For this week’s response on Chapter 6 of Artful Design, I would first like to discuss Principle 6.7, “All games require interaction and active participation”, and Principle 6.8, “All games are played in hyper-1st person” (pg. 317). These two principles made me reflect on trying to find a few key characteristics of games that really hooked me in. One of the biggest ones is lore -- I love storytelling and creative writing, and the easiest way for me to get attached to a character is when they are given such deliberate, detailed, and meticulously thought-out personalities, experiences, and backstories. World settings also usually have some sort of lore, but when it is made clear that history exists -- that there is a palpable, lingering presence of beings who came before -- this is usually one of the biggest selling points of a game for me. The richness of a world and the richness of a character that exists in the world usually allows me to build a strong connection with them -- I find myself wanting to care for them, protect them, teach them, challenge them, and/or become them. This makes it possible for me to truly have that hyper-1st person, immersive experience.

I also want to touch upon Principle 6.13, “Gamify!” (pg. 332). It was so intriguing to read and hear about “That Dragon, Cancer” in the book and in Kunwoo’s presentation, and how it so powerfully evokes empathy, pain, and discomfort within the player. But I also started wondering -- what are the drawbacks of gamification? It’s undoubtedly a powerful tool, but I feel like it’s such a delicate line to walk in order to convey the realities of a dire situation without undermining its seriousness. During the summer, I worked on a product that was originally slightly gamified, but users responded poorly to it because they felt that the gamification component was ill-suited for the context of the product; they felt that it undermined the seriousness of the situations the product was meant to respond to (apologies for the vagueness, but I can’t disclose more details). I’m curious to see what the creation and research process for gamifying a concept looks like and this delicate balance is managed!