Difference between revisions of "Diegetically Tangible Game Items"

Revision as of 05:43, 30 April 2011

Game items that have tangible presences in game worlds.

Many games have game worlds, and these often contain various items or things to make these more interesting and believable. While the most basic attribute required of these things are that they can be noticed, and they can provide gameplay functionality by simply reacting to players moving over them, another basic attribute of thing in the real world is that they have tangible presence. Things in games that have this within their games worlds are Diegetically Tangible Game Items.

Examples

Diegetically Tangible Game Items can let players reach places otherwise inaccessible to them. Sokoban and the Tomb Raider series uses this to create puzzles but sometimes this effect is unintentional; that players' avatars could stand on limpet mines in Deus Ex let them circumvent the level designs, and that players' avatars could stand on each other in Team Fortress Classic made it possible for them to reach ledges they weren't supposed to.

The blocks in Minecraft are Diegetically Tangible Game Items that can be "mined" to be used as building material or the raw materials for tools, equipment, and other items.

Using the pattern

Creating Diegetically Tangible Game Items consists of creating Game Items with all the choices this confers, but also requires considering how they affect, and are affected by, Game Worlds. They are rarely combined with Power-Ups, probably since there is little reason to make these tangible if players' direct contact with them through Avatars makes them disappear.

Existing in Game Worlds, Diegetically Tangible Game Items can affect both Line of Sight and Movement. They can also be Traps or, if they are movable, make it possible to reach Inaccessible Areas by placing them appropriately (including stacking them) and this can be used to require player to engage in Puzzle Solving. However, Diegetically Tangible Game Items can also allow players to create Inaccessible Areas, Safe Havens, and Traps.

The most common way to make Diegetically Tangible Game Items be affected by Game Worlds is to let them be affected by Environmental Effects. Since the Diegetically Tangible Game Items can be Environmental Effects themselves these means that they can affect each other, e.g. when water and lava blocks in Minecraft come in contact with each other they turn into obsidian.

Diegetic Aspects

As the name indicates, Diegetically Tangible Game Items is a diegetic pattern whose defined by making Game Items have a tangible present in Game Worlds. This helps support Diegetic Consistency.

Consequences

Diegetically Tangible Game Items are Obstacles in Game Worlds. Since they can affect both Movement and Line of Sight for Avatars and Units, they affect these also. However, since they are removable these are temporary effects, and they may be used to create Inaccessible Areas, Safe Havens, and possibly Traps.

Giving Game Items an attribute that objects in the real world have, the pattern Diegetically Tangible Game Items helps provide Diegetic Consistency in games.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Diegetic Consistency, Inaccessible Areas, Obstacles, Puzzle Solving, Safe Havens, Traps

Can Modulate

Avatars, Game Items, Game Worlds, Inaccessible Areas, Line of Sight, Movement, Units

Can Be Instantiated By

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Can Be Modulated By

Environmental Effects

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Power-Ups

History

New pattern created in this wiki.

References

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Acknowledgements

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