Game Worlds

Fictive worlds in which gameplay takes place.

Usually games have a Game World in which the spatial relationships of game elements are important, for example, the actual game board in Monopoly. There are other elements where the spatial relationships are not important as long as categories can be identified, for example, the amount of money each player has in Monopoly. The strict definition adopted here requires that the elements in the Game World have spatial relationships that define and constrain the possible movements within the Game World. As already stated, many games have both the spatial Game World and other elements that have a possible impact on the Game World but that do not have spatial relationships. The Game World is usually limited and contained, but some games, for example, Five-in-a-Row, have a potentially infinite Game World.

Not all games have a Game World ---in Paper-Rock-Scissors there is no need for a Game World ---while most of the card games do not have meaningful spatial relationships between the cards that would determine possible Movement actions.

Examples

Already early computer games such as Space Invaders contained Game Worlds. To make them larger, at least in the sense that one could theoretically travel infinitely in one direct, edges of the them could be linked together. Pac-Man did this for the horizontal axis (as does Civilization series, the Europa Universalis, and the Hearts of Iron series to the spherical shape of Earth). Asteroids does this wrapping for both horizontal and vertical axis, making it into a toroidal topology.

Other computer games made use of other design solutions to make the Game Worlds appear larger than they actually are. The Game World of Doom appears to be three dimensional even though movement is two-dimensional with a height component (i.e., this cannot be directly above or below each other).

Elite Minecraft

Grand Theft Auto series

Half-life series Portal

Fallout series Mario series

Elite, Slaves to Armok II: Dwarf Fortress, Just Cause, Minecraft, Assassin's Creed series

Nethack

Left 4 Dead series Assassin's Creed series

Using the pattern

Designing Game Worlds consist of deciding what smaller elements (if any) they are created from, what size they are and how boundaries are handled, and what individual game elements exist in them. Inherently related to this is how players are supposed to perceive and interact with them. The following in most cases assumed that the Game Worlds are presented visually rather than through text (see Illocutionary Interface for more on this), or through the Storytelling of Game Masters.

Game Worlds can be classified first into continuous and discrete. The movement for the player in a continuous Game World is at least seemingly fluid and continuous, and in discrete Game Worlds, the movement happens in larger steps. This classification is not clear cut, as it can be argued that every computer Game World is, in fact, discrete, as the positions and the environment are expressed in digital format. The second categorization concerns the main spatial relationships between the game elements. These basic categories are: linear (or 1D), reticular, 2D and 3D. These categories are orthogonal to the continuous and discrete categorization so that there are eight basic categories (even though the reticular-continuous category is slightly troublesome). Linear Game Worlds are those in which the movement can happen only in one or two directions. For example, Backgammon and Ludo have linear Game Worlds. The movement in reticular Game Worlds can happen only between connected nodes in a graph. The arrangement of different territories in Diplomacy, Hearts of Iron, and many other strategy games is a good example of a reticular Game World. The 2D Game World is just what it says: the movement is limited to a two-dimensional plane. Chess's board and Pac-Man's levels are good examples of 2D Game Worlds. The last category, 3D, is as straightforward as the previous one: the movement is more or less free in all the three dimensions. Note here that the main classification is based on how the movement, and not only player movement, is limited in the world and not on the graphical representation of the world. This means that, for example, a computer Chess with splendidly rendered 3D graphics still has a 2D Game World.

Game Worlds can be constructed to appear continuous or made out of Tiles, possibly through Tile-Laying. Besides this decision of how the Game World should be perceived on a fine level of granularity, the game world can be partitioned into different areas, Levels, on a higher level of granularity. The Levels make the rest of the Game World into Inaccessible Areas, and this can be used to guarantee different modes of play or to maintain a Narrative Structure. Game Worlds can be predetermined by the designer or constructed by the players by using a Reconfigurable Game World. In both cases, the designer has to first figure out the basic building blocks of the Game World, even when the world is continuous. The granularity or size of a Game World can be modulated during gameplay through Dedicated Game Facilitators. Especially Game Masters, who can provide Storytelling, can provide additional information such as the history of the Game World or facts that are not quantified in the game system. In Player Constructed Worlds and Roleplaying, players can do actions similar to Game Masters and provide a way to create a stable form of Never Ending Stories.

The size of Game Worlds can influence gameplay significantly. Having large worlds is one way to create Illusion of Open Space but Invisible Walls can work as well, and for sufficiently open worlds the latter may be needed even though they are likely to break Diegetic Consistency. Regardless, game designs need to consider how to handle the edges of the Game Worlds. One way is to avoid them through using Warp Zones, like for example the Civilization series and the Hearts of Iron series do to model the spherical nature of planets. Levels can be used to split Game Worlds into smaller chunks either to support Narration Structures or clearly let player clearly have Progress Indicators as they complete them.

Categories of basic game elements that can be placed in Game Worlds include Alarms, Obstacles, Environmental Effects, Helpers, Installations, Resources and Resource Generators, Tools, Traps as well as Vehicles (Invisible Walls are theoretically possible but typically only used to create the outer border of the Game Worlds). The representation used for these and their placement can in turn be used to create Clues, Traces, and Environmental Storytelling. They can all be modified to be Diegetically Outstanding Features, and Big Dumb Objects are game elements specifically used for this purpose, but parts of the Game Worlds themselves can become Diegetically Outstanding Features simply by changing the presentation locally. Diegetically Outstanding Features in the Game Worlds can help Game World Navigation but can also be used to draw attention to Red Herrings so that players are lured towards certain areas. Geospatial Game Widgets are a special option to place in Game Worlds in that they are spatially located in the Game Worlds but diegetically not present.

Game elements that can be Agents and placed in Game Worlds include Enemies and Non-Player Characters, although some of the latter may be actual more accurately described as Helpers if they are sessile. Avatars and Units also belong to this category but they are typically not placed in the Game Worlds before game instances begin; instead they are placed in them through Construction or Game Element Insertion. Ghosts are Replays of previous players' actions in the game and can because of this be seen as a form of Geospatial Game Widgets for Agents of earlier game instances.

Abstract aspects of the Game Worlds, that is subsections of the actual space of the Game Worlds, include Goal Points, Inaccessible Areas, Safe Havens, Spawn Points, Resource Generators (since these can be immaterial besides being tangible game elements), and Resource Locations. Also include in this category are those parts of Game Worlds under dispute due to Area Control goals. Since all these do not have natural representations, the Game Worlds may need to be changed to have Diegetically Outstanding Features to show where they are. Related to Safe Havens, Private Game Spaces are worth noting here. These spaces, particular to Massively Single-Player Online Games such as FarmVille and Zombie Lane and some board games (e.g. Puerto Rico and Race for the Galaxy), can in one sense be said to describe the whole Game Worlds for their players but since other players can be allowed to do Visits (at least in the Massively Single-Player Online Games) the spaces can in another sense be said to be parts of larger Game Worlds.

Game Worlds typically imply Movement through them, and all the game elements mentioned above can be used to affect this. The range of ways to design how players can move through Game Worlds can be used to create Races as well as goals of Exploration or Traverse.

Movement through game worlds

Maneuvering Rhythm-Based Actions Roleplaying

(← links)

Extended Actions (← links)

Randomness (← links) Dedicated Game Facilitators (← links) Casual Gameplay (← links) Open Destiny (← links) Algorithmic Agents (← links) Gameplay Statistics (← links) Quick Returns (← links) Characters (← links) Game State Indicators (← links) Stimulated Planning (← links) Extra Chances (← links) Freedom of Choice (← links) Multiplayer Games (← links) Quick Travel (← links) Companions (← links) Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences (← links)

Enforced Agent Behavior (← links) Alignment (← links) Extra-Game Consequences (← links) Gossip (← links) Cutscenes (← links) Parallel Lives (← links) Speed Runs (← links) Varying Rule Sets (← links)

Non-Player Help Encouraged Return Visits (← links) Grinding (← links) Development Time (← links) Public Player Statistics (← links) Pottering (← links)

Asymmetric Starting Conditions

There are several patterns that can be applied to control players information about Game Worlds. The choice of First-Person Views, Third-Person Views, or God Views is basic one about how players are supposed to get knowledge about the Game Worlds. The first option supports the use of a Detective Structure (and can be seen as a very literal use of Line of Sight) while the second one provide a limited form of Game State Overview since players can detect somewhat more than the Avatars or Units the view is tied to. God Views in turn offer the possibility of very good Game State Overviews but this is often countered by the use of Fog of War initially. This makes all options usually not provide players with complete access to whole Game Worlds, and this is often wanted by designers to allow the possibility of Easter Eggs, Secret Resources and to encourage Exploration. The restrictions of being able to perceive Game Worlds can of course be modified through various Privileged Abilities, e.g. commanders in Battlefield 2 can get Game State Overviews through doing scans in Secondary Interface Screens that temporarily locate all enemy units. For large Game Worlds, or Levels for that matter, Mini-maps can be necessary to locate oneself in them.

The spatial characteristics of a Game World can be further specified by designing it to be open or closed. An open game world can be expanded during gameplay, potentially infinitely or through creating spatial cycles, while a closed one has a predefined maximum size.

Populating the Game World with game elements can be done before gameplay begins or as part of how the Game Worlds evolve. Besides the effect of players' actions, Irreversible Events, Storytelling and Ultra-Powerful Events can lead to the content in them being changed through Construction, Game Element Insertion, or Game Element Removal. Continuous Game element Insertion by the game system requires Resource Generators or Spawn Points, and these are likely to become Strategic Locations. The Game Worlds themselves can change through Shrinking Game Worlds, as found for example in Forbidden Island or GreedCorp, or have the potential to expand infinitely in the Player-Constructed Worlds (or perhaps Game Master-Constructed Worlds) possible in Roleplaying Games or text-based multi-user dungeons such as Kingdoms or DragonMud.

Another aspect of Game Worlds are how long they should last. Arbitrary Time Limits or diegetically easier to explain Shrinking Game Worlds can both be used to destroy or end Game Worlds after a certain amount of time, and by doing so gives games Time Limited Game Instances (gameplay can continue even if the Game Worlds end by using (Game Time Manipulation - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask is an example of this). In contrast to this, Game Worlds can be Persistent Game Worlds, that is Game Worlds that exist independently of players' game sessions. This is a requirement for Drop-In/Drop-Out gameplay, and since Massively Multiplayer Online Games require this feature also a requirement these types of games.

Diegetic Aspects

Game Worlds provide a basis for Spatial Engrossment but gameplay activities taking place "outside" the Game Worlds, e.g. Excise or manipulation of Characters or Inventories in Secondary Interface Screens, can distract from this. If Diegetic Consistency is not important, the use Alien Space Bats can allow greater freedom in the range and themes possible for both the actual environments and the game elements in them.

Narrative Aspects

Game Worlds provide a basis for Environmental Storytelling but other Narration Structures can create parts of Game Worlds that isn't part of gameplay at all. By using Storytelling, games can provide backstories and hints of other parts of Game Worlds that may be important to setup conflicts or simple help provide an Illusion of Open Space.

Consequences

Game Worlds give players an Alternative Realities, and creates a basis for Diegetic Consistency, in which they can experience Engrossment through Spatial Engrossment, especially in games with First-Person Views. Game Worlds limit the area on which players have to focus the attention, and typically very intuitively limits the possible Movement (Movement in turn modifies how Game Worlds are experienced).

Those Game Worlds which cannot completely be viewed at once by players encourage Exploration and especially so if players are aware of the presence but not location of Easter Eggs and Secret Resources. Those in which players need to move Avatars or Units very often spawn Traverse goals unless they have already been explicitly designed into the game (this might also happen in games about connecting flows of various kinds, e.g. steam in Cogs or "flooz" or goo in Pipe Mania).

Concentrations of certain game elements or the presence of uncommon ones in any areas of a Game World makes it likely that those areas become Strategic Locations. The presence of these can be Strategic Knowledge, significantly affect Player Balance, and encourage specific actions such as Camping.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Alternative Reality, Diegetic Consistency, Environmental Storytelling, Exploration, Races, Spatial Engrossment, Traverse

with First-Person Views

Detective Structure

with Invisible Walls or Storytelling

Illusion of Open Space

with Resource Generators or Spawn Points

Strategic Locations

with Strategic Locations

Camping, Strategic Knowledge

with Third-Person Views

Game State Overview

with Time Limits or Shrinking Game Worlds

Time Limited Game Instances

Can Modulate

Movement

Can Be Instantiated By

Game Masters, Illocutionary Interface, Levels, Storytelling

Can Be Modulated By

Alarms, Alien Space Bats, Avatars, Big Dumb Objects, Clues, Construction, Diegetically Outstanding Features, Easter Eggs, Enemies, Environmental Effects, Exploration, First-Person Views, Game Element Insertion, Game Element Removal, Geospatial Game Widgets, Ghosts, Helpers, Illusion of Open Space, Inaccessible Areas, Installations, Invisible Walls, Irreversible Events, Mini-maps, Movement, Non-Player Characters, Obstacles, Persistent Game Worlds, Player-Constructed Worlds, Private Game Spaces, Red Herrings, Resource Generators, Resource Locations, Resources, Safe Havens, Secret Resources, Shrinking Game Worlds, Spawn Points, Storytelling, Third-Person Views, Time Limits, Tools, Traces, Traps, Ultra-Powerful Events, Units, Vehicles, Visits, Warp Zones

Possible Closure Effects

-

Potentially Conflicting With

Diegetic Consistency when Invisible Walls are present

Player Balance when Strategic Locations are present

History

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