Difference between revisions of "Rewards"

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[[Category:Patterns]]
 
[[Category:Patterns]]
[[Category:Needs work]]
 
 
[[Category:Needs revision]]
 
[[Category:Needs revision]]
 
[[Category:Needs examples]]
 
[[Category:Needs examples]]
 
[[Category:Needs references]]
 
[[Category:Needs references]]
[[Category:Stub]]
 
 
[[Category:To be Published]]
 
[[Category:To be Published]]
[[Category:Staffan's current workpage]]
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''Things received in games which are perceived as positive.''
''The one-sentence "definition" that should be in italics.''
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This pattern is a still a stub.
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Players typically need some type of encouragement to engage in gameplay. [[Rewards]] provide one type of encouragement which is tied to changes in the game state or game progression.
  
 
=== Examples ===
 
=== Examples ===
[[Space Alert]]
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Practically all [[:Category:Games|Games]] provide some type of [[Rewards|Reward]], be it that they are winnable, they give scores or other things to recognize players' actions or give them positive experiences.
 
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==== Anti-Examples ====
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optional
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== Using the pattern ==
 
== Using the pattern ==
[[Rewards]] are typically given out to players to indicate they have achieved something worthwhile. This can be that they have completed some part of a game with [[Challenging Gameplay]] or have proven some kind of [[Gameplay Mastery]].  
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[[Rewards]] are typically given out to players to indicate they have achieved something worthwhile. This can be that they have completed some part of a game with [[Challenging Gameplay]] — for example a [[Quests|Quest]] — or have proven some kind of [[Gameplay Mastery]]. They may also be added to balance [[Risk/Reward]] situations, motivate continues engagement where [[Red Queen Dilemmas]] exist, or to cause [[Attention Swapping]]. [[Player-Defined Goals]] can let players choose with [[Rewards]] should be available to them.
 
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More specific reasons can be that one has gained [[Area Control]], won [[Bidding]] contests, or found [[Secret Areas]].
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They can be used to motivate players to perform activities which otherwise would not give gameplay progression, e.g. [[Invites]] or [[Grinding]].
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Further, [[Rewards]] can also be used to recognize that players have complied to the fact [[Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences]] by behaving appropriately.  
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=== Can Modulate ===
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[[Alternative Reality]],
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[[Attention Swapping]],
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[[Fudged Results]],
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[[Game Items]],
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[[Red Queen Dilemmas]],
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[[Resource Caps]],
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[[Resources]],
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[[Risk/Reward]],
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[[Scores]],
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[[Rewards]] can be given for many different things in games, but there are some common cases. Gaining [[Ownership]] or engaging in [[Trading]] may be its own [[Rewards|Reward]] but can be strengthened by other [[Rewards]]; the same goes for [[Player Killing]] and [[Repeat Combos]] (the latter which can be recreate through combining [[Rewards]] and [[Time Limits]]). Favorable results of [[Betting]] and [[Investments]] are [[Rewards]] as is [[Delayed Reciprocity]] when it occurs. Related to [[Investments]], [[Rewards]] can be the result of [[Arithmetic Progression]], [[Geometric Progression]], or [[Discontinuous Progression]] of player effort in comparison to the size of the [[Rewards]]. Completing [[Minigames]] typically provide [[Rewards]] unless they are only meant to be truly optional activities.  
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More specific reasons can be that one has gained [[Area Control]], won [[Bidding]] contests, or found [[Secret Areas]]. Gaining [[Ownership]] or engaging in [[Trading]] may be its own [[Rewards|Reward]] but can be strengthened by other [[Rewards]]; the same goes for [[Player Killing]] and [[Repeat Combos]] (the latter which can be recreate through combining [[Rewards]] and [[Time Limits]]). Favorable results of [[Betting]] and [[Investments]] are [[Rewards]] as is [[Delayed Reciprocity]] when it occurs. Related to [[Investments]], [[Rewards]] can be the result of [[Arithmetic Progression]], [[Geometric Progression]], or [[Discontinuous Progression]] of player effort in comparison to the size of the [[Rewards]]. Completing [[Minigames]] typically provide [[Rewards]] unless they are only meant to be truly optional activities. Further, [[Rewards]] can also be used to recognize that players have complied with the fact that [[Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences]] by behaving appropriately. Finally, they can be used to motivate players to perform activities which otherwise would not give gameplay progression, e.g. [[Invites]] or [[Grinding]].  
  
Most [[Rewards]] can be given out as [[Individual Rewards]] or [[Shared Rewards]] when they finally are given out. They can also be modulated by being the effects of [[Mutual Goals]] between players (even in the case when they are not [[Shared Rewards]]) or by being the effects of [[Continuous Goals]] - which in the latter case modulate the use of [[Rewards]] (and [[Penalties]]) by threatening with [[Penalties]] as soon as the player fails some action while waiting with [[Rewards]] until some additional requirement is met. A somewhat exotic option is to provide players with [[Unknown Goals]] but let them know what the [[Rewards]] are; another way to combine these patterns is simply that the much more common version of letting players have hidden goals for winning a game that other players don't know. [[Rewards]] for things done within certain [[Time Limits]] is one way to create [[Optional Goals]].  
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Most [[Rewards]] can be given out as [[Individual Rewards]] or [[Shared Rewards]] when they finally are given out. They can also be modulated by being the effects of [[Mutual Goals]] between players (even in the case when they are not [[Shared Rewards]]) or by being the effects of [[Continuous Goals]] - which in the latter case modulate the use of [[Rewards]] (and [[Penalties]]) by threatening with [[Penalties]] as soon as the player fails some action while waiting with [[Rewards]] until some additional requirement is met. They can also be applied to [[Shared Resources]], potentially letting other players take advantage of them (and becoming [[Shared Rewards]]). A somewhat exotic option is to provide players with [[Unknown Goals]] but let them know what the [[Rewards]] are; another way to combine these patterns is simply that the much more common version of letting players have hidden goals for winning a game that other players don't know. [[Rewards]] for things done within certain [[Time Limits]] is one way to create [[Optional Goals]].  
  
There is a wide variety of what [[Rewards]] actually can consist of. Four different types of categories of [[Rewards]] are [[Access Rewards]], [[Facilitating Rewards]], [[Social Rewards]], and [[Sustenance Rewards]] but [[Rewards]] can of course be combined to provide several of these at the same time. Providing [[Improved Abilities|Improved]] or [[New Abilities]] are common parts of [[Rewards]] (especially for [[Access Rewards]] and [[Facilitating Rewards]]); being able to do [[Game Time Manipulation]] in [[Single-Player Games]] is one such possible example. Gaining [[Experience Points]] and [[Money]] are also often part of [[Rewards]] (and may be a [[Sustenance Rewards|Sustenance Reward]]). Another very common type of [[Rewards]] the combination of [[Game Items]] and [[Money]] in the form of [[Loot]]. Other, less common, [[Rewards]] include receiving [[Extra Chances]] (for example in the form of [[Lives]]), gaining new [[Companions]], gaining entry or higher ranks in [[Factions]], being presented with the possibility of [[Quick Returns]], and being given access to [[Quick Travel]] (the three last are [[Access Rewards]]). Most of these can take be described as being [[Rewards]] for [[Characters]] as much as players, so [[Character Development]] tends to be a form of [[Rewards|Reward]] although losing [[Abilities]], etc. are also a form of [[Character Development]]. [[Free Gift Inventories]] shows how [[Rewards]] can let players help other players but not directly themselves as a consequence of receiving [[Rewards]]. Most types of [[Rewards]] can actually be split in two halves, [[Unlocking]] the ability to receive or choose them and actually getting them. In this way, [[Unlocking]] shows how a [[Rewards|Reward]] does not have to be an improvement directly related to players' gameplay but can also be the potential to improve it. [[Achievements]] goes on step further and shows that [[Rewards]] can be heavily dependent on game states and player actions without having to affect the game state when players gain them. The existences of [[Goal Achievements]], [[Grind Achievements]], [[Handicap Achievements]], and [[Testing Achievements]] show how different types of actions can be rewarded. Finally, [[Illusionary Rewards]] are misperceptions that things are [[Rewards]] that aren't.  
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There is a wide variety of what [[Rewards]] actually can consist of. Four different types of categories of [[Rewards]] are [[Access Rewards]], [[Facilitating Rewards]], [[Social Rewards]], and [[Sustenance Rewards]] but [[Rewards]] can of course be combined to provide several of these at the same time. Providing [[Improved Abilities|Improved]] or [[New Abilities]] are common parts of [[Rewards]] (especially for [[Access Rewards]] and [[Facilitating Rewards]]); being able to do [[Game Time Manipulation]] in [[Single-Player Games]] is one such possible example. Gaining [[Experience Points]], [[Resources]], [[Scores]], or [[Money]] are also often part of [[Rewards]] (and may be a [[Sustenance Rewards|Sustenance Reward]]). Another very common type of [[Rewards]] the combination of [[Game Items]] and [[Money]] in the form of [[Loot]]; improvements of [[Game Items]] is another form of [[Rewards]] when they are modified rather than given. Other, less common, [[Rewards]] include receiving [[Extra Chances]] (for example in the form of [[Lives]]) or [[Fudged Results]], gaining new [[Companions]], having [[Resource Caps]] increased or removed, gaining entry or higher ranks in [[Factions]], being presented with the possibility of [[Quick Returns]], and being given access to [[Quick Travel]] (the three last are [[Access Rewards]]). Most of these can take be described as being [[Rewards]] for [[Characters]] as much as players, so [[Character Development]] tends to be a form of [[Rewards|Reward]] although losing [[Abilities]], etc. are also a form of [[Character Development]]. [[Free Gift Inventories]] shows how [[Rewards]] can let players help other players but not directly themselves as a consequence of receiving [[Rewards]]. Most types of [[Rewards]] can actually be split in two halves, [[Unlocking]] the ability to receive or choose them and actually getting them. In this way, [[Unlocking]] shows how a [[Rewards|Reward]] does not have to be an improvement directly related to players' gameplay but can also be the potential to improve it. [[Achievements]] goes on step further and shows that [[Rewards]] can be heavily dependent on game states and player actions without having to affect the game state when players gain them. The existences of [[Goal Achievements]], [[Grind Achievements]], [[Handicap Achievements]], and [[Testing Achievements]] show how different types of actions can be rewarded. Finally, [[Illusionary Rewards]] are misperceptions that things are [[Rewards]] that aren't.  
  
 
Besides general categories of [[Rewards]] such as what types of goals or what type of progression they depend on, [[Rewards]] can be modified in a great number of different ways. First, [[Randomness]] can be used to bring uncertainty to what the [[Rewards]] exactly consist of. Second, they can be combined with [[Penalties]] to balance them or make the overall effect more complex (and [[Penalties]] can in the same way be mitigate to a certain degree by [[Rewards]], so the two patterns can modulate each other). Third, they can have [[Diminishing Returns]] or be [[Increasing Rewards]] to suit balancing needs or the wanted gameplay arc. Fourth, they can be combined with [[Extra-Game Consequences]] (typically positive ones). Fifth, they can be affected by [[Player-Decided Distributions]] - while this perhaps makes most sense when applied to [[Shared Rewards]] and only to those sharing the [[Rewards]] one can consider players not receiving the [[Rewards]] having influence one them. Penultimately, [[Cutscenes]], primarily in [[Single-Player Games]] but also in the beginning or end of game instances or [[Levels]] in [[Multiplayer Games]], can be used to bring extra attention or to tie narration to the handling out of [[Rewards]]. Finally, [[Extra-Game Broadcasting]] and [[Outcome Indicators]] can be used to modify which players (and others) are informed about the [[Rewards]] and what information they are provided with.  
 
Besides general categories of [[Rewards]] such as what types of goals or what type of progression they depend on, [[Rewards]] can be modified in a great number of different ways. First, [[Randomness]] can be used to bring uncertainty to what the [[Rewards]] exactly consist of. Second, they can be combined with [[Penalties]] to balance them or make the overall effect more complex (and [[Penalties]] can in the same way be mitigate to a certain degree by [[Rewards]], so the two patterns can modulate each other). Third, they can have [[Diminishing Returns]] or be [[Increasing Rewards]] to suit balancing needs or the wanted gameplay arc. Fourth, they can be combined with [[Extra-Game Consequences]] (typically positive ones). Fifth, they can be affected by [[Player-Decided Distributions]] - while this perhaps makes most sense when applied to [[Shared Rewards]] and only to those sharing the [[Rewards]] one can consider players not receiving the [[Rewards]] having influence one them. Penultimately, [[Cutscenes]], primarily in [[Single-Player Games]] but also in the beginning or end of game instances or [[Levels]] in [[Multiplayer Games]], can be used to bring extra attention or to tie narration to the handling out of [[Rewards]]. Finally, [[Extra-Game Broadcasting]] and [[Outcome Indicators]] can be used to modify which players (and others) are informed about the [[Rewards]] and what information they are provided with.  
  
Less commonly, [[Free Gift Inventories]] can be provided as extra [[Rewards]] that is not for the players that received the main [[Rewards]].  
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Less commonly, [[Free Gift Inventories]] can be provided as extra [[Rewards]] that is not for the players that received the main [[Rewards]].
  
 
=== Diegetic Aspects ===
 
=== Diegetic Aspects ===
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=== Can Modulate ===
 
=== Can Modulate ===
[[Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences]],
 
[[Alternative Reality]],
 
 
[[Attention Swapping]],  
 
[[Attention Swapping]],  
 
[[Challenging Gameplay]],  
 
[[Challenging Gameplay]],  
[[Fudged Results]],
 
 
[[Game Items]],  
 
[[Game Items]],  
 
[[Gameplay Mastery]],  
 
[[Gameplay Mastery]],  
[[Grinding]],
 
[[Invites]],
 
 
[[Penalties]],  
 
[[Penalties]],  
 
[[Player Killing]],  
 
[[Player Killing]],  
 
[[Red Queen Dilemmas]],  
 
[[Red Queen Dilemmas]],  
[[Resource Caps]],
 
[[Resources]],
 
 
[[Reward Widgets]],  
 
[[Reward Widgets]],  
 
[[Risk/Reward]],  
 
[[Risk/Reward]],  
[[Scores]]  
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[[Quests]]
  
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
 
=== Can Be Instantiated By ===
 
[[Access Rewards]],  
 
[[Access Rewards]],  
 
[[Achievements]],  
 
[[Achievements]],  
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[[Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences]],
 
[[Area Control]],  
 
[[Area Control]],  
 
[[Arithmetic Progression]],  
 
[[Arithmetic Progression]],  
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[[Facilitating Rewards]],  
 
[[Facilitating Rewards]],  
 
[[Free Gift Inventories]],  
 
[[Free Gift Inventories]],  
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[[Fudged Results]],
 
[[Handicap Achievements]],  
 
[[Handicap Achievements]],  
 
[[Game Items]],  
 
[[Game Items]],  
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[[Goal Achievements]],  
 
[[Goal Achievements]],  
 
[[Grind Achievements]],  
 
[[Grind Achievements]],  
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[[Grinding]],
 
[[Improved Abilities]],  
 
[[Improved Abilities]],  
 
[[Individual Rewards]],  
 
[[Individual Rewards]],  
 
[[Investments]],  
 
[[Investments]],  
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[[Invites]],
 
[[Loot]],  
 
[[Loot]],  
 
[[Minigames]],  
 
[[Minigames]],  
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[[Quick Travel]],  
 
[[Quick Travel]],  
 
[[Repeat Combos]],  
 
[[Repeat Combos]],  
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[[Resource Caps]],
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[[Resources]],
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[[Scores]],
 
[[Secret Areas]],  
 
[[Secret Areas]],  
 
[[Shared Rewards]],  
 
[[Shared Rewards]],  
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[[Penalties]],  
 
[[Penalties]],  
 
[[Player-Decided Distributions]],  
 
[[Player-Decided Distributions]],  
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[[Player-Defined Goals]],
 
[[Randomness]],  
 
[[Randomness]],  
[[Reward Widgets]]
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[[Reward Widgets]],
 +
[[Shared Resources]],
 
[[Unknown Goals]]
 
[[Unknown Goals]]
  

Latest revision as of 14:32, 17 March 2018

Things received in games which are perceived as positive.

Players typically need some type of encouragement to engage in gameplay. Rewards provide one type of encouragement which is tied to changes in the game state or game progression.

Examples

Practically all Games provide some type of Reward, be it that they are winnable, they give scores or other things to recognize players' actions or give them positive experiences.

Using the pattern

Rewards are typically given out to players to indicate they have achieved something worthwhile. This can be that they have completed some part of a game with Challenging Gameplay — for example a Quest — or have proven some kind of Gameplay Mastery. They may also be added to balance Risk/Reward situations, motivate continues engagement where Red Queen Dilemmas exist, or to cause Attention Swapping. Player-Defined Goals can let players choose with Rewards should be available to them.

More specific reasons can be that one has gained Area Control, won Bidding contests, or found Secret Areas. Gaining Ownership or engaging in Trading may be its own Reward but can be strengthened by other Rewards; the same goes for Player Killing and Repeat Combos (the latter which can be recreate through combining Rewards and Time Limits). Favorable results of Betting and Investments are Rewards as is Delayed Reciprocity when it occurs. Related to Investments, Rewards can be the result of Arithmetic Progression, Geometric Progression, or Discontinuous Progression of player effort in comparison to the size of the Rewards. Completing Minigames typically provide Rewards unless they are only meant to be truly optional activities. Further, Rewards can also be used to recognize that players have complied with the fact that Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences by behaving appropriately. Finally, they can be used to motivate players to perform activities which otherwise would not give gameplay progression, e.g. Invites or Grinding.

Most Rewards can be given out as Individual Rewards or Shared Rewards when they finally are given out. They can also be modulated by being the effects of Mutual Goals between players (even in the case when they are not Shared Rewards) or by being the effects of Continuous Goals - which in the latter case modulate the use of Rewards (and Penalties) by threatening with Penalties as soon as the player fails some action while waiting with Rewards until some additional requirement is met. They can also be applied to Shared Resources, potentially letting other players take advantage of them (and becoming Shared Rewards). A somewhat exotic option is to provide players with Unknown Goals but let them know what the Rewards are; another way to combine these patterns is simply that the much more common version of letting players have hidden goals for winning a game that other players don't know. Rewards for things done within certain Time Limits is one way to create Optional Goals.

There is a wide variety of what Rewards actually can consist of. Four different types of categories of Rewards are Access Rewards, Facilitating Rewards, Social Rewards, and Sustenance Rewards but Rewards can of course be combined to provide several of these at the same time. Providing Improved or New Abilities are common parts of Rewards (especially for Access Rewards and Facilitating Rewards); being able to do Game Time Manipulation in Single-Player Games is one such possible example. Gaining Experience Points, Resources, Scores, or Money are also often part of Rewards (and may be a Sustenance Reward). Another very common type of Rewards the combination of Game Items and Money in the form of Loot; improvements of Game Items is another form of Rewards when they are modified rather than given. Other, less common, Rewards include receiving Extra Chances (for example in the form of Lives) or Fudged Results, gaining new Companions, having Resource Caps increased or removed, gaining entry or higher ranks in Factions, being presented with the possibility of Quick Returns, and being given access to Quick Travel (the three last are Access Rewards). Most of these can take be described as being Rewards for Characters as much as players, so Character Development tends to be a form of Reward although losing Abilities, etc. are also a form of Character Development. Free Gift Inventories shows how Rewards can let players help other players but not directly themselves as a consequence of receiving Rewards. Most types of Rewards can actually be split in two halves, Unlocking the ability to receive or choose them and actually getting them. In this way, Unlocking shows how a Reward does not have to be an improvement directly related to players' gameplay but can also be the potential to improve it. Achievements goes on step further and shows that Rewards can be heavily dependent on game states and player actions without having to affect the game state when players gain them. The existences of Goal Achievements, Grind Achievements, Handicap Achievements, and Testing Achievements show how different types of actions can be rewarded. Finally, Illusionary Rewards are misperceptions that things are Rewards that aren't.

Besides general categories of Rewards such as what types of goals or what type of progression they depend on, Rewards can be modified in a great number of different ways. First, Randomness can be used to bring uncertainty to what the Rewards exactly consist of. Second, they can be combined with Penalties to balance them or make the overall effect more complex (and Penalties can in the same way be mitigate to a certain degree by Rewards, so the two patterns can modulate each other). Third, they can have Diminishing Returns or be Increasing Rewards to suit balancing needs or the wanted gameplay arc. Fourth, they can be combined with Extra-Game Consequences (typically positive ones). Fifth, they can be affected by Player-Decided Distributions - while this perhaps makes most sense when applied to Shared Rewards and only to those sharing the Rewards one can consider players not receiving the Rewards having influence one them. Penultimately, Cutscenes, primarily in Single-Player Games but also in the beginning or end of game instances or Levels in Multiplayer Games, can be used to bring extra attention or to tie narration to the handling out of Rewards. Finally, Extra-Game Broadcasting and Outcome Indicators can be used to modify which players (and others) are informed about the Rewards and what information they are provided with.

Less commonly, Free Gift Inventories can be provided as extra Rewards that is not for the players that received the main Rewards.

Diegetic Aspects

Besides their effect on gameplay, the design of Rewards need to take into consideration if they break Thematic Consistency if this is important to the game design.

Interface Aspects

Through the use of Geospatial Game Widgets, Rewards can be placed spatially in Game Worlds are Reward Widgets. This can necessitate movement to pick up the Rewards as well as open up for Ninja Looting.

Consequences

Rewards are important in many ways for players to have Emotional Engrossment in games, they can for example provide Anticipation, Surprises, and Tension depending on when they are given and how certain players can be that they will receive them. The presence of them can increase Competition and create Collecting activities, especially if the Rewards exist as many small separate parts. When players need to wait for them to be accessible they can cause Encouraged Return Visits and when they are only available for short time periods they qualify as Ephemeral Events (combined with Time Limits they can be Optional Goals).

Receiving them can indicate that players have succeeded with Gain Competence goals or Player-Planned Development, but can also provide them with Game-Based Social Statuses.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Anticipation, Collecting, Competition, Emotional Engrossment, Encouraged Return Visits, Ephemeral Events, Game-Based Social Statuses, Gain Competence, Player-Planned Development, Surprises, Tension

with Geospatial Game Widgets

Reward Widgets

with Time Limits

Optional Goals, Repeat Combos

Can Modulate

Attention Swapping, Challenging Gameplay, Game Items, Gameplay Mastery, Penalties, Player Killing, Red Queen Dilemmas, Reward Widgets, Risk/Reward, Quests

Can Be Instantiated By

Access Rewards, Achievements, Actions Have Diegetically Social Consequences, Area Control, Arithmetic Progression, Betting, Bidding, Character Development, Companions, Delayed Reciprocity, Discontinuous Progression, Extra Chances, Experience Points, Factions, Facilitating Rewards, Free Gift Inventories, Fudged Results, Handicap Achievements, Game Items, Geometric Progression, Goal Achievements, Grind Achievements, Grinding, Improved Abilities, Individual Rewards, Investments, Invites, Loot, Minigames, Money, New Abilities, Ownership, Quick Returns, Quick Travel, Repeat Combos, Resource Caps, Resources, Scores, Secret Areas, Shared Rewards, Social Rewards, Sustenance Rewards, Testing Achievements, Trading, Unlocking

Game Time Manipulation in Single-Player Games

Can Be Modulated By

Characters, Continuous Goals, Diminishing Returns, Extra-Game Broadcasting, Extra-Game Consequences, Free Gift Inventories, Increasing Rewards, Mutual Goals, Outcome Indicators, Penalties, Player-Decided Distributions, Player-Defined Goals, Randomness, Reward Widgets, Shared Resources, Unknown Goals

Cutscenes in Single-Player Games

Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

Illusionary Rewards, Thematic Consistency

History

An updated version of the pattern Rewards that was part of the original collection in the book Patterns in Game Design[1].

References

  1. Björk, S. & Holopainen, J. (2004) Patterns in Game Design. Charles River Media. ISBN1-58450-354-8.

Acknowledgements

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