"Useless interactions for useful responses: engaging players emotionally with bad game design" by Mattia Traverso. When we press A on the SNES controller, we know that Mario is going to jump. If we hold down the directional keys, we expect him to move. Those are "rules", or "mechanics", which are defined by the game designer to create a system which generates the "fun". All mechanics in the game are tightly tied together, so that each use of "Jump" or "Move" will have an effect on every other component of the game. For instance, it would make no sense to have a "press Z to eat a sandwich" mechanic, as it would have no effect on the game system and practically be useless. Or would it?

1. Useless Interactions for Useful
Responses
Mattia Traverso
ROME 18-19 MARCH 2016

2. About Me
I am usually tired

3. About Me
One and One Story – 2011

4. About Me
One and One Story – 2011

5. About Me
Fru – 2013

6. About Me
? - ?

7. Let’s write a story

8. Let’s write a story

9. Let’s write a story

10. Games have a problem

11. Games have a problem

12. Games have a problem

13. Games have a problem

14. Flowers?

15. Cutscene?

16. Cutscene?

17. Games have a problem

18. Games have a problem

19. Games have a problem
Give Flower
???

20. Games have a problem

21. Games have a problem

22. Games have a problem

23. Games have a problem
“I ran there.
And then I jumped there.
Then I ran there.
Then… I ran some more.”

25. Games don’t actually have a problem

26. Games don’t actually have a problem

27. Games don’t actually have a problem

28. Games don’t actually have a problem

29. Games don’t actually have a problem

30. Well…

31. Bad Game Design
Loose
Game
Mechanic
=
Bad
Game
Design

32. Bad Game Design
Loose
Game
Mechanic
=
Bad
Game
Design
?

33. Case Study 1

34. Case Study 1

35. Case Study 1

36. Case Study 1

37. Case Study 1

38. Case Study 1

39. Case Study 1
This is a USELESS interaction.

40. Case Study 1

41. Case Study 1
This is a USELESS interaction.
Yet it sets the TONE of the game.

42. Case Study 1
This is a game where a button HUGS.

43. Case Study 2

44. Case Study 2

45. Case Study 2

46. Case Study 2
This is a USELESS interaction.
Yet it tells us something about the
CHARACTER of the game.

47. Case Study 3

48. Case Study 3

49. Case Study 3

50. Case Study 3
SPOILERS AHEAD
CLOSE YOUR EYES.

51. Case Study 3
You go by THREE FLOORS of an
infected hospital.

52. Case Study 3
You go by THREE FLOORS of an
infected hospital.
You check EVERY SINGLE PERSON for
the infection. If they are infected, you have
to kill them.

53. Case Study 3
You go by THREE FLOORS of an
infected hospital.
You check EVERY SINGLE PERSON for
the infection. If they are infected, you have
to kill them.
They are all infected.

54. Case Study 3
Why give me these DAMN goggles in the first place?

55. Case Study 3
This is a USELESS interaction.
Yet it instills
DESPERATION in the player.

56. MOAR

57. MOAR

58. MOAR

59. Let’s try this out.

60. Let’s try this out.

61. Let’s try this out.

62. Let’s try this out.
What USELESS interaction can we add…
To make the experience more
POWERFUL?

63. Let’s try this out.

64. Let’s try this out.
This is a USELESS interaction.
Even counterproductive.
Yet it instills
AGITATION in the player.

65. Let’s try this out.

66. Let’s try this out.
This is a USELESS interaction.
Even more USELESS than all of the previous ones.
Yet it makes the player feel
POWERLESS.

67. Takeaway

68. Takeaway
USELESS interactions aren’t always
USELESS…
But they need to be
MEANINGFUL.

69. Useless.

70. Useless.

71. Thanks!
ROME 18-19 MARCH 2016
@MattiaNotFound
contact@mattiatraverso.com
All pictures belong
to their respective authors