With
Automated Responses, Luck, No Direct Player Influence, Player/System Action Composites, Player Augmentations, Zero-Player Games
History
New pattern created in this wiki.
References
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Acknowledgements
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