Traits of the Game
Goal – The goal of the game Settlers is to create a settlement rich in
resources to allow the settlement to survive and expand. The game requires the player to maintain an
adequate amount of resources such as wheat, coal, iron, water, marble,
pinewood, and other resources to build and feed the settlement workers. In order to create a successful settlement
you much maintain a good economy with resources, understand how to create more
resources, maintain and spend money and resources wisely, know when to attack
other settlements, and you must strategize and problem solve to make your settlement
better. McGonigal (2011) states, “The goal provides players with a sense of purpose.” (p. 24) The purpose
of this game is to create a settlement that is strong enough to expand and
survive while building “guilds” with other settlements to become stronger.
Rules - The game Settlers has many rules including time restraints, available
resources at certain levels, and license and resource limitations. In order to create a productive settlement
with the rules you must research what works best and where each item works
best. For example you may need 1 butcher
to 2 hunters to produce enough meat for other production. If you do not have this ratio then your
production of materials may be off and you must research how to make the
production better. You do not want to
build more than necessary because of your limitation of licenses. You may also want to create bulk thinks such
as buffs when you are leaving the game idol for a while because these things
take time to create. Understanding the
rules helps you understand how to use the time efficiently when creating things
and when exploring your settlement. McGonigal (2011) mentions rules as being
able to “…unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking.” (p. 24) With
researching where to place buildings and how much time it takes to achieve
certain obstacles you are strategically thinking through the game to be as
productive with your time as possible.
Feedback system - The feedback system is visible when you are trying to reach new levels
and when you are achieving individual quests.
For example a green bar will increase once quests are achieved and also
when you attack a settlement. When the
green bar increases you feel the sense of accomplishment and want to work on
more to get to that next level. You also
receive feedback on progress through individual quests. For example you might have a quest of
producing 200 wheat resources and then selling it. You are able to check the status of the quest
by the green bar under the quest. You
can even see how close you may be by hovering over the green bar, it will tell
you how much you have achieved so far in the quest. If it wasn’t for the feedback system of the
game I would not know how much more I have to produce or how much longer I have
before successfully completing a quest or moving to the next level.
Voluntary participation - The game Settlers establishes common ground with others by creating
rules that requires all players to achieve the same quests. Players can socialize with others to problem
solve and create productive settlements.
The game does not force you to be on multiple hours in order to
maintain your settlement. The goals are
achievable goals that can be reached through individual exploration or with
help from others who have already achieved the quests. The help that is offered
by other players makes the game more enjoyable and pleasurable when the quests
are met and you explore new levels.
Unnecessary Obstacles
Flow - The game Settlements creates a state of flow when you reach a new level
and have felt like you achieved something great but you are given new quests to
continue on to another level and you do not want to stop because you know that
next level is in achievable. You do not
want to stop what you are doing but it seems like so much more work to do and
it will take time for you to do it.
According to McGonigal (2011), “It only gets harder when you’re playing
well, creating a perfect balance between hard challenge and achievability.” (p.
28) You are challenging yourself to get to the next level by completing the
quests that will get you there and you see this as an achievable goal, you are
also still hanging on to the achievement you have just completed by reaching
the new level.
When you have reached the
state of flow you may set goals on how much more you want to complete before
you can be finished. For example, when I
reach a new level on Settlers I find quests that I must finish before I can be
done with game. I may also work until I
reach a new level before I am finished but sometimes I want to continue working
because I feel more can be achieved. The
state of flow has me feeling accomplished but ready to go for more and achieve
more. When things get difficult I research to find ways through the problem. If I am not in a state of flow I do not want
to continue with the game and at that time the quests just do not seem
achievable. For example, in one of my first quests I had to produce so much
pinewood in a 12-hour time frame and I was not achieving this goal. I felt defeated when it would not work for me
so I stopped playing the game. I then
came back to the game another day and began to research how to make my
buildings produce the necessary quantity in order to move forward. I moved a few of my buildings closer to the
storehouse and my production levels shot up.
I felt so good about the achievement and I wanted to continue on with
the next challenges. My mindset went
from “I am never going to figure this out” to “I can achieve anything” within a
matter of days. The “I can achieve
anything” was my state of flow, I failed then achieved and I not ready to give
up on achieving more.
Emotional Activation
Intrinsic rewards -The intrinsic rewards I am experiencing is the hope of being
successful. I have researched a lot of
information about the placement of buildings and the ratio of buildings to one
another. This has allowed me to
strategically place many of my buildings and allow my success in production and
“leveling” up. I feel satisfied with the
work I have put into the game by researching and at this point I feel satisfied
with my settlement (besides my coal and pinewood production at some
points). Even though my coal and pinewood
production are low I still feel optimistic that I can figure out how to make
them produce more. McGonigal (2011)
states, “Games make us happy because they are hard work that we choose for
ourselves, and it turns out that almost nothing makes us happier than good,
hard work.” (p. 29) I think this is why
I feel rewarded with this game so far, I have worked hard to achieve the level
I have already achieved and I feel optimistic about the levels I am yet to
achieve.
Consequences - The negative consequences I see from playing this game for long periods
of time are lack of motivation to do other things and addiction. I feel that I want to continue to play the
game to achieve more but once I am finished I do not want to do anything else. I feel as if I have accomplished a lot
through the game and do not need the extra satisfaction of completing something
else. I also feel addiction can
eventually come from playing this game long periods of time. I must admit, after watching many videos on
gaming addiction it worried me that introducing some games may lead to
addiction at an earlier age. McGonigal (2011) mentions gaming industries
wanting “…to create lifelong gamers:
people who can balance their favorite games with full and active lives.” (p.
42) If a person has consumed their lives with playing a game and cannot balance
gaming with their active lives then this is when addiction occurs and gaming
becomes a negative event.
McGonigal, J. (2011).
Reality is Broken. New York: Penguin Group.
