The web world is agog over game design as the next silver bullet, slapping badges and progress bars over every annoying things they wish users to do. As user hit progress fatigue, "gamification" has come under fire. But why throw the baby out with the bathwater? Game design is to web design what rocket science is to car mechanics, and just like Tang and Velcro, there is plenty in game design we can use in our every day life. Come and hear how mastery, irregular reward schedules and meaningful choices can make your site a pleasure for your users.

1. 7 Lessons from Game Design
When badges ain’t enough
See notes: http://www.eleganthack.com/?p=3233

2. These are the wise people I learned from
Some I interviewed, some I read their books, some I watched their videos…

3. 7 Lessons from game design
1.Find your North Star
2.Player Types
3.Player Journey
4.Know your mechanics
5.Aesthetics
6.Learn to Teach
7.Measure the f*ck out of everything

4. Find your North Star
Every project needs a goal that everyone agrees is worth doing.
What is a north star? It is the goal, the thing you are aiming for, and when you arrive, you can launch.
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/building_a_vision_of_design_success,

5. Game designers have an inherent North Star because they are building a game. It’s FUN. Game designers constantly ask
“Is it fun yet” and if the answer is no, they don’t launch. And their team doesn’t launch. Even when it’s late late late.
Because there is no point in launching an un-fun game.

6. The Player Should
Have The Fun, Not
The Designer Or
The Computer
The algorithms were, of course, very
fun to construct and interesting to
discuss outside of the game. The
players, however, felt left behind --
the computer was having all the fun --
so we cut the feature.
From a Gamasutra Article “Analysis: Sid Meier's Key Design
Lessons”
Game designers are very user centered. They have to be.

7. Emotion
Your northstar is for the heart, not the head
So when you are working on your project, your northstar should be a strong emotion.

8. Brenda Braithwaite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9Z-3mz3j6U&feature=BFa&list=PL8E8E672C0031DC3A
Warning: this video will make you cry. It’s awesome. Watch 4:30-7:20

9. Design for An Emotion
Conversion is a crap north star

10. We have been designing in Black and White. There is a world of amazing emotions in technicolor just waiting

11. Needs
CONNECTION CONNECTION continued HONESTY MEANING
acceptance safety authenticity awareness
affection security integrity celebration of
appreciation stability presence life
belonging support PLAY challenge
cooperation to know and be known joy clarity
communication to see and be seen humor competence
closeness to understand and PEACE consciousness
community be understood beauty contribution
companionship trust communion creativity
compassion warmth ease discovery
consideration PHYSICAL WELL-BEING equality efficacy
consistency air harmony effectiveness
empathy food inspiration growth
inclusion movement/exercise order hope
intimacy rest/sleep AUTONOMY learning
love sexual expression choice mourning
mutuality safety freedom participation
nurturing shelter independence purpose
respect/self-respect touch space self-expression
water spontaneity stimulation
to matter
(c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org understanding
We are often facile when discussing needs in wed design. If we tap deeper into basic needs, we can get more
satisfying products.

12. AFFECTIONATE CONFIDENT GRATEFUL PEACEFUL
compassionate empowered appreciative calm
friendly open moved clear headed
loving proud thankful comfortable
open hearted safe touched centered
sympathetic secure content
tender INSPIRED equanimous
warm EXCITED amazed fulfilled
amazed awed mellow
ENGAGED animated wonder quiet
absorbed ardent relaxed
alert aroused JOYFUL relieved
curious astonished amused satisfied
engrossed dazzled delighted serene
enchanted eager glad still
entranced energetic happy tranquil
fascinated enthusiastic jubilant trusting
interested giddy pleased
intrigued invigorated tickled REFRESHED
involved lively enlivened
spellbound passionate EXHILARATED rejuvenated
stimulated surprised blissful renewed
vibrant ecstatic rested
HOPEFUL elated restored
expectant enthralled revived
encouraged exuberant
optimistic radiant
(c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org
rapturous
thrilled
We are limited in how we talk about emotion in Wed Design. We talk about delight, and frustration.
But there are many more words we could be designing for…

13. AFRAID lost DISQUIET PAIN TENSE AVERSION
apprehensive mystified agitated agony anxious animosity
dread perplexed alarmed anguished cranky appalled
foreboding puzzled discombobulated bereaved distressed contempt
frightened torn disconcerted devastated distraught disgusted
mistrustful disturbed grief edgy dislike
panicked DISCONNECTED perturbed heartbroken fidgety hate
petrified alienated rattled hurt frazzled horrified
scared aloof restless lonely irritable hostile
suspicious apathetic shocked miserable jittery repulsed
terrified bored startled regretful nervous
wary cold surprised remorseful overwhelmed FATIGUE
worried detached troubled SAD restless beat
distant turbulent depressed stressed out burnt out
ANNOYED distracted turmoil dejected depleted
aggravated indifferent uncomfortable despair VULNERABLE exhausted
dismayed numb uneasy despondent fragile lethargic
disgruntled removed unnerved disappointed guarded listless
displeased uninterested unsettled discouraged helpless tired
exasperated withdrawn upset disheartened insecure weary
frustrated forlorn leery worn out
impatient EMBARRASSED YEARNING gloomy reserved
irritated ashamed envious heavy hearted sensitive ANGRY
irked chagrined jealous hopeless shaky enraged
CONFUSED flustered longing melancholy furious
ambivalent guilty nostalgic unhappy incensed
baffled mortified pining wretched indignant
bewildered self-conscious wistful irate
dazed livid
hesitant (c) 2005 by Center for Nonviolent Communication Website: www.cnvc.org
outraged
resentful
As well, Game designers are much more comfortable with creating negative emotions than wed designers, who
Mostly aim for “happy.” But as part of a sequence, a slight negative can increase a positive.

14. People find role playing
cheesy, makes them self
conscious.
The game forces you into
uncomfortable situations.
You take a situation and a
pattern and match them
up.. It might be a pattern
you avoid because you
aren’t good at it. And it
creates much more
teachable scenarios.
Dan Brown’s Communicating Design Game. Sometimes stress can teach.

15. incensed invigorated
giddy
discouraged
encouraged
aggravated
perplexed serene
burnt out empowered
Design exercise: what could be made to create these emotions?

16. Well, I didn’t expect that.

17. Types vs Personas

18. Grace (62/ female/ widowed/ Little Rock, AR.)
“I like playing my favorite games online, but if I can play with
friends, well that’s even better!”
Personal Background: Her husband has passed on. She has
two grown kids, both of whom live far away. She misses the
kids, but has a fairly large circle of friends that she spends time
with.
Technical Proficiency: Limited. Can use her browser and her
email. MS Word confuses her, and she doesn’t like using it.
Doesn’t know what an OS is. Tends to click yes if the browser
prompts her to do anything, and will click wildly until things
work.
History with games: Plays crossword puzzles daily and saves
them. Plays card games, PhotoJam, but is offended by South
Park cartoons
Game’s opportunity: If Grace can be convinced to participate
in community activities, she will become a loyal user of the site.
2001 She needs to be sheltered from the sick and twisted content,
however.
This is a classic persona my old company CarbonIQ made for a casual gaming site. It was useful. But….

19. Richard Bartle http://www.mud.co.uk/richard/hcds.htm Drawing: Frank Caron http://frankcaron.com
Understanding behavioral patterns in player types, and what features support the behavior desired is also useful.
Maybe more useful.

20. 4 Key Engagement Styles in Social Gaming
Express Compete
Explore Collaborate
Copyright Amy Jo Kim
Amy Jo Kim has developed different player types that you find in Social Games. Each one has his or her own
play style. Knowing these needs shapes the feature set and core loop.

21. The Core Loop
And the Mechanics

22. This is a core loop for a very simple game. I’m actually shocked we don’t map this on other projects. Amazon’s is
Seek, evaluate, buy.

23. Will Wright on Game Design: http://youtu.be/CdgQyq3hEPo Watch 30:27-33:27

24. Backyard Monsters takes the classic tower defense loop (build defense, get attacked, redo) and adds complexity
by letting you also attack and build offensive as well as defensive tools.

25. Mechanics
Some of the more sleezy gamification gurus use this term as mind-control tricks. But really they are just what
makes games tick.

26. Sometimes they are
rules

27. Paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper. The game of rock paper scissors lizard spock adds
In two more elements for added complexity. And nerdity.

28. Just in case you need it
http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/generic/b597/

29. Sometimes they are
constraints
A constraint is usually about resource management. How much energy/money/stuff you need.

30. Pinch
The pinch is the place where you run out of something. I.e. You run out of lives in the arcade, and you reach in
your pocked for a quarter. Or twelve.

31. Energy is a typical social game pinch. You can solve with money or with being “social” i.e. begging from friends.

32. In cityville, real estate is an excellent pinch. You could just buy more land, but you could also upgrade to better
buildings, rearrange your items, or store something. More options + more fun play.

33. In Castleville the pinch is also part of the play. New land is shrouded in shadow, so you may discover new
mysteries as you look to expand.

34. Sometimes they are
manipulations
But it’s ok because I feel something?
Manipulation is tough. We go to the theater to be manipulated. We like a certain amount of orchestration of our
feelings. But we sure don’t like being taken advantage of.

35. 6 key principles of persuasion
by Robert Cialdini
Reciprocity
Social Proof
Commitment and Consistency
Authority
Liking
Scarcity
Name the persuasion techniques being used by these social games. Trust me, a little time on Facebook and
you can collect all six. And find a few new ones.

36. Progress

37. All game designers I’ve met talk about FTUE (first time user experience) and elder game at a minimum. Almost
no web/app developer I speak with discusses these much if at all. Is a tutorial enough?

38. Acheivements
Reward me

39. Short term:
Actions taken
successfully
create mini-
rewards in the
form of
doobers.
Zynga invented the “doobers” which is when something good happens you see an outflowing of stars or coins.
It’s the equivalent of the slot machine flowing out, and very satisfying.

40. Leaderboards
There is a certain satisfaction in kicking a friends bum. However, if you have a place where not much social is
happening, be sure to motivate me by making me beat my own high score. Not feel lonely.

41. Mastery
Crafting in Castleville, and many other games
is all about repetition. Is the user really feeling
mastery here?
In Bubblewich saga, like many match-
three games, it’s all about beating your
own score as well as others. You can
see and feel your improvement.
Moving from a novice to a master is why we play tennis, chess or even do things like knitting or woodworking.
We humans love to know we are getting better at something.

42. Stop, drop and roll
Your own game

43. Emotions
appreciative
Chance anxious
cranky moved
edgy thankful
fidgety touched
frazzled amazed
irritable awed
jittery wonder
nervous amused
overwhel delighted
med glad
Narrative, restless happy
stressed jubilant
mechanics fragile pleased
guarded tickled
helpless blissful
insecure ecstatic
leery elated
reserved enthralled
Chits sensitive exuberant
shaky
(characters)
This slide was up for the Design exercise. Everyone got dice, five index cards and a token.

44. Process

45. Classic waterfall. Even web people don’t like this anymore.

46. From Art of Game Design, by Jesse Schell. This his process diagram, and looks accurate to me. Game people
often talk about “wandering in the wilderness”: the time while you are trying to achieve fun.

47. Aesthetics
This ain’t flip this house

48. Make it pretty, make a profit. Often web and app design just slaps some pretty on it at the end.

49. Grace and Glory enemy concept
designs by Yusuke Hashimoto. From
the upcoming video game Bayonetta.
Concept design by Min Zhou
http://minzhouportfolio.blogspot.com/
However, in game design the aesthetics are considered as much a part of the game as the mechanics and loop,
and work is begun on exploring direction on day one… and this inspires the mechanics.

50. Measure
Pretend you have OCD.

51. Playtest
like you mean it
Again, game designers seem way more user centered than most others. They don’t say “we’ll do two rounds of
testing.” They’ll test over and over until fun arrives.

53. Sid Meir, Everything You Think You Know Is Wrong. Watch 18:40-23:53
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY7aRJE-oOY&feature=BFa&list=PL8E8E672C0031DC3A

54. Learn how to teach
Most web app designers through learning into a quickie tutorial in the beginning. But game designers, focused
on mastery and that satisfaction weave it through the game.

55. Dance Central: you have to do the moves along with the dancer to earn points

56. Dance Central made learning the moves a key part of the game, not just a simple add on. You feel like you are
really learning to dance.

57. After
Release the hounds of project management
Optimize, optimize, optimize. Determine key metrics, and watch them like a hawk. Measure everything, but know
what key metrics are your life blood. Test all assumptions.

58. Now Playtest!
This was the last design exercise. Users taught each other how to play their game.