Non-Player Help

The designed possibility for people not playing the game to help players.

Some games allow people not playing the game to provide information or perform actions that can support players pursuits in them. When this is intentional planned for by the game design, this Non-Player Help can provide unexpected support and open up for social interaction beyond that contained in the gameplay itself.

Examples

Contestants in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? have several lifelines to help them during the game, one such is Phone-A-Friend which allows a non-player to suggest an answer. Players of FarmVille and Mafia Wars can broadcast requests for help to players and non-player alike, and by thus support a form of Non-Player Help in that new people can start playing the game with the initial goal of aiding the inviting player.

People meeting those participating in a Scavenger Hunt game can help by giving items to them. Related, Alternate Reality games such as Prosopopeia can put players in situations where they interact with other people without being sure if they are performing roles in the games or are simply random people caught up in the gameplay. Although difficult to know in advance, the interaction they provide can be interesting experience, red herrings, or Non-Player Help.

Using the pattern

Excise

Private Game Spaces

Late Arriving Players

Game Masters

Dedicated Game Facilitators

Excise

Invites support a type of one-time Non-Player Help in that they can make people start playing a game for the reason of helping the people already playing.

Consequences

When the Non-Player Help either come unsuspectingly or at an unsuspected time they may be pleasant Surprises. Non-Player Help also create Social Interaction between people, independent of if it is just a particular game event or a long more open-ended encounter.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Invites, Social Interaction, Surprises

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

Acknowledgements

Erik Fagerholt, Martin Hjulström, Sus Lundgren