Meta-gaming: transcending the rules in competitive games

In competitive gaming, the concept of "meta-gaming" transcends the basic rules and mechanics of the game itself. It involves understanding and manipulating factors external to the game to gain an advantage or create a deeper gaming experience.



For avid gamers, the term "meta-gaming" is likely familiar. This post delves into the concept of meta-gaming in the context of competitive gaming, defining it as a layer of gameplay that exists beyond the game's core rules and mechanics. Meta-gaming involves understanding and manipulating external factors to enhance the gaming experience or gain an advantage over opponents. League of Legends, Counterstrike, Call of Duty, Marvel Snap, Magic: the Gathering, Pokémon Card Game, Hearthstone, and many other competitive games serve as excellent examples we can use to understand the factors that shape a metagame.

Let’s check some examples of meta-gaming:

• Data analysis: players can leverage statistics related to characters, maps, strategies, and other game elements to identify the most effective approaches.

• Community engagement: players can engage in online communities to discuss strategies, share information, and coordinate actions, fostering a collaborative and social gaming experience.

• Psychological warfare: players can employ techniques such as bluffing, intimidation, or manipulation to influence their opponents' behavior, adding a layer of psychological complexity to the game.

• Cultural creation: players can contribute to the game's cultural landscape by creating memes, stories, and other creative content, expanding the game's universe, and enriching the overall experience.

The meta-game represents a complex and dynamic layer that can enrich the gaming experience in various ways. By understanding and exploring the meta-game, players can enhance their skills, creativity, and engagement with their favorite games. Furthermore, meta-gaming can foster collaboration and social interaction among players, transforming the competitive landscape into a vibrant and dynamic community.

#GoGamers

Game Mechanics & Game Dynamics

The difference between game mechanics and game dynamics might seem like a subtle trick, but itis all about the engine driving the experience. Think of mechanics as the gears and pistons; they are the tangible elements and rules players directly interact with, setting the game in motion. Dynamics, on the other hand, are the invisible forces powering the emotional journey – the why behind the how.



To clarify, let's delve into some examples of mechanics:

• Puzzle and enigma: games like Gorogoa, Chants of Sennaar, The Witness, The Pedestrian, and The Last Campfire showcase how intricate puzzles mechanics weave compelling narratives and test our deductive prowess.
• Shooting: from the extreme need of aim of Call of Duty to the intimate battles in Last of Us or the retro thrills of Blazing Chrome, different shooter types offer distinct challenges for trigger-happy players who like to hit targets with precision.
• Jump and dexterity: Super Meat Boy, Celeste, Dandara – these classics prove that mastering precise jumps and fluid movements can be its own reward, testing our reflexes and spatial awareness.

Remember, a game isn't confined to a single mechanic. Just like Super Mario Bros. (the classic one from NES) mixes jumping with power-ups and fire blasts, game designers can blend genres and gameplay styles to create unique experiences.

Now, let's explore the dynamic forces these mechanics - potentially - unleash:

• Competitive spirit: whether striving for personal bests or outsmarting rivals, the thrill of competition ignites passion and fuels perseverance.
• Collaborative camaraderie: Working together to overcome challenges, solve puzzles, or achieve shared goals fosters teamwork and strengthens bonds in cooperative games.
• Progression's ladder: Witnessing our skills improve, levels conquer, and stories unfold fuels a sense of accomplishment and keeps us invested in the journey.
• Immersion's embrace: When environments come alive, narratives captivate, and characters feel real, a game transcends into a world we're completely absorbed in.

Let's take as an example the classic Super Mario Bros. mentioned before. Jumping on goombas (the small enemy mushrooms) and use the "fire flower" power-up to shot are mechanics, the tools you wield. But the triumphant rush of reaching the flagpole or the gut-wrenching frustration of falling into a pit – those are dynamics, the emotional echoes of your play.

In a nutshell, mechanics are the instruments, and dynamics are the symphony (wow, that sounded beautiful 😀). A good game strikes a harmonious balance between the two, offering players not just challenges to overcome but captivating experiences to cherish.

Remember, this is just the tip of the iceberg. A single mechanic can spark a spectrum of emotions, different players interpret dynamics uniquely, and mastering the art of balancing these elements is what separates good games from truly unforgettable ones.

So, the next time you delve into a captivating game, take a moment to appreciate the intricate interplay of mechanics and dynamics – the invisible engine driving the magic behind your controller.

#GoGamers

50 years of videogame revenue in one image

 An excellent synthesis for this huge market. Happy 2024! Click to enlarge:

#GoGamers

Top ten games played in 2023

It's December. Time to stop, check the games played and start to write a "top 10 list". 😎

This year was insane. Too much work, gaming projects, trips abroad to discuss new projects; well, an epic year!

In the middle of all this working stuff, I (obviously) found time to discover 21 new games (and counting). In this post, as usual, I created a list with the best titles I played this year - it's not so interesting as The Game Awards but I hope you like my suggestions. Important note: I didn't make a ranking from 1 to 10, but I must confess that one game touched my heart this year and was the best one I played: CHANTS OF SENNAAR - for the creativity, the ingenious mechanics, and for the awesome visual 

So, let's go to the list:

HAVE A NICE DEATH



BLASPHEMOUS 2



COCOON



PATRICK'S PARABOX



CHANTS OF SENNAAR



DREDGE



DAVE THE DIVER



SATURNALIA



MORTUARY ASSISTANT



VAMPIRE SURVIVORS



#GoGamers

Games & digital goods

Several contemporary games monetize their structures by selling virtual items commonly referred to as digital goods. For this post's purposes, we will use the card variants in the Marvel Snap game as an example of digital goods. These "variants" are virtual cards that do not alter the game mechanics in any way, functioning as symbolic goods within the context of the game.

In a late 1990s definition, Shapiro, Shapiro, and Varian (1998, p.148) point out that digital goods are products that can be electronically distributed over the internet, such as softwares, images, and news. Adding to this definition, Castells (2010, p.59) teaches that the term refers to non-material goods that exist only in digital format; in other words, they are intangible goods that exist in the form of digital data or information and are characterized by being digitally distributed, accessed, and replicated – common formats of goods in this category today include digital music, e-books, video games, movies, and even the aforementioned digital variant cards in the Marvel Snap game.

In this context, it is crucial to emphasize that digital goods can be stored on electronic devices and replicated infinitely without a loss of quality (CASTELLS, 2010, p.59). Starting from this principle, the Marvel Snap game cards fall under the definition of the digital goods we are discussing here. The process of creating such a good within the game involves an illustration created by an artist; this drawing is adapted to be added to the game's virtual store as a "variant" and can be acquired by a player using in-game gold bars (the game's currency). The card file is created once and can potentially be distributed to an unlimited number of smartphones and computers with the game installed, without loss of quality.



A legitimate question regarding the purchase of a digital good – in this case, a virtual card – is whether the Marvel Snap player is acquiring a product. To answer this question, we turn to Sassatelli (2010, p.193) for our discussion; this author highlights that the consumption dynamics prevalent in contemporary society generate a multitude of consumers who buy, use, store, maintain, manage, and fantasize about goods, even though one may question to what extent they truly conceive of themselves as consumers while performing these various activities in their daily lives. In this sense, we consume products, but we also consume content, ideas, symbolism, and, in the case of our subject of study, digital goods.

In other words, consumption is understood here as something much larger than the act of acquiring a physical good. It is a process that triggers social belonging and inserts individuals into specific social circles filled with multiple meanings. Consumption is a process of identity definition in different cultures. When acquiring a variant card, even if it is entirely digital, the player is engaging in a process of belonging and building an identity within the community formed by others interested in the game – after all, all consumption is cultural and involves meaning, sensations, and social experiences.

---

References:

CASTELLS, Manuel. The rise of the network society: the information age - economy, society, and culture. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009

SASSATELLI, Roberta. Consumer culture: history, theory and politics. London: Sage, 2010.

SHAPIRO, Carl; SHAPIRO, Carol; VARIAN, Hal. Information Rules: A Strategic Guide to the Network Economy. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1998.

#GoGamers

A diagram to think about gamification

Rajat Paharia, in his book "Loyalty 3.0," defines gamification as the use of game design elements, game mechanics, and behavioral science to create engaging and enjoyable experiences for non-game contexts. In essence, gamification involves applying principles commonly found in games to non-game situations, such as marketing, employee engagement, education, and more, in order to motivate people and drive desired behaviors. Paharia emphasizes that gamification is not limited to traditional video games but is a versatile approach that leverages the inherent human desire for competition, achievement, and reward to encourage participation and loyalty in various activities and industries.

In the diagram below, we can see some important clues to start a gamification project:



#GoGamers

PHI: a print and play experience

In the game design field, there is a very common practice known as "print and play". As the name suggests, it involves making printable files available online so that people can test your game or enjoy something created specifically for these purposes. In this post, I will introduce a print and play project that my friend Rodrigo Cotellessa and I are currently working on. The project is called PHI; it's an abstract game that I intend to showcase in my online game design portfolio. I will be sharing the prototype files and rules in this post (always click on the images to enlarge them). Once the game's final layout is complete, I will create a new post with the final content. By now, you can download the gaming board by clicking on the image below (it’s an A4 format for an easy black and white print).

Let's talk a little bit about the rules and the creative process.

1.Every game draws inspiration from a place.

The PHI number originates from the Fibonacci series, a sequence in which the sum of consecutive terms equals the next term:
2 + 3 = 5
3 + 5 = 8
5 + 8 = 13
8 + 13 = 21
And so on, to infinity.

However, the PHI number rises from the division of adjacent numbers in this sequence that gradually approach the number 1.618:
3 ÷ 2 = 1.5
5 ÷ 3 = 1.666
8 ÷ 5 = 1.6
13 ÷ 8 = 1.625

The PHI number appears in architecture, nature, geometric design, and many other areas. It is also present in this game. The inspiration and foundation for the mechanics of the PHI game stem from the PHI number.

PHI is a solo abstract game - a themeless game that you play against the board. It's a print and play game created by friends who are passionate about games. Let’s check the rules!

2.Setup

Print the board file available above. Prepare 20 tokens of one color (which will represent your tokens), and 13 tokens of a different color (representing the board pieces). Additionally, you will require five standard D6 dice.

3.Playing

Each round, you must roll the five dice and set aside—at a minimum—one die to create divisions as described on the board. If you roll a 5÷3 combination, place one token on your side; for 8÷5, place two tokens on your side; and if you roll 13÷8, you'll add four tokens. Any unused dice are placed on the side of the board.

Let's consider an example - the rolled dice gave the following result:

The dice separated in this round were 5, 3 and 3:

The remaining two are rerolled:

The die with 5 is set aside, and another one is rolled for the final time:

Here are the generated results, and now it's time to assemble the combinations.

The optimal scenario is an 8÷5, which enables you to place two tokens on the board. However, two opposing pieces will also be placed (due to the two unused dice).

Time for a new round! If the opponent's pieces enter the board before yours, the board wins. The goal is to place all your pieces first. To add a challenge, aim to have the fewest possible opponent pieces entering the board. The fewer, the more epic your victory!

#GoGamers