What makes a “successful” game?
SeQuester uses Twine’s branches to think about gamification and player enjoyment.
Players can follow a traditional route and sequester themselves for success, or adventure far from the “ideal” playthrough on a quest for an interesting experience.
Critical Videogame Theory
Challenging Success in Videogames
Success in a videogame is usually defined by the developers, but Queer failure theory suggests that “failing” the intended goal of the game can lead to a meaningful outcome for players. We created choices that would either earn players points in line with what it seemed that the developer wanted, or create a complex world to explore.
Identifying “As” vs Identifying “With”
To make characters appeal to players, developers try to help players feel invested in the in characters. Players may see their demographics represented in characters, but often this identification will be superficial (identifying “as”). Ideally, players would feel a common motivation with a character (identifying “with”). One branch of narrative displays a shallow, superficial identification, while the other has a developed character. The latter may ultimately be more interesting to players.
Enjoyment and Pleasure in Games
Ultimately, we hope players will question how success and identification build pleasure in games. For developers, rich, narrative-filled games can engage players even without some of the more typical, “gamified” incentives.