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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.