WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.040 align:middle line:90% 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:02.470 align:middle line:84% The following content is provided under a Creative 00:00:02.470 --> 00:00:03.880 align:middle line:90% Commons license. 00:00:03.880 --> 00:00:06.920 align:middle line:84% Your support will help MIT OpenCourseWare continue to 00:00:06.920 --> 00:00:10.570 align:middle line:84% offer high quality educational resources for free. 00:00:10.570 --> 00:00:13.470 align:middle line:84% To make a donation, or view additional materials from 00:00:13.470 --> 00:00:17.400 align:middle line:84% hundreds of MIT courses, visit MIT OpenCourseWare at 00:00:17.400 --> 00:00:18.650 align:middle line:90% OCW.MIT.edu. 00:00:18.650 --> 00:00:21.510 align:middle line:90% 00:00:21.510 --> 00:00:25.670 align:middle line:84% So some of my perspective on what kinds of things you can 00:00:25.670 --> 00:00:27.930 align:middle line:84% do in relation to game mechanics is kind of like 00:00:27.930 --> 00:00:31.660 align:middle line:90% seeing [INAUDIBLE]. 00:00:31.660 --> 00:00:34.932 align:middle line:84% But it's not the be all and end all. 00:00:34.932 --> 00:00:39.040 align:middle line:84% I'm basically showing you my perspective but it's not the 00:00:39.040 --> 00:00:41.680 align:middle line:90% only perspective out there. 00:00:41.680 --> 00:00:46.360 align:middle line:84% I have very little that I feel qualified to say about things 00:00:46.360 --> 00:00:47.320 align:middle line:90% like sports. 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:53.246 align:middle line:84% Things where we are talking about athletic competitions. 00:00:53.246 --> 00:00:57.880 align:middle line:84% Faster, higher, stronger, that sort of thing. 00:00:57.880 --> 00:01:02.020 align:middle line:84% But I'm a little bit more engaged in games where there's 00:01:02.020 --> 00:01:02.750 align:middle line:90% role-playing. 00:01:02.750 --> 00:01:07.270 align:middle line:84% Where you're taking on a persona or at least some sort 00:01:07.270 --> 00:01:10.140 align:middle line:84% of behavior that you aren't just 00:01:10.140 --> 00:01:13.030 align:middle line:90% normally doing in real-life. 00:01:13.030 --> 00:01:15.680 align:middle line:84% It's not just about how fast you can run or how skilled you 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:17.370 align:middle line:90% are at hitting the ball. 00:01:17.370 --> 00:01:18.620 align:middle line:90% That sort of thing. 00:01:18.620 --> 00:01:21.510 align:middle line:90% 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:26.860 align:middle line:84% Let's see, and not every single live-action game needs 00:01:26.860 --> 00:01:29.090 align:middle line:84% to necessarily fit within role-playing sports. 00:01:29.090 --> 00:01:30.930 align:middle line:84% You've got things like party games. 00:01:30.930 --> 00:01:35.020 align:middle line:84% This afternoon we'll have the lead designer for Dance 00:01:35.020 --> 00:01:40.500 align:middle line:84% central coming in to do a little Q & A about Dance 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:44.330 align:middle line:84% Central around 4 o'clock, 4:30, in the TV lounge. 00:01:44.330 --> 00:01:45.510 align:middle line:84% You guys are all welcome to do that. 00:01:45.510 --> 00:01:47.120 align:middle line:84% And that's arguably a live-action game. 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:50.810 align:middle line:84% Sure you've got a computer, you've got a-- 00:01:50.810 --> 00:01:52.480 align:middle line:90% how much is the Kinect? 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.880 align:middle line:90% 00:01:55.880 --> 00:02:05.400 align:middle line:84% $150 piece of equipment connected to a $250 Xbox 00:02:05.400 --> 00:02:08.259 align:middle line:84% hooked to a screen that's probably more than that. 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:10.550 align:middle line:84% You've got all this technology, but in the end, 00:02:10.550 --> 00:02:12.150 align:middle line:90% what's that game about? 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:14.330 align:middle line:90% What's Rock Band about? 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:16.700 align:middle line:84% It's about the people who are in the living room. 00:02:16.700 --> 00:02:19.660 align:middle line:90% 00:02:19.660 --> 00:02:23.550 align:middle line:84% And what is one of the arguments that [INAUDIBLE], in 00:02:23.550 --> 00:02:29.730 align:middle line:84% a different chapter in Casual Revolution, he argues that one 00:02:29.730 --> 00:02:32.730 align:middle line:84% of the big things that's happened with gaming is this 00:02:32.730 --> 00:02:37.500 align:middle line:84% re-introduction of the space in front of the screen. 00:02:37.500 --> 00:02:40.485 align:middle line:84% The living room space has come back into play. 00:02:40.485 --> 00:02:43.470 align:middle line:90% 00:02:43.470 --> 00:02:46.050 align:middle line:84% You haven't lost that with board games or card games, but 00:02:46.050 --> 00:02:48.800 align:middle line:84% for electronic games really it used to be something that 00:02:48.800 --> 00:02:50.300 align:middle line:90% existed with arcade games. 00:02:50.300 --> 00:02:55.290 align:middle line:84% You've got these giant motorcycles or steering wheels 00:02:55.290 --> 00:02:56.840 align:middle line:90% and stuff like that. 00:02:56.840 --> 00:03:01.540 align:middle line:84% And you still had it with some really expensive computer 00:03:01.540 --> 00:03:03.450 align:middle line:84% games like flight simulators where 00:03:03.450 --> 00:03:05.840 align:middle line:90% people buy the joysticks. 00:03:05.840 --> 00:03:12.230 align:middle line:84% I'm a big train fan, so I've got a Playstation One train 00:03:12.230 --> 00:03:14.380 align:middle line:90% controller. 00:03:14.380 --> 00:03:15.720 align:middle line:90% It's throttle and brakes. 00:03:15.720 --> 00:03:17.868 align:middle line:90% That's all it is. 00:03:17.868 --> 00:03:20.730 align:middle line:84% No steering when it comes to trains. 00:03:20.730 --> 00:03:21.980 align:middle line:90% It's a lot of fun. 00:03:21.980 --> 00:03:27.710 align:middle line:90% 00:03:27.710 --> 00:03:29.840 align:middle line:84% With arcade games, and of course [INAUDIBLE], there's 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:31.550 align:middle line:84% this whole idea that you're going to be engaging your 00:03:31.550 --> 00:03:34.660 align:middle line:90% entire body. 00:03:34.660 --> 00:03:37.470 align:middle line:84% And you could argue that those are live-action games. 00:03:37.470 --> 00:03:41.860 align:middle line:84% And you take the technology out and what you've got is 00:03:41.860 --> 00:03:45.970 align:middle line:84% just this human body playing with all it's constraints, 00:03:45.970 --> 00:03:52.160 align:middle line:84% beholden to gravity, it can't move faster than a certain 00:03:52.160 --> 00:03:55.415 align:middle line:84% speed, it's kind of ungamely, and it's got 00:03:55.415 --> 00:03:58.490 align:middle line:90% roughly a certain size. 00:03:58.490 --> 00:04:01.200 align:middle line:84% Gives you constraints that you can work with in 00:04:01.200 --> 00:04:02.980 align:middle line:90% terms of game mechanics. 00:04:02.980 --> 00:04:06.470 align:middle line:84% One of the things that we did last year was we had a 00:04:06.470 --> 00:04:09.850 align:middle line:84% live-action game assignment in this class. 00:04:09.850 --> 00:04:12.250 align:middle line:84% And the constraint was you had to be able to play the 00:04:12.250 --> 00:04:13.500 align:middle line:90% game in this room. 00:04:13.500 --> 00:04:16.040 align:middle line:90% 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:18.720 align:middle line:90% Was a newspaper a constant? 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:19.589 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: No. 00:04:19.589 --> 00:04:23.065 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That was one huge decision to use newspaper as a 00:04:23.065 --> 00:04:24.900 align:middle line:90% constraint. 00:04:24.900 --> 00:04:27.280 align:middle line:84% But they did things like blindfold people. 00:04:27.280 --> 00:04:30.780 align:middle line:84% They were playing around with the senses on the body so that 00:04:30.780 --> 00:04:32.270 align:middle line:90% you could hear. 00:04:32.270 --> 00:04:35.500 align:middle line:84% When one person had unlimited ammunition, in terms of low 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:41.820 align:middle line:84% vaulted newspaper and the bucket, but couldn't see where 00:04:41.820 --> 00:04:42.650 align:middle line:90% everybody else was. 00:04:42.650 --> 00:04:47.500 align:middle line:84% And everybody else could move around the room 00:04:47.500 --> 00:04:48.530 align:middle line:90% on sheets of newspaper. 00:04:48.530 --> 00:04:50.480 align:middle line:84% They had to step on sheets of newspaper. 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:52.800 align:middle line:84% So you could always hear where they were stepping. 00:04:52.800 --> 00:04:56.440 align:middle line:84% And the person with the bucket was trying to pelt the people 00:04:56.440 --> 00:04:58.610 align:middle line:84% who were stepping on the ground. 00:04:58.610 --> 00:05:03.940 align:middle line:84% If you got hit you had to go out of the magic circle and 00:05:03.940 --> 00:05:05.780 align:middle line:90% then start coming in. 00:05:05.780 --> 00:05:07.525 align:middle line:84% The whole idea was to attack the person who was actually 00:05:07.525 --> 00:05:09.330 align:middle line:84% throwing all these newspaper balls. 00:05:09.330 --> 00:05:12.720 align:middle line:84% We had a little newspaper hat that you could grab. 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:14.880 align:middle line:84% It was pretty awesome, because what you need 00:05:14.880 --> 00:05:15.870 align:middle line:90% to play that game? 00:05:15.870 --> 00:05:21.750 align:middle line:84% You need one set of rules, and a chair, a recycle 00:05:21.750 --> 00:05:23.770 align:middle line:84% bin--specifically it was that bin-- 00:05:23.770 --> 00:05:26.520 align:middle line:90% and newspaper. 00:05:26.520 --> 00:05:28.780 align:middle line:84% But there were all these things in play about 00:05:28.780 --> 00:05:29.590 align:middle line:90% what you can do. 00:05:29.590 --> 00:05:33.240 align:middle line:84% So OK, your target is going to be roughly the size of a human 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:35.230 align:middle line:84% body, and roughly the weight of a human body. 00:05:35.230 --> 00:05:38.260 align:middle line:84% It's going to be able to move at roughly the same speed of a 00:05:38.260 --> 00:05:39.110 align:middle line:90% human body. 00:05:39.110 --> 00:05:42.387 align:middle line:84% And you cannot have multiple targets in the 00:05:42.387 --> 00:05:43.420 align:middle line:90% same place at once. 00:05:43.420 --> 00:05:46.290 align:middle line:84% In fact it's hilarious when you try, because you've got 00:05:46.290 --> 00:05:49.000 align:middle line:90% these [INAUDIBLE]. 00:05:49.000 --> 00:05:52.080 align:middle line:84% And because you're playing with the humans, all five of 00:05:52.080 --> 00:05:56.190 align:middle line:84% the human senses, usually just like hearing. 00:05:56.190 --> 00:05:57.650 align:middle line:84% I don't know that anyone's made a smell game. 00:05:57.650 --> 00:06:04.620 align:middle line:84% But you will have the situation where the people who 00:06:04.620 --> 00:06:08.710 align:middle line:84% are standing on the newspapers will try to make noise near 00:06:08.710 --> 00:06:10.520 align:middle line:84% the other people who are playing the game. 00:06:10.520 --> 00:06:15.280 align:middle line:84% So they were drawing attention away from themselves. 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:15.690 align:middle line:90% Sometimes it works. 00:06:15.690 --> 00:06:16.380 align:middle line:90% Sometimes it doesn't. 00:06:16.380 --> 00:06:18.406 align:middle line:84% Sometimes it leads to hilarious collisions --a good 00:06:18.406 --> 00:06:19.656 align:middle line:90% time was had by all. 00:06:19.656 --> 00:06:21.460 align:middle line:90% 00:06:21.460 --> 00:06:22.470 align:middle line:84% And those kinds of party games. 00:06:22.470 --> 00:06:23.720 align:middle line:90% You know, King of the Hill? 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:28.430 align:middle line:90% 00:06:28.430 --> 00:06:33.240 align:middle line:84% Can anyone think of any other playground type games that are 00:06:33.240 --> 00:06:33.930 align:middle line:90% personal favorites? 00:06:33.930 --> 00:06:35.085 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Freeze tag. 00:06:35.085 --> 00:06:36.330 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Freeze tag? 00:06:36.330 --> 00:06:36.453 align:middle line:90% [? 00:06:36.453 --> 00:06:38.340 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Lava. 00:06:38.340 --> 00:06:38.600 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: What's? 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:38.643 align:middle line:90% [? 00:06:38.643 --> 00:06:42.190 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Lava's where you have swings and all things you 00:06:42.190 --> 00:06:43.010 align:middle line:90% can climb on. 00:06:43.010 --> 00:06:46.330 align:middle line:84% And you're playing generally on the little pebble-like 00:06:46.330 --> 00:06:46.970 align:middle line:90% rocky stuff. 00:06:46.970 --> 00:06:49.050 align:middle line:84% And if you step on the pebble stuff that's like the lava and 00:06:49.050 --> 00:06:51.390 align:middle line:90% you get burnt. 00:06:51.390 --> 00:06:54.040 align:middle line:84% So you have to stay hanging on the metal part. 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:56.650 align:middle line:84% And usually there's someone who's immune to the lava 00:06:56.650 --> 00:06:57.670 align:middle line:90% trying to tag you. 00:06:57.670 --> 00:06:59.470 align:middle line:84% So they can walk over the lava but they 00:06:59.470 --> 00:07:01.480 align:middle line:90% can't go in the structure. 00:07:01.480 --> 00:07:04.020 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Lava monster. 00:07:04.020 --> 00:07:05.530 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Does the game ever stop? 00:07:05.530 --> 00:07:07.580 align:middle line:90% Just out of curiosity? 00:07:07.580 --> 00:07:09.990 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Yeah, someone becomes the next lava monster. 00:07:09.990 --> 00:07:11.925 align:middle line:84% Once you get tagged you switch roles and keep doing it. 00:07:11.925 --> 00:07:14.748 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: But the thing is, I never played that on my 00:07:14.748 --> 00:07:15.150 align:middle line:90% playground. 00:07:15.150 --> 00:07:17.640 align:middle line:84% I always played in my living room and throw couch cushions 00:07:17.640 --> 00:07:20.130 align:middle line:90% on the floor and stuff. 00:07:20.130 --> 00:07:22.120 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: That sounds really dangerous. 00:07:22.120 --> 00:07:25.210 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: We'd have wheely chairs and push off and yeah. 00:07:25.210 --> 00:07:25.950 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I used to have a water bed. 00:07:25.950 --> 00:07:29.034 align:middle line:84% So there was some unpredictability that I could 00:07:29.034 --> 00:07:32.010 align:middle line:84% have in my bedroom with my two brothers. 00:07:32.010 --> 00:07:34.320 align:middle line:84% But they were both bigger than me so I always lost. 00:07:34.320 --> 00:07:39.120 align:middle line:90% 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.480 align:middle line:90% I mean, you can think of-- 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:45.690 align:middle line:84% on one hand, these are athletic games because they do 00:07:45.690 --> 00:07:49.300 align:middle line:84% test your ability to move and control your body. 00:07:49.300 --> 00:07:50.990 align:middle line:84% Which is why they're so popular around kids who are 00:07:50.990 --> 00:07:55.590 align:middle line:84% trying to master what their bodies are capable of. 00:07:55.590 --> 00:08:00.160 align:middle line:84% But on the other hand, they're also games of mimicry going 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:01.748 align:middle line:90% back to [INAUDIBLE] 00:08:01.748 --> 00:08:03.050 align:middle line:90% definition. 00:08:03.050 --> 00:08:05.967 align:middle line:84% Because you're pretending that it's lava, and pretending that 00:08:05.967 --> 00:08:10.220 align:middle line:84% you're a person that cares that it's lava, or a monster 00:08:10.220 --> 00:08:12.160 align:middle line:90% that's immune to it. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:15.730 align:middle line:84% And these games don't necessarily-- 00:08:15.730 --> 00:08:17.300 align:middle line:84% they may have some rules about, OK you 00:08:17.300 --> 00:08:19.440 align:middle line:90% can tag now we swap. 00:08:19.440 --> 00:08:23.830 align:middle line:84% I've seen games where sure, I've technically been tagged 00:08:23.830 --> 00:08:26.945 align:middle line:84% out of this game but since this game really has no end 00:08:26.945 --> 00:08:29.440 align:middle line:84% state that just means that oh, I lost. 00:08:29.440 --> 00:08:31.180 align:middle line:84% Now I'm back in the game again. 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:35.070 align:middle line:84% It's like playing a Doom death match and you die and you're 00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:38.390 align:middle line:84% just right back in the game again. 00:08:38.390 --> 00:08:42.490 align:middle line:90% Let's see, anyone play those-- 00:08:42.490 --> 00:08:44.750 align:middle line:84% what's the name of the football variant where you 00:08:44.750 --> 00:08:47.296 align:middle line:84% just have a scarf attached to you? 00:08:47.296 --> 00:08:48.546 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Flag football. 00:08:48.546 --> 00:08:51.070 align:middle line:90% 00:08:51.070 --> 00:08:53.485 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: For those of you-- everyone knows what it is? 00:08:53.485 --> 00:08:59.940 align:middle line:90% 00:08:59.940 --> 00:09:02.320 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Isn't flag football where you just have a flag and 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.160 align:middle line:90% instead of being tackled you? 00:09:05.160 --> 00:09:05.800 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Yeah, instead of tackling you 00:09:05.800 --> 00:09:07.050 align:middle line:90% just grab the flag. 00:09:07.050 --> 00:09:09.190 align:middle line:90% And that's an abstraction. 00:09:09.190 --> 00:09:11.610 align:middle line:84% That's an abstraction of something that you well could 00:09:11.610 --> 00:09:13.452 align:middle line:90% physically do. 00:09:13.452 --> 00:09:15.380 align:middle line:84% You could grab this person and pull them to the ground. 00:09:15.380 --> 00:09:17.430 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Does touch football exist? 00:09:17.430 --> 00:09:18.680 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yes. 00:09:18.680 --> 00:09:21.490 align:middle line:90% 00:09:21.490 --> 00:09:23.230 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That's a smaller level of abstraction because 00:09:23.230 --> 00:09:24.860 align:middle line:84% you can really hit someone pretty damn 00:09:24.860 --> 00:09:27.496 align:middle line:90% hard with touch football. 00:09:27.496 --> 00:09:30.710 align:middle line:84% But it's an abstraction of, here's this thing that I 00:09:30.710 --> 00:09:32.430 align:middle line:84% personally, physically, could do. 00:09:32.430 --> 00:09:33.780 align:middle line:84% But I'm going to introduce this level 00:09:33.780 --> 00:09:34.740 align:middle line:90% of abstraction for-- 00:09:34.740 --> 00:09:36.970 align:middle line:90% I don't know-- safety. 00:09:36.970 --> 00:09:39.320 align:middle line:90% That's usually the reason. 00:09:39.320 --> 00:09:44.090 align:middle line:84% And so you've got the human body and you've got all of its 00:09:44.090 --> 00:09:48.010 align:middle line:84% values and virtues and all of its curses. 00:09:48.010 --> 00:09:49.260 align:middle line:90% You've got issues of safety. 00:09:49.260 --> 00:09:51.915 align:middle line:90% 00:09:51.915 --> 00:09:56.080 align:middle line:84% You don't want people to hurt each other, but yet human 00:09:56.080 --> 00:09:59.073 align:middle line:84% beings and their bodies are extremely capable of hurting 00:09:59.073 --> 00:10:02.450 align:middle line:84% each other with no added implement at all. 00:10:02.450 --> 00:10:05.771 align:middle line:84% Even worse when it gets to a game and someone's trying to 00:10:05.771 --> 00:10:07.850 align:middle line:90% win something. 00:10:07.850 --> 00:10:10.860 align:middle line:84% If you don't have a specific rule that says you can't punch 00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:14.540 align:middle line:84% this person, but you have a game that's very athletic, 00:10:14.540 --> 00:10:15.830 align:middle line:90% someone's going to try. 00:10:15.830 --> 00:10:21.330 align:middle line:84% That's why you get these sort of abstractions to pretend in 00:10:21.330 --> 00:10:23.740 align:middle line:84% that military form that all right, I've grabbed 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:24.650 align:middle line:90% this thing off you. 00:10:24.650 --> 00:10:26.594 align:middle line:90% Now you have just been tagged. 00:10:26.594 --> 00:10:31.380 align:middle line:84% I've effectively tackled you [INAUDIBLE]. 00:10:31.380 --> 00:10:36.170 align:middle line:84% So, what I'm trying to draw attention to with these 00:10:36.170 --> 00:10:42.520 align:middle line:84% examples is that with live-actions games the thing 00:10:42.520 --> 00:10:47.620 align:middle line:84% that you have to keep in mind all the time is at what point 00:10:47.620 --> 00:10:51.110 align:middle line:84% is the person who's playing actually the 00:10:51.110 --> 00:10:52.780 align:middle line:90% character who's playing? 00:10:52.780 --> 00:10:55.150 align:middle line:84% It's really, really, hard to tell when it comes to 00:10:55.150 --> 00:10:56.210 align:middle line:90% live-action games. 00:10:56.210 --> 00:11:00.820 align:middle line:84% If you are playing in sports it's the same thing. 00:11:00.820 --> 00:11:04.010 align:middle line:90% 00:11:04.010 --> 00:11:09.010 align:middle line:84% Any given athlete and their performance in the sport is 00:11:09.010 --> 00:11:09.870 align:middle line:90% who they are. 00:11:09.870 --> 00:11:11.320 align:middle line:90% It's the same person. 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:14.770 align:middle line:84% If I'm role-playing then the person that I'm playing is not 00:11:14.770 --> 00:11:15.820 align:middle line:90% supposed to be the same. 00:11:15.820 --> 00:11:19.360 align:middle line:84% But there needs to be a whole bunch of rules that basically 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:23.680 align:middle line:84% specify that the character that I'm playing is not 00:11:23.680 --> 00:11:27.630 align:middle line:84% actually the person that you're seeing in front of you. 00:11:27.630 --> 00:11:33.214 align:middle line:84% For that time, the player is not the Count of Monte Cristo 00:11:33.214 --> 00:11:34.200 align:middle line:90% or something like that. 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:34.520 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: One interesting 00:11:34.520 --> 00:11:36.180 align:middle line:90% exception to that is wrestling. 00:11:36.180 --> 00:11:38.990 align:middle line:90% 00:11:38.990 --> 00:11:41.000 align:middle line:84% Not wrestling like actual high-school wrestling, but 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:42.602 align:middle line:90% wrestling on TV-- 00:11:42.602 --> 00:11:43.360 align:middle line:84% I don't remember what it's called. 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:44.820 align:middle line:84% Because everybody puts on a persona. 00:11:44.820 --> 00:11:46.770 align:middle line:84% They're never the same person that they are. 00:11:46.770 --> 00:11:49.475 align:middle line:84% I just thought it was interesting when you said that 00:11:49.475 --> 00:11:51.460 align:middle line:84% any sports person, but that's one exception. 00:11:51.460 --> 00:11:53.590 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: That's true. 00:11:53.590 --> 00:11:56.890 align:middle line:84% And that creates a lot of discussion about whether 00:11:56.890 --> 00:11:59.971 align:middle line:90% wrestling is a sport. 00:11:59.971 --> 00:12:00.840 align:middle line:90% It's athletic. 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:01.780 align:middle line:84% Everyone agrees that it's athletic. 00:12:01.780 --> 00:12:04.790 align:middle line:84% But so are trapeze artists athletic but you wouldn't call 00:12:04.790 --> 00:12:06.040 align:middle line:90% it a sport. 00:12:06.040 --> 00:12:08.920 align:middle line:90% 00:12:08.920 --> 00:12:11.090 align:middle line:84% And in fact, if I understand correctly, wrestlers are 00:12:11.090 --> 00:12:15.185 align:middle line:84% insured as circus performers, because they have the same 00:12:15.185 --> 00:12:19.320 align:middle line:84% risks and are playing the same role as a performance. 00:12:19.320 --> 00:12:21.550 align:middle line:84% But you're right, that's one of those things 00:12:21.550 --> 00:12:25.590 align:middle line:90% where it's a persona. 00:12:25.590 --> 00:12:28.430 align:middle line:84% The really, really, good wrestling networks play around 00:12:28.430 --> 00:12:32.140 align:middle line:84% with what's real and what's not. 00:12:32.140 --> 00:12:35.430 align:middle line:84% Yeah sure, these two people are putting on these 00:12:35.430 --> 00:12:39.060 align:middle line:90% ridiculous personalities. 00:12:39.060 --> 00:12:42.890 align:middle line:84% Threatening to kill each other over the most trivial and 00:12:42.890 --> 00:12:47.550 align:middle line:84% made-up of the offenses, and crazy accents, and costumes, 00:12:47.550 --> 00:12:48.200 align:middle line:90% and everything. 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:50.650 align:middle line:84% But when they're bleeding they're actually bleeding. 00:12:50.650 --> 00:12:55.400 align:middle line:84% There's no denying and no doubt they actually get angry 00:12:55.400 --> 00:12:58.980 align:middle line:84% with each other and people actually get hurt. 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:02.040 align:middle line:84% And playing around with that line is actually some of the 00:13:02.040 --> 00:13:06.222 align:middle line:84% appeal that we get in things like professional wrestling. 00:13:06.222 --> 00:13:09.620 align:middle line:84% I guess that's what the terminology that they use. 00:13:09.620 --> 00:13:11.270 align:middle line:84% It's very different from something like 00:13:11.270 --> 00:13:12.520 align:middle line:90% mixed martial arts. 00:13:12.520 --> 00:13:16.340 align:middle line:90% 00:13:16.340 --> 00:13:18.080 align:middle line:84% I don't watch mixed martial arts. 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:18.970 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: No, I don't think so, I'm pretty sure 00:13:18.970 --> 00:13:21.180 align:middle line:90% it's just flat out. 00:13:21.180 --> 00:13:24.070 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE] are very associated with the person. 00:13:24.070 --> 00:13:26.021 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So they are the persona. 00:13:26.021 --> 00:13:27.197 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: They don't have stage personalities, but they 00:13:27.197 --> 00:13:29.350 align:middle line:90% do have strong personalities. 00:13:29.350 --> 00:13:31.180 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: That's definitely a sport. 00:13:31.180 --> 00:13:33.390 align:middle line:84% I mean, they're actually fighting. 00:13:33.390 --> 00:13:36.100 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I mean let's take a look at 00:13:36.100 --> 00:13:39.790 align:middle line:90% Muhammad Ali for instance. 00:13:39.790 --> 00:13:42.460 align:middle line:84% Extremely athletic person but his personality had a lot to 00:13:42.460 --> 00:13:45.620 align:middle line:84% do with it as well with how successful that he was. 00:13:45.620 --> 00:13:50.420 align:middle line:84% The way that he taunted people on TV and on cameras before 00:13:50.420 --> 00:13:53.230 align:middle line:84% the game, so that people would get all worked up for the 00:13:53.230 --> 00:13:54.880 align:middle line:90% game, made him a star. 00:13:54.880 --> 00:13:58.420 align:middle line:84% Sure he was athletic, but that was part of it. 00:13:58.420 --> 00:14:04.430 align:middle line:84% So where that line is, and as designers you get some control 00:14:04.430 --> 00:14:07.715 align:middle line:84% over that through the rules that you're writing. 00:14:07.715 --> 00:14:13.040 align:middle line:84% And there are a couple of tactics that you can focus on. 00:14:13.040 --> 00:14:17.060 align:middle line:90% But I want to segue into-- 00:14:17.060 --> 00:14:18.120 align:middle line:90% that's the tension. 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:20.050 align:middle line:84% That is one thing that's pulling your 00:14:20.050 --> 00:14:21.340 align:middle line:90% design in one direction. 00:14:21.340 --> 00:14:26.260 align:middle line:84% Which is, how am I going to figure out what the difference 00:14:26.260 --> 00:14:28.640 align:middle line:84% between the person who's playing this game and the 00:14:28.640 --> 00:14:30.290 align:middle line:84% character that they're playing, or the role that 00:14:30.290 --> 00:14:33.030 align:middle line:84% they're playing, is going to be. 00:14:33.030 --> 00:14:36.830 align:middle line:84% In your games, for this next assignment, if you've got 00:14:36.830 --> 00:14:39.750 align:middle line:84% people playing mental patients then you've got to figure out 00:14:39.750 --> 00:14:41.600 align:middle line:84% how you're going to draw that line. 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:45.370 align:middle line:84% You've got to be clear whether it's the player who's actually 00:14:45.370 --> 00:14:47.080 align:middle line:84% upset at you or the character who's actually upset at you. 00:14:47.080 --> 00:14:50.030 align:middle line:90% 00:14:50.030 --> 00:14:52.840 align:middle line:84% But if you draw that line too broadly, then you've got the 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:56.310 align:middle line:84% situation where both be angry at you [INAUDIBLE]. 00:14:56.310 --> 00:14:59.820 align:middle line:84% Because this is a ridiculous situation and emotional. 00:14:59.820 --> 00:15:04.570 align:middle line:84% Pretending to be really emotional can usually make a 00:15:04.570 --> 00:15:09.340 align:middle line:84% lot of people react by laughing just to release the 00:15:09.340 --> 00:15:12.326 align:middle line:90% tension in space. 00:15:12.326 --> 00:15:16.380 align:middle line:84% In fact, that happened when Dion was role-playing with 00:15:16.380 --> 00:15:17.160 align:middle line:90% Caesar, right? 00:15:17.160 --> 00:15:19.225 align:middle line:90% Sure, they were laughing. 00:15:19.225 --> 00:15:21.320 align:middle line:84% They were trying to level that and take it as seriously as 00:15:21.320 --> 00:15:25.640 align:middle line:84% possible, and everybody else in the room was cracking up. 00:15:25.640 --> 00:15:26.800 align:middle line:90% To release that tension. 00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:29.850 align:middle line:84% And sometimes that's OK playing games. 00:15:29.850 --> 00:15:31.160 align:middle line:84% In fact, sometimes that's great for the game. 00:15:31.160 --> 00:15:33.630 align:middle line:84% And sometimes that's detrimental. 00:15:33.630 --> 00:15:35.270 align:middle line:84% Depends on what you're playing for. 00:15:35.270 --> 00:15:38.580 align:middle line:84% But you have to understand that is something that's 00:15:38.580 --> 00:15:42.155 align:middle line:84% pulling the overall design, why do rules exist, and why 00:15:42.155 --> 00:15:44.870 align:middle line:84% your game mechanics exist, and why your game mechanic is 00:15:44.870 --> 00:15:46.040 align:middle line:90% pretending a certain way. 00:15:46.040 --> 00:15:47.347 align:middle line:84% That's one of the tensions that's pulling it 00:15:47.347 --> 00:15:50.760 align:middle line:90% in a certain direction. 00:15:50.760 --> 00:15:52.570 align:middle line:90% And in reality, that's actually 00:15:52.570 --> 00:15:53.600 align:middle line:90% two different tensions. 00:15:53.600 --> 00:15:57.900 align:middle line:84% Because in one sense, they're trying to make an experience 00:15:57.900 --> 00:16:02.020 align:middle line:84% as aversive, as feeling like you're 00:16:02.020 --> 00:16:04.450 align:middle line:90% actually doing it as possible. 00:16:04.450 --> 00:16:07.240 align:middle line:84% And on the other hand, you don't want to make it so 00:16:07.240 --> 00:16:09.670 align:middle line:84% associated with who you are, and what you're actually 00:16:09.670 --> 00:16:12.120 align:middle line:84% doing, that people start to think, oh wow. 00:16:12.120 --> 00:16:16.120 align:middle line:84% This person, this player, is actually mad at me. 00:16:16.120 --> 00:16:18.170 align:middle line:84% Or, this player could actually hit me at this point. 00:16:18.170 --> 00:16:21.050 align:middle line:84% While as, no the character [INAUDIBLE]. 00:16:21.050 --> 00:16:24.350 align:middle line:90% 00:16:24.350 --> 00:16:28.300 align:middle line:90% I call that verisimilitude. 00:16:28.300 --> 00:16:32.540 align:middle line:84% These are just words that I picked up from dictionaries. 00:16:32.540 --> 00:16:33.950 align:middle line:84% This one, you were in my masters thesis. 00:16:33.950 --> 00:16:37.180 align:middle line:90% 00:16:37.180 --> 00:16:44.470 align:middle line:84% Verisimilitude is basically a tension when you're designing 00:16:44.470 --> 00:16:45.830 align:middle line:90% a game mechanic. 00:16:45.830 --> 00:16:48.200 align:middle line:84% And that tension is telling you, I want to make this 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:52.930 align:middle line:84% experience as immersive and as true to life as possible. 00:16:52.930 --> 00:16:57.635 align:middle line:84% And the opposite of that is what I call dissociation. 00:16:57.635 --> 00:16:58.580 align:middle line:84% Which is really hard to pronounce. 00:16:58.580 --> 00:17:01.390 align:middle line:84% It's not like I just call it separation. 00:17:01.390 --> 00:17:04.910 align:middle line:84% But, how do you draw that line between who I am and who my 00:17:04.910 --> 00:17:06.230 align:middle line:90% character is? 00:17:06.230 --> 00:17:09.640 align:middle line:84% And I'll give you a couple of examples just to 00:17:09.640 --> 00:17:10.890 align:middle line:90% get inside this now. 00:17:10.890 --> 00:17:16.290 align:middle line:90% 00:17:16.290 --> 00:17:18.670 align:middle line:84% Who doesn't know what a live-action 00:17:18.670 --> 00:17:19.750 align:middle line:90% role-playing game is? 00:17:19.750 --> 00:17:21.819 align:middle line:84% Or doesn't have a good clear idea? 00:17:21.819 --> 00:17:25.119 align:middle line:90% 00:17:25.119 --> 00:17:25.849 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:17:25.849 --> 00:17:29.856 align:middle line:84% So maybe, a little bit of background just so that I can 00:17:29.856 --> 00:17:31.106 align:middle line:90% use the examples. 00:17:31.106 --> 00:17:32.950 align:middle line:90% 00:17:32.950 --> 00:17:36.310 align:middle line:84% Do you folks know how a table-top role-playing game 00:17:36.310 --> 00:17:37.560 align:middle line:90% generally works? 00:17:37.560 --> 00:17:39.880 align:middle line:90% 00:17:39.880 --> 00:17:40.150 align:middle line:90% OK. 00:17:40.150 --> 00:17:42.200 align:middle line:90% So, start from scratch. 00:17:42.200 --> 00:17:45.450 align:middle line:90% Imagine improv theatre. 00:17:45.450 --> 00:17:49.100 align:middle line:84% Imagine you have an environment where you have a 00:17:49.100 --> 00:17:52.030 align:middle line:84% bunch of people who want to enact some 00:17:52.030 --> 00:17:55.620 align:middle line:90% sort of scene together. 00:17:55.620 --> 00:17:58.010 align:middle line:84% In theatre, a scene is usually something like five minutes, 00:17:58.010 --> 00:18:00.020 align:middle line:90% maybe half an hour. 00:18:00.020 --> 00:18:02.855 align:middle line:84% In a live-action role-playing game, that's more like an hour 00:18:02.855 --> 00:18:07.300 align:middle line:90% to 10 days to 30 days long. 00:18:07.300 --> 00:18:10.150 align:middle line:90% A much longer period of time. 00:18:10.150 --> 00:18:11.850 align:middle line:84% But the motivation is the same. 00:18:11.850 --> 00:18:16.440 align:middle line:84% We're in this space to enact some sort of shared reality, 00:18:16.440 --> 00:18:20.300 align:middle line:84% shared creative reality, together. 00:18:20.300 --> 00:18:22.900 align:middle line:84% In a role-playing game that's done by the 00:18:22.900 --> 00:18:25.560 align:middle line:90% usual addition of rules. 00:18:25.560 --> 00:18:28.850 align:middle line:84% And usually some sort of world setting and some sort of 00:18:28.850 --> 00:18:30.370 align:middle line:90% character description. 00:18:30.370 --> 00:18:34.170 align:middle line:84% And how these things are told to you could be as simple as 00:18:34.170 --> 00:18:36.980 align:middle line:84% the game master walks up to each person and explains 00:18:36.980 --> 00:18:39.440 align:middle line:90% what's going on. 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:47.750 align:middle line:84% You are all cats in an alley-way and some of you are 00:18:47.750 --> 00:18:48.620 align:middle line:90% hungry and looking for food. 00:18:48.620 --> 00:18:51.560 align:middle line:84% Some of you are on top of the pecking order and make sure 00:18:51.560 --> 00:18:53.610 align:middle line:90% you get all of the food. 00:18:53.610 --> 00:18:54.750 align:middle line:90% Here's how you eat food. 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:56.390 align:middle line:84% Here's how you move food around. 00:18:56.390 --> 00:18:57.810 align:middle line:90% Go. 00:18:57.810 --> 00:19:00.730 align:middle line:90% That sort of thing. 00:19:00.730 --> 00:19:03.700 align:middle line:84% A game master could just do it at that level, and you've got 00:19:03.700 --> 00:19:04.720 align:middle line:84% a live-action role-playing game. 00:19:04.720 --> 00:19:06.486 align:middle line:84% There's usually some sort of end condition or at least some 00:19:06.486 --> 00:19:08.738 align:middle line:84% sort of time limit to tell you when the game's over. 00:19:08.738 --> 00:19:11.390 align:middle line:90% 00:19:11.390 --> 00:19:14.400 align:middle line:84% When you get a little bit more detailed, and when you start 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:17.235 align:middle line:84% mixing and matching it with the conventions of other kind 00:19:17.235 --> 00:19:19.560 align:middle line:84% of role-playing games-- computer and table-top 00:19:19.560 --> 00:19:21.000 align:middle line:90% role-playing games-- 00:19:21.000 --> 00:19:24.310 align:middle line:84% you have things like character sheets where you're given your 00:19:24.310 --> 00:19:26.860 align:middle line:84% information on a piece of paper, or you create your 00:19:26.860 --> 00:19:29.650 align:middle line:84% information on a piece of paper. 00:19:29.650 --> 00:19:31.850 align:middle line:84% And that information is information that's only 00:19:31.850 --> 00:19:35.280 align:middle line:84% available to you and the game master. 00:19:35.280 --> 00:19:36.700 align:middle line:84% A secret information for all intents and purposes. 00:19:36.700 --> 00:19:40.790 align:middle line:90% 00:19:40.790 --> 00:19:43.640 align:middle line:84% You will use different means to convey chunks of the 00:19:43.640 --> 00:19:45.630 align:middle line:84% information to the rest of the world. 00:19:45.630 --> 00:19:51.050 align:middle line:84% Like I'm actually not female, but I'm 00:19:51.050 --> 00:19:52.540 align:middle line:90% playing a female character. 00:19:52.540 --> 00:19:54.930 align:middle line:84% So maybe I'll wear a badge or something that has 00:19:54.930 --> 00:19:56.290 align:middle line:90% my gender on it. 00:19:56.290 --> 00:20:01.860 align:middle line:84% And that tells the rest of the world treat me like a female. 00:20:01.860 --> 00:20:04.290 align:middle line:90% That's one example. 00:20:04.290 --> 00:20:08.510 align:middle line:84% I may actually be psychic, but the rest of the world can't 00:20:08.510 --> 00:20:09.560 align:middle line:90% necessarily see that. 00:20:09.560 --> 00:20:11.300 align:middle line:84% Except for maybe other psychic people. 00:20:11.300 --> 00:20:14.500 align:middle line:84% So maybe I'll have a little Greek symbol or something-- 00:20:14.500 --> 00:20:16.410 align:middle line:84% not Psi, that would be too obvious-- 00:20:16.410 --> 00:20:20.380 align:middle line:90% 00:20:20.380 --> 00:20:23.820 align:middle line:84% or maybe my badge is just a different color or something. 00:20:23.820 --> 00:20:26.070 align:middle line:84% And people who are not psychic have no idea what that means. 00:20:26.070 --> 00:20:28.200 align:middle line:84% And people who are playing other psychic characters now 00:20:28.200 --> 00:20:30.200 align:middle line:84% see, [INAUDIBLE] has a red badge. 00:20:30.200 --> 00:20:31.450 align:middle line:90% I am sensing psychically. 00:20:31.450 --> 00:20:35.300 align:middle line:90% 00:20:35.300 --> 00:20:37.960 align:middle line:84% And then there are other game mechanics that I can do with 00:20:37.960 --> 00:20:38.590 align:middle line:90% that person. 00:20:38.590 --> 00:20:40.497 align:middle line:84% Actually all the psychic people know each other's cell 00:20:40.497 --> 00:20:43.290 align:middle line:84% phone numbers or something and can talk to each other. 00:20:43.290 --> 00:20:45.140 align:middle line:90% That's an example. 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:46.410 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: That's awesome. 00:20:46.410 --> 00:20:47.945 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That would be to your advantage. 00:20:47.945 --> 00:20:53.830 align:middle line:90% 00:20:53.830 --> 00:20:59.914 align:middle line:84% So the connection with improv theatre is actually stronger 00:20:59.914 --> 00:21:01.610 align:middle line:84% than a lot of people may generally assume. 00:21:01.610 --> 00:21:05.550 align:middle line:84% Because a lot of people think of live-action role-playing 00:21:05.550 --> 00:21:07.630 align:middle line:84% games and they focus on the games part of it. 00:21:07.630 --> 00:21:11.800 align:middle line:84% And they think of it as a RPG in the computer sense. 00:21:11.800 --> 00:21:16.300 align:middle line:84% So your role is your character in the sense of, I have my 00:21:16.300 --> 00:21:19.146 align:middle line:84% character's stats, my character's abilities, a lot 00:21:19.146 --> 00:21:21.860 align:middle line:84% of these steps and abilities don't necessarily need to be 00:21:21.860 --> 00:21:22.430 align:middle line:90% written down. 00:21:22.430 --> 00:21:24.730 align:middle line:84% Because, again, you're dealing with a human body. 00:21:24.730 --> 00:21:28.114 align:middle line:84% So, how strong is my character? 00:21:28.114 --> 00:21:28.598 align:middle line:90% I don't know. 00:21:28.598 --> 00:21:30.730 align:middle line:90% How strong are you? 00:21:30.730 --> 00:21:32.930 align:middle line:90% How long a sword do I have? 00:21:32.930 --> 00:21:36.030 align:middle line:84% Well, how long is that piece of foam over there? 00:21:36.030 --> 00:21:39.195 align:middle line:90% That's your sword now. 00:21:39.195 --> 00:21:40.445 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:21:40.445 --> 00:21:42.288 align:middle line:90% 00:21:42.288 --> 00:21:43.350 align:middle line:84% I played a character that was supposed to 00:21:43.350 --> 00:21:44.180 align:middle line:90% be very, very, strong. 00:21:44.180 --> 00:21:45.490 align:middle line:84% And I am not very, very, strong. 00:21:45.490 --> 00:21:50.902 align:middle line:84% But I had a disclaimer badge and the that it manifested 00:21:50.902 --> 00:21:52.255 align:middle line:84% itself in game play was that at some point they challenged 00:21:52.255 --> 00:21:54.346 align:middle line:84% someone to an arm-wrestling duel. 00:21:54.346 --> 00:21:55.830 align:middle line:90% And they made sure-- 00:21:55.830 --> 00:21:57.730 align:middle line:84% they looked at my stat and saw, oh I 00:21:57.730 --> 00:21:58.605 align:middle line:90% know what this means. 00:21:58.605 --> 00:22:00.173 align:middle line:84% And so even though they were about twice my size they 00:22:00.173 --> 00:22:02.354 align:middle line:90% pretended to lose. 00:22:02.354 --> 00:22:03.604 align:middle line:90% It was very entertaining. 00:22:03.604 --> 00:22:06.130 align:middle line:90% 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:08.450 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So the spectrum of on one hand 00:22:08.450 --> 00:22:10.720 align:middle line:90% there are these games. 00:22:10.720 --> 00:22:15.840 align:middle line:84% The type of games that Jeremy describes allows you to play 00:22:15.840 --> 00:22:18.200 align:middle line:84% things that are physically very different from you. 00:22:18.200 --> 00:22:19.820 align:middle line:84% And then there are some live-action 00:22:19.820 --> 00:22:20.520 align:middle line:90% role-playing games-- 00:22:20.520 --> 00:22:22.520 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Where it's just how strong you are. 00:22:22.520 --> 00:22:24.110 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: --Yeah, it's just how strong you are. 00:22:24.110 --> 00:22:26.260 align:middle line:84% A lot of those are like [INAUDIBLE] 00:22:26.260 --> 00:22:33.591 align:middle line:84% LARPs, where people will dress up in actual armor that 00:22:33.591 --> 00:22:34.210 align:middle line:84% they've decided to make out of leather or duct tape. 00:22:34.210 --> 00:22:38.620 align:middle line:84% And they will swing around swords instead of foam padded. 00:22:38.620 --> 00:22:41.010 align:middle line:84% They'll go out to a forest somewhere-- 00:22:41.010 --> 00:22:43.950 align:middle line:90% typically in New England-- 00:22:43.950 --> 00:22:47.550 align:middle line:84% and spend two days, three days, in the middle of a 00:22:47.550 --> 00:22:51.490 align:middle line:84% forest sleeping in a cabin somewhere and pretending to 00:22:51.490 --> 00:22:53.000 align:middle line:90% fantasy adventure it. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:55.470 align:middle line:84% And every once in awhile there will be GM controlled 00:22:55.470 --> 00:22:57.170 align:middle line:84% volunteers who will be wearing [INAUDIBLE] masks. 00:22:57.170 --> 00:23:01.360 align:middle line:90% 00:23:01.360 --> 00:23:03.800 align:middle line:90% That's on the other spectrum. 00:23:03.800 --> 00:23:05.330 align:middle line:90% It's a spectrum. 00:23:05.330 --> 00:23:09.855 align:middle line:90% It's not like the [INAUDIBLE] 00:23:09.855 --> 00:23:15.280 align:middle line:84% LARPs where you run around with sticks and are Assassins 00:23:15.280 --> 00:23:20.626 align:middle line:84% Guild type LARPs where most of your abilities are governed by 00:23:20.626 --> 00:23:22.110 align:middle line:90% numbers and stats. 00:23:22.110 --> 00:23:23.340 align:middle line:90% Kind of this spectrum. 00:23:23.340 --> 00:23:26.880 align:middle line:84% You can think of assassin guild type thing as being very 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:29.780 align:middle line:84% much inspired by what you could do on a computer or what 00:23:29.780 --> 00:23:31.860 align:middle line:84% you could do on a table-top LARP. 00:23:31.860 --> 00:23:34.190 align:middle line:84% Because on a table-top LARP, how strong your character is 00:23:34.190 --> 00:23:36.440 align:middle line:84% has nothing to do with how strong the player is. 00:23:36.440 --> 00:23:39.805 align:middle line:90% It's what [INAUDIBLE]. 00:23:39.805 --> 00:23:42.942 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Playing a game just recently, I found out that in 00:23:42.942 --> 00:23:46.332 align:middle line:84% New England there are basically LARPs which get done 00:23:46.332 --> 00:23:49.710 align:middle line:90% with rifles. 00:23:49.710 --> 00:23:52.560 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: They're military level. 00:23:52.560 --> 00:23:54.620 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: But they're not paintball. 00:23:54.620 --> 00:23:56.114 align:middle line:90% So you shoot people. 00:23:56.114 --> 00:23:56.612 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: With plastic pellets? 00:23:56.612 --> 00:23:59.110 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 00:23:59.110 --> 00:24:01.410 align:middle line:84% Yeah, air-soft is what they call them. 00:24:01.410 --> 00:24:05.310 align:middle line:84% And so one team will dress up as US soldiers, and the other 00:24:05.310 --> 00:24:06.990 align:middle line:84% ones are like middle-eastern soldiers. 00:24:06.990 --> 00:24:10.548 align:middle line:90% 00:24:10.548 --> 00:24:12.010 align:middle line:84% It's elaborate and slightly distasteful. 00:24:12.010 --> 00:24:14.960 align:middle line:90% 00:24:14.960 --> 00:24:16.368 align:middle line:84% You can go and look at their website. 00:24:16.368 --> 00:24:18.997 align:middle line:84% I think it's the New England Airsoft Association or 00:24:18.997 --> 00:24:19.714 align:middle line:90% something like that. 00:24:19.714 --> 00:24:24.810 align:middle line:84% And they have excerpts of a video cam of these. 00:24:24.810 --> 00:24:28.876 align:middle line:84% And there's negotiation between the two sides 00:24:28.876 --> 00:24:29.650 align:middle line:90% and what have you. 00:24:29.650 --> 00:24:33.610 align:middle line:84% They actually take on the roles of the insurgents or the 00:24:33.610 --> 00:24:35.095 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:24:35.095 --> 00:24:37.075 align:middle line:84% Sometimes they're just shooting each other. 00:24:37.075 --> 00:24:39.330 align:middle line:84% Other times they're trying to find out who in the town who 00:24:39.330 --> 00:24:42.040 align:middle line:90% is the bad guy. 00:24:42.040 --> 00:24:43.200 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Sometimes it gets more elaborate. 00:24:43.200 --> 00:24:46.690 align:middle line:84% And some of us are actually going to be [INAUDIBLE] and 00:24:46.690 --> 00:24:49.550 align:middle line:84% some of us are actually going to be combatants and you have 00:24:49.550 --> 00:24:52.250 align:middle line:90% to figure out who's who. 00:24:52.250 --> 00:24:53.710 align:middle line:84% That one will be really, really, interesting 00:24:53.710 --> 00:24:54.960 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE] for IEDs. 00:24:54.960 --> 00:24:58.180 align:middle line:90% 00:24:58.180 --> 00:25:02.610 align:middle line:84% That's something that annoys me about games that involve 00:25:02.610 --> 00:25:04.640 align:middle line:90% Middle Eastern combatants. 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:06.680 align:middle line:84% Is that, they don't have rules for IEDs. 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:10.260 align:middle line:84% And that's the primary form of contact in those states. 00:25:10.260 --> 00:25:14.720 align:middle line:90% 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:16.770 align:middle line:90% That's to the point. 00:25:16.770 --> 00:25:20.910 align:middle line:84% Military exercises a lot of them are basically live-action 00:25:20.910 --> 00:25:22.360 align:middle line:90% role-playing games. 00:25:22.360 --> 00:25:25.830 align:middle line:84% All the way from I'm actually running around with a gun full 00:25:25.830 --> 00:25:29.940 align:middle line:84% of blanks or shooting pellets or shooting a laser beam that 00:25:29.940 --> 00:25:33.910 align:middle line:84% is going to register on some other soldier's gear. 00:25:33.910 --> 00:25:35.666 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: We call them war games. 00:25:35.666 --> 00:25:36.831 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: We call them-- 00:25:36.831 --> 00:25:38.081 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:25:38.081 --> 00:25:40.268 align:middle line:90% 00:25:40.268 --> 00:25:41.518 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: --Yes, that's a good thing. 00:25:41.518 --> 00:25:44.010 align:middle line:90% 00:25:44.010 --> 00:25:45.670 align:middle line:84% Then you also have the other end of military simulations 00:25:45.670 --> 00:25:48.400 align:middle line:84% where it's just a bunch of people in a room 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:50.190 align:middle line:90% looking at a screen. 00:25:50.190 --> 00:25:54.350 align:middle line:84% Or not even a screen, a white board with a world map on it, 00:25:54.350 --> 00:25:59.140 align:middle line:84% and they're moving forces around like a table player. 00:25:59.140 --> 00:26:02.330 align:middle line:84% But those are still considered live-action action things, 00:26:02.330 --> 00:26:06.030 align:middle line:84% because every person in the room is representing someone 00:26:06.030 --> 00:26:08.100 align:middle line:84% in the chain of command that would normally be in a war 00:26:08.100 --> 00:26:09.915 align:middle line:90% room attack. 00:26:09.915 --> 00:26:11.895 align:middle line:90% I am the commander. 00:26:11.895 --> 00:26:14.170 align:middle line:84% You are the lieutenant, or something like that, and I'm 00:26:14.170 --> 00:26:19.930 align:middle line:84% going to say, get me the status of Washington D.C. Has 00:26:19.930 --> 00:26:22.330 align:middle line:90% it been nuked yet? 00:26:22.330 --> 00:26:25.871 align:middle line:84% And the lieutenant says we have three missiles coming in 00:26:25.871 --> 00:26:28.230 align:middle line:90% based on some look up. 00:26:28.230 --> 00:26:31.030 align:middle line:84% The term for that is typically called creep [INAUDIBLE], 00:26:31.030 --> 00:26:35.820 align:middle line:84% especially when it's real people playing 00:26:35.820 --> 00:26:37.980 align:middle line:90% against real people. 00:26:37.980 --> 00:26:41.910 align:middle line:84% It's two or more player game where not everyone is 00:26:41.910 --> 00:26:43.050 align:middle line:90% one the same side. 00:26:43.050 --> 00:26:46.940 align:middle line:84% If it's just on one side then just the war game terminology 00:26:46.940 --> 00:26:49.790 align:middle line:90% tends to be more a catch all. 00:26:49.790 --> 00:26:53.350 align:middle line:84% But when you have two players on each side, and are playing 00:26:53.350 --> 00:26:55.620 align:middle line:84% through these things, how results get 00:26:55.620 --> 00:27:00.470 align:middle line:90% resolved also can vary. 00:27:00.470 --> 00:27:03.090 align:middle line:90% There are obviously digital and 00:27:03.090 --> 00:27:04.980 align:middle line:90% mathematical ways to compute. 00:27:04.980 --> 00:27:12.930 align:middle line:84% OK, I've given an order to fire a missile at Singapore. 00:27:12.930 --> 00:27:17.620 align:middle line:84% And it's going to take two hours for it to land. 00:27:17.620 --> 00:27:20.310 align:middle line:84% And there's a percentage that it might land. 00:27:20.310 --> 00:27:20.900 align:middle line:90% You could do it. 00:27:20.900 --> 00:27:22.280 align:middle line:90% You could do that way. 00:27:22.280 --> 00:27:25.670 align:middle line:84% But traditionally, what's actually been done is that you 00:27:25.670 --> 00:27:27.750 align:middle line:84% say this is what I'm going to do. 00:27:27.750 --> 00:27:30.325 align:middle line:84% And someone far more experienced than you, usually 00:27:30.325 --> 00:27:33.760 align:middle line:84% your instructor or one of several instructors, takes 00:27:33.760 --> 00:27:38.320 align:middle line:84% that information, goes into another room, and talks to the 00:27:38.320 --> 00:27:41.390 align:middle line:84% people who are actually doing the same thing with your 00:27:41.390 --> 00:27:42.660 align:middle line:90% opposing team. 00:27:42.660 --> 00:27:45.540 align:middle line:84% And they're just saying, OK in this event 00:27:45.540 --> 00:27:46.630 align:middle line:90% what's going to happen? 00:27:46.630 --> 00:27:50.090 align:middle line:84% And then they go back to each team and they 00:27:50.090 --> 00:27:53.260 align:middle line:90% report, missile missed. 00:27:53.260 --> 00:27:54.600 align:middle line:90% Or, your troops engaged. 00:27:54.600 --> 00:27:58.980 align:middle line:84% You found your opponent's troops at this location and 00:27:58.980 --> 00:28:00.850 align:middle line:84% you've lost 50% of your troops. 00:28:00.850 --> 00:28:01.180 align:middle line:90% That sort of thing. 00:28:01.180 --> 00:28:04.860 align:middle line:84% And that's the traditional [INAUDIBLE]. 00:28:04.860 --> 00:28:05.980 align:middle line:84% The nice thing about that is that takes advantage of the 00:28:05.980 --> 00:28:09.280 align:middle line:84% fact that not just the players but everybody is a live-action 00:28:09.280 --> 00:28:10.550 align:middle line:90% human being. 00:28:10.550 --> 00:28:12.610 align:middle line:90% Because you have flexibility. 00:28:12.610 --> 00:28:17.280 align:middle line:84% You can do ridiculous things that programmers or game 00:28:17.280 --> 00:28:21.820 align:middle line:84% designers may not necessarily have assumed were possible, 00:28:21.820 --> 00:28:24.830 align:middle line:84% but happen to make sense in the heat of 00:28:24.830 --> 00:28:26.170 align:middle line:90% that particular game. 00:28:26.170 --> 00:28:28.420 align:middle line:84% And you have real people deciding, this is 00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:29.350 align:middle line:90% what's going to happen. 00:28:29.350 --> 00:28:33.760 align:middle line:84% So we'll make up a logical solution. 00:28:33.760 --> 00:28:35.780 align:middle line:84% In the military, that's why you want people who are really 00:28:35.780 --> 00:28:37.590 align:middle line:90% experienced. 00:28:37.590 --> 00:28:40.595 align:middle line:84% In a non-military live-action role-playing game, like the 00:28:40.595 --> 00:28:45.400 align:middle line:84% kind that's played around MIT, people will still do that. 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:51.000 align:middle line:84% So I'm in a game where I have a steampunk setting. 00:28:51.000 --> 00:28:56.620 align:middle line:84% And I don't have all the equipment I need to build this 00:28:56.620 --> 00:28:59.800 align:middle line:84% machine of death that I'm supposed to be completing. 00:28:59.800 --> 00:29:03.860 align:middle line:84% But I could take apart some of the other machines 00:29:03.860 --> 00:29:05.130 align:middle line:90% that are in the world. 00:29:05.130 --> 00:29:07.050 align:middle line:84% And then the game master says, wait a minute. 00:29:07.050 --> 00:29:08.510 align:middle line:84% We've got to put rules about that. 00:29:08.510 --> 00:29:10.480 align:middle line:84% Or, we don't want to start anyone taking apart 00:29:10.480 --> 00:29:11.130 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:29:11.130 --> 00:29:13.780 align:middle line:84% But it makes perfect sense in this world. 00:29:13.780 --> 00:29:17.100 align:middle line:84% So, OK, it's going to take you two hours and you have to be 00:29:17.100 --> 00:29:17.390 align:middle line:90% in this room. 00:29:17.390 --> 00:29:19.880 align:middle line:84% But after that, you'll have the parts you need. 00:29:19.880 --> 00:29:22.380 align:middle line:90% 00:29:22.380 --> 00:29:24.422 align:middle line:84% The other side of live-action role-playing is that often the 00:29:24.422 --> 00:29:26.470 align:middle line:84% people who are controlling the game of live-action say that 00:29:26.470 --> 00:29:28.360 align:middle line:90% wasn't fair. 00:29:28.360 --> 00:29:33.720 align:middle line:84% And again, they can improvise along with the players. 00:29:33.720 --> 00:29:37.210 align:middle line:84% So you have that bit of flexibility. 00:29:37.210 --> 00:29:40.580 align:middle line:84% You're limited by how experienced most people are. 00:29:40.580 --> 00:29:44.260 align:middle line:84% People who don't tend to be terribly experienced tend to 00:29:44.260 --> 00:29:49.154 align:middle line:84% make rash decisions that end up hurting the 00:29:49.154 --> 00:29:50.580 align:middle line:90% playability of the game. 00:29:50.580 --> 00:29:51.450 align:middle line:90% Sometimes they get lucky. 00:29:51.450 --> 00:29:53.640 align:middle line:90% Sometimes they don't. 00:29:53.640 --> 00:30:01.462 align:middle line:84% Let me see, one example early on when I was making 00:30:01.462 --> 00:30:05.920 align:middle line:84% live-action role-playing games, was I had a game 00:30:05.920 --> 00:30:12.240 align:middle line:84% mechanic where if one of the police officers in this sort 00:30:12.240 --> 00:30:17.730 align:middle line:84% of detective scenario wanted to do a background check they 00:30:17.730 --> 00:30:19.840 align:middle line:90% could ask the game master. 00:30:19.840 --> 00:30:21.380 align:middle line:90% Some amount of time-- 00:30:21.380 --> 00:30:21.990 align:middle line:84% actually it was fairly instant. 00:30:21.990 --> 00:30:24.660 align:middle line:84% Because the very molded kind of system. 00:30:24.660 --> 00:30:26.880 align:middle line:84% The assumption was that they will find a computer and 00:30:26.880 --> 00:30:28.070 align:middle line:90% they'll look it up. 00:30:28.070 --> 00:30:30.370 align:middle line:84% And we'll give them information. 00:30:30.370 --> 00:30:32.740 align:middle line:84% And that led to two problems was that, first of all what 00:30:32.740 --> 00:30:35.740 align:middle line:84% happens if I'm not physically in the same location as the 00:30:35.740 --> 00:30:37.050 align:middle line:84% person who wants the information? 00:30:37.050 --> 00:30:38.980 align:middle line:84% And this is weird to think of a computer with 00:30:38.980 --> 00:30:40.538 align:middle line:90% legs walking around. 00:30:40.538 --> 00:30:43.870 align:middle line:84% It sounds very science fiction. 00:30:43.870 --> 00:30:47.200 align:middle line:84% And on the other hand, it means that I needed to have 00:30:47.200 --> 00:30:50.266 align:middle line:84% all the information about everybody at my 00:30:50.266 --> 00:30:53.080 align:middle line:90% finger tips at all times. 00:30:53.080 --> 00:30:55.110 align:middle line:90% Which often wasn't true. 00:30:55.110 --> 00:30:57.500 align:middle line:84% So someone would come in, I need the information about 00:30:57.500 --> 00:30:58.670 align:middle line:90% this character. 00:30:58.670 --> 00:31:00.090 align:middle line:90% I'm performing a look up. 00:31:00.090 --> 00:31:03.488 align:middle line:84% And it's like, I'll get back to you in two hours. 00:31:03.488 --> 00:31:07.057 align:middle line:84% Because I don't have the information here with me I'm 00:31:07.057 --> 00:31:09.470 align:middle line:84% going to look it up and I'll give it to you later. 00:31:09.470 --> 00:31:11.456 align:middle line:84% Now I don't make that mistake anymore, but that was the kind 00:31:11.456 --> 00:31:15.330 align:middle line:84% of mistake I made when I was a [INAUDIBLE]. 00:31:15.330 --> 00:31:18.440 align:middle line:84% Because I hadn't really thought about what that would 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:20.720 align:middle line:84% require from me as a game master. 00:31:20.720 --> 00:31:24.510 align:middle line:84% Now that's a different tension. 00:31:24.510 --> 00:31:26.310 align:middle line:84% I am actually going to read a chunk of this-- 00:31:26.310 --> 00:31:31.570 align:middle line:90% 00:31:31.570 --> 00:31:32.820 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:31:32.820 --> 00:31:35.450 align:middle line:90% 00:31:35.450 --> 00:31:38.360 align:middle line:84% I talked about dissociation or separation. 00:31:38.360 --> 00:31:43.700 align:middle line:90% 00:31:43.700 --> 00:31:47.150 align:middle line:84% And what I'm talking about with that mistake that I made 00:31:47.150 --> 00:31:50.000 align:middle line:90% is just plain old feasibility. 00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:53.415 align:middle line:84% Something that you probably have already run into it with 00:31:53.415 --> 00:31:54.390 align:middle line:84% the games that you've designed. 00:31:54.390 --> 00:31:55.640 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Yeah. 00:31:55.640 --> 00:31:59.270 align:middle line:90% 00:31:59.270 --> 00:32:00.880 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: And many of the games that you've designed 00:32:00.880 --> 00:32:03.440 align:middle line:84% [INAUDIBLE] could have thought of as just plane of scope. 00:32:03.440 --> 00:32:06.410 align:middle line:84% It's like, how big is this game? 00:32:06.410 --> 00:32:08.550 align:middle line:84% How long is it going to take us to put 00:32:08.550 --> 00:32:10.962 align:middle line:90% all these bits together? 00:32:10.962 --> 00:32:12.212 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:32:12.212 --> 00:32:16.490 align:middle line:90% 00:32:16.490 --> 00:32:18.480 align:middle line:84% Can we order these bits in time? 00:32:18.480 --> 00:32:20.130 align:middle line:84% And are they going to be delivered in 00:32:20.130 --> 00:32:21.380 align:middle line:90% time for the class? 00:32:21.380 --> 00:32:25.130 align:middle line:84% I know multiple teams had this problem. 00:32:25.130 --> 00:32:26.380 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:32:26.380 --> 00:32:33.850 align:middle line:90% 00:32:33.850 --> 00:32:35.030 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Let me see if I can combine some 00:32:35.030 --> 00:32:38.430 align:middle line:90% of these ideas together. 00:32:38.430 --> 00:32:43.200 align:middle line:84% One thing that the Assassin Guild likes to have are people 00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:46.010 align:middle line:90% who have locked memories. 00:32:46.010 --> 00:32:50.830 align:middle line:84% They know something, but they don't know that they know it. 00:32:50.830 --> 00:32:52.990 align:middle line:84% Little memory packets, little pieces of paper that they 00:32:52.990 --> 00:32:54.850 align:middle line:84% printed out and folded up and stapled. 00:32:54.850 --> 00:32:57.435 align:middle line:90% 00:32:57.435 --> 00:33:02.980 align:middle line:84% Takes you about 20 seconds to make one of those. 00:33:02.980 --> 00:33:06.090 align:middle line:84% Now imagine a game that has maybe 60 people. 00:33:06.090 --> 00:33:11.020 align:middle line:84% And each person maybe has five locked memories because the 00:33:11.020 --> 00:33:13.670 align:middle line:90% GM's really love the idea. 00:33:13.670 --> 00:33:17.200 align:middle line:90% And 5 times 3 is 00:33:17.200 --> 00:33:19.100 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: That's only about an hour. 00:33:19.100 --> 00:33:20.070 align:middle line:90% Only about an hour. 00:33:20.070 --> 00:33:20.860 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Only about an hour. 00:33:20.860 --> 00:33:23.530 align:middle line:84% Does it ever only actually take an hour to actually 00:33:23.530 --> 00:33:24.330 align:middle line:90% produce that? 00:33:24.330 --> 00:33:31.860 align:middle line:84% You get staple cuts and you have to write them all. 00:33:31.860 --> 00:33:34.652 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It's a little less than two hours actually. 00:33:34.652 --> 00:33:35.740 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: No way. 00:33:35.740 --> 00:33:38.454 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: 20 seconds per 60 people. 00:33:38.454 --> 00:33:41.260 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: But it's not 20 seconds each. 00:33:41.260 --> 00:33:43.110 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: And then what happens is that oh, wow, we 00:33:43.110 --> 00:33:47.610 align:middle line:84% have 300 pieces of paper all of which are now folded and 00:33:47.610 --> 00:33:49.470 align:middle line:84% almost indistinguishable from each other. 00:33:49.470 --> 00:33:51.138 align:middle line:84% And we've got to figure out who gets which. 00:33:51.138 --> 00:33:53.770 align:middle line:90% 00:33:53.770 --> 00:33:57.910 align:middle line:90% And these are the concerns. 00:33:57.910 --> 00:34:00.850 align:middle line:90% That's a feasibility issue. 00:34:00.850 --> 00:34:04.660 align:middle line:84% Doing something like that for one or two players is 00:34:04.660 --> 00:34:05.790 align:middle line:90% extremely feasible. 00:34:05.790 --> 00:34:09.780 align:middle line:84% It takes almost no time for the game master. 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:12.820 align:middle line:84% Doing that for your entire player base, if you have a 60 00:34:12.820 --> 00:34:17.239 align:middle line:84% person game, on the large scale becomes the majority of 00:34:17.239 --> 00:34:19.280 align:middle line:90% your prep time. 00:34:19.280 --> 00:34:21.880 align:middle line:84% Suddenly you're setting aside a whole day just 00:34:21.880 --> 00:34:22.679 align:middle line:90% to deal with that. 00:34:22.679 --> 00:34:26.272 align:middle line:84% And a game's only three days long or something like that. 00:34:26.272 --> 00:34:27.522 align:middle line:90% With that level of effort. 00:34:27.522 --> 00:34:29.639 align:middle line:90% 00:34:29.639 --> 00:34:32.420 align:middle line:84% Things to preserve the game master's sanity. 00:34:32.420 --> 00:34:36.670 align:middle line:90% 00:34:36.670 --> 00:34:42.070 align:middle line:84% The MIT janitorial staff, facility staff, are pretty 00:34:42.070 --> 00:34:45.090 align:middle line:84% ruthless when it comes to picking up stuff that has 00:34:45.090 --> 00:34:46.320 align:middle line:90% fallen on the floor. 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:49.480 align:middle line:84% So say that's a really important piece of paper that 00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:53.060 align:middle line:84% you've taped up on the wall somewhere's here at MIT. 00:34:53.060 --> 00:34:56.120 align:middle line:84% And there's information that this is the place that your 00:34:56.120 --> 00:34:57.390 align:middle line:90% players are looking for. 00:34:57.390 --> 00:34:59.410 align:middle line:84% They've combed all of campus and they need 00:34:59.410 --> 00:35:00.750 align:middle line:90% to find this location. 00:35:00.750 --> 00:35:03.622 align:middle line:84% And that tape that you used just wasn't that 00:35:03.622 --> 00:35:05.450 align:middle line:90% strong and it fell. 00:35:05.450 --> 00:35:07.530 align:middle line:84% And the janitorial staff just picks it up 00:35:07.530 --> 00:35:08.830 align:middle line:90% and throws it away. 00:35:08.830 --> 00:35:10.560 align:middle line:90% Now what happens to your game? 00:35:10.560 --> 00:35:14.210 align:middle line:90% Can your game even end? 00:35:14.210 --> 00:35:16.360 align:middle line:84% Are you just going to have a whole bunch of really tired 00:35:16.360 --> 00:35:22.010 align:middle line:84% players chasing you down as the game master? 00:35:22.010 --> 00:35:27.260 align:middle line:84% So the way that you resolve this can be built into the 00:35:27.260 --> 00:35:28.510 align:middle line:90% game mechanics. 00:35:28.510 --> 00:35:30.315 align:middle line:84% You can build things like multiple redundancy. 00:35:30.315 --> 00:35:35.120 align:middle line:84% Like in addition to a sign there will usually be this 00:35:35.120 --> 00:35:37.460 align:middle line:90% other thing in this same area. 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:39.730 align:middle line:84% If you find one and you don't find the other, it means 00:35:39.730 --> 00:35:41.910 align:middle line:90% something has dropped off. 00:35:41.910 --> 00:35:43.910 align:middle line:84% Involve the game master and the game master will go and 00:35:43.910 --> 00:35:45.448 align:middle line:84% fix it at some point in time in the future. 00:35:45.448 --> 00:35:48.680 align:middle line:90% 00:35:48.680 --> 00:35:52.131 align:middle line:84% If you have a game that has no secret locations, and you have 00:35:52.131 --> 00:35:55.172 align:middle line:84% a game that's campus wide, you could just give people a map 00:35:55.172 --> 00:35:57.280 align:middle line:90% of all the information. 00:35:57.280 --> 00:36:00.430 align:middle line:84% Sure, you still want stuff on the wall because it's neat to 00:36:00.430 --> 00:36:03.080 align:middle line:84% be able to walk into a classroom like this and say, 00:36:03.080 --> 00:36:04.350 align:middle line:90% oh mortuary. 00:36:04.350 --> 00:36:05.860 align:middle line:90% That's where I am. 00:36:05.860 --> 00:36:10.004 align:middle line:84% And then suddenly reminded, oh maybe I should be role-playing 00:36:10.004 --> 00:36:12.890 align:middle line:84% back then and that sort of thing. 00:36:12.890 --> 00:36:17.800 align:middle line:84% But it's sort of like walking through a space and you have a 00:36:17.800 --> 00:36:19.510 align:middle line:84% map that told you you're in a mortuary. 00:36:19.510 --> 00:36:20.740 align:middle line:84% But you weren't looking at your space, so you just walked 00:36:20.740 --> 00:36:23.270 align:middle line:84% through the space in entry to the classroom. 00:36:23.270 --> 00:36:27.010 align:middle line:84% Yes, I am going to do my tutoring in this room. 00:36:27.010 --> 00:36:30.790 align:middle line:84% It's a morgue, why are you doing tutoring? 00:36:30.790 --> 00:36:33.830 align:middle line:84% So it's neat to be able to have those things to give 00:36:33.830 --> 00:36:36.730 align:middle line:84% players information about what's going on in the space. 00:36:36.730 --> 00:36:40.630 align:middle line:84% And to help them make believe, help them imagine what they 00:36:40.630 --> 00:36:41.630 align:middle line:84% could possibly do in the space. 00:36:41.630 --> 00:36:43.530 align:middle line:84% Maybe even give them clues about what they need to be 00:36:43.530 --> 00:36:45.710 align:middle line:84% doing in order to advance their goals. 00:36:45.710 --> 00:36:50.450 align:middle line:84% But then you also want to be able to have backup plans for 00:36:50.450 --> 00:36:51.860 align:middle line:90% when those things fail. 00:36:51.860 --> 00:36:53.860 align:middle line:90% That's part of feasibility. 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:56.310 align:middle line:84% You don't want the game to break halfway just because 00:36:56.310 --> 00:37:01.280 align:middle line:84% janitorial staff came through or the wind blew or something 00:37:01.280 --> 00:37:02.744 align:middle line:90% and now your game sucks. 00:37:02.744 --> 00:37:06.960 align:middle line:90% 00:37:06.960 --> 00:37:08.210 align:middle line:84% That's another type of information. 00:37:08.210 --> 00:37:12.340 align:middle line:90% 00:37:12.340 --> 00:37:15.730 align:middle line:84% And that's not entirely unlike the information that we've 00:37:15.730 --> 00:37:20.190 align:middle line:84% discussed in this class back earlier this semester. 00:37:20.190 --> 00:37:26.370 align:middle line:84% But with live-action games, especially live-action games 00:37:26.370 --> 00:37:28.435 align:middle line:84% that don't have any kind of turn based thing, they're 00:37:28.435 --> 00:37:32.790 align:middle line:84% happening in real time and they're moving in real-time. 00:37:32.790 --> 00:37:36.880 align:middle line:84% Information overload on the player becomes something that 00:37:36.880 --> 00:37:39.007 align:middle line:84% you have to be very careful of when you're designing your 00:37:39.007 --> 00:37:39.510 align:middle line:90% game mechanic. 00:37:39.510 --> 00:37:44.390 align:middle line:84% How much is someone expected to know at any given time? 00:37:44.390 --> 00:37:46.380 align:middle line:84% This is going to be very applicable for any of the 00:37:46.380 --> 00:37:49.370 align:middle line:84% games that you design for the third assignment. 00:37:49.370 --> 00:37:52.760 align:middle line:84% If you decide to do a live-action game, think about 00:37:52.760 --> 00:37:54.720 align:middle line:84% here's somebody who's moving around in a space. 00:37:54.720 --> 00:37:59.010 align:middle line:84% Maybe it's a hospital or it may be the doctor's office. 00:37:59.010 --> 00:38:05.010 align:middle line:84% And this person is trying to remember X numbers of 00:38:05.010 --> 00:38:07.880 align:middle line:84% statistics about their character. 00:38:07.880 --> 00:38:15.550 align:middle line:84% How agitated I am, the number that determines how many drugs 00:38:15.550 --> 00:38:21.090 align:middle line:84% are part of me right now, and that sort of thing. 00:38:21.090 --> 00:38:22.630 align:middle line:90% You've got these stats. 00:38:22.630 --> 00:38:26.330 align:middle line:84% And once again, too high, then what happens is you've got a 00:38:26.330 --> 00:38:28.640 align:middle line:84% character that's standing there trying to do all the 00:38:28.640 --> 00:38:31.630 align:middle line:84% math in their head and not role-playing. 00:38:31.630 --> 00:38:33.270 align:middle line:84% If they're role-playing anything, they're role-playing 00:38:33.270 --> 00:38:36.160 align:middle line:84% a mathematician or a [INAUDIBLE] in their minds. 00:38:36.160 --> 00:38:40.435 align:middle line:84% And you're losing the immersion, you're losing the 00:38:40.435 --> 00:38:43.300 align:middle line:84% [INAUDIBLE] to be I'm supposed to be an angry person. 00:38:43.300 --> 00:38:44.910 align:middle line:84% But I'm standing here trying to do math 00:38:44.910 --> 00:38:48.310 align:middle line:90% about how angry I am. 00:38:48.310 --> 00:38:51.720 align:middle line:84% And you've got attention of information and very 00:38:51.720 --> 00:38:52.970 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:38:52.970 --> 00:38:54.470 align:middle line:90% 00:38:54.470 --> 00:38:57.940 align:middle line:84% There are times when you actually want that though. 00:38:57.940 --> 00:39:00.350 align:middle line:84% There are ways to take that and turn 00:39:00.350 --> 00:39:01.600 align:middle line:90% it into your advantage. 00:39:01.600 --> 00:39:05.720 align:middle line:90% 00:39:05.720 --> 00:39:08.290 align:middle line:84% In particular, when the thing that you want 00:39:08.290 --> 00:39:09.550 align:middle line:90% people to be doing-- 00:39:09.550 --> 00:39:12.930 align:middle line:84% the kind of activity that you want people to engage in-- 00:39:12.930 --> 00:39:14.940 align:middle line:84% are the things that players would generally be 00:39:14.940 --> 00:39:16.350 align:middle line:84% uncomfortable doing with each other. 00:39:16.350 --> 00:39:19.360 align:middle line:84% Physical violence would be a good example of that. 00:39:19.360 --> 00:39:23.800 align:middle line:84% I want to be able to hurt this other character, but I don't 00:39:23.800 --> 00:39:25.950 align:middle line:84% want to hurt this other player. 00:39:25.950 --> 00:39:30.120 align:middle line:84% So what are the things that I can do to bridge that gap? 00:39:30.120 --> 00:39:32.310 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Insult his mother. 00:39:32.310 --> 00:39:35.170 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Verbally, sure, there are ways to do that. 00:39:35.170 --> 00:39:39.160 align:middle line:84% But you might need rules or at least some guidance from the 00:39:39.160 --> 00:39:42.280 align:middle line:84% GM to say, take that seriously. 00:39:42.280 --> 00:39:46.040 align:middle line:84% Because that can very easily drift into the realm of, yeah 00:39:46.040 --> 00:39:47.290 align:middle line:90% that's just a joke. 00:39:47.290 --> 00:39:49.490 align:middle line:90% 00:39:49.490 --> 00:39:50.630 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Rock, paper, scissors? 00:39:50.630 --> 00:39:52.550 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Rock, paper, scissors? 00:39:52.550 --> 00:39:56.670 align:middle line:84% That could be a mechanic for a fist fight, for instance. 00:39:56.670 --> 00:39:57.990 align:middle line:90% Or [INAUDIBLE] 00:39:57.990 --> 00:40:00.070 align:middle line:84% that you start see them avoiding that. 00:40:00.070 --> 00:40:01.890 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Nerf guns. 00:40:01.890 --> 00:40:02.650 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Nerf guns? 00:40:02.650 --> 00:40:04.965 align:middle line:84% Things that shoot little pieces of plastic. 00:40:04.965 --> 00:40:08.640 align:middle line:90% 00:40:08.640 --> 00:40:11.015 align:middle line:90% But odds and evens. 00:40:11.015 --> 00:40:12.512 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: How about tokens like in [INAUDIBLE]. 00:40:12.512 --> 00:40:13.380 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Say what? 00:40:13.380 --> 00:40:16.680 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Health tokens like in [INAUDIBLE]. 00:40:16.680 --> 00:40:17.930 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Give me some more detail. 00:40:17.930 --> 00:40:20.260 align:middle line:90% 00:40:20.260 --> 00:40:23.300 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Like if someone was a certain number of flags, and 00:40:23.300 --> 00:40:25.160 align:middle line:84% so you hurt them by taking one. 00:40:25.160 --> 00:40:26.260 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So the player might have 00:40:26.260 --> 00:40:27.855 align:middle line:90% multiple flags for instance. 00:40:27.855 --> 00:40:29.900 align:middle line:90% OK, gets them angry. 00:40:29.900 --> 00:40:31.150 align:middle line:84% It's like health bar almost, actually. 00:40:31.150 --> 00:40:36.620 align:middle line:90% 00:40:36.620 --> 00:40:37.870 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:40:37.870 --> 00:40:43.370 align:middle line:90% 00:40:43.370 --> 00:40:46.470 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So dice rolling is under the general term like 00:40:46.470 --> 00:40:49.530 align:middle line:90% things randomizing numbers. 00:40:49.530 --> 00:40:52.750 align:middle line:84% In fact, rock, paper, scissors, is randomizing 00:40:52.750 --> 00:40:53.340 align:middle line:90% things almost. 00:40:53.340 --> 00:40:57.040 align:middle line:84% And then you have toy weapons, right? 00:40:57.040 --> 00:41:01.120 align:middle line:84% Probably not so relevant for the game violence. 00:41:01.120 --> 00:41:05.330 align:middle line:84% But you could imagine setting up a room full of foam things 00:41:05.330 --> 00:41:09.240 align:middle line:84% which you will be quite happy to throw at each other. 00:41:09.240 --> 00:41:13.620 align:middle line:84% You know that this cylinder of foam, of pipe-insulating 00:41:13.620 --> 00:41:17.260 align:middle line:84% material, is not going to hurt anyone when you throw it. 00:41:17.260 --> 00:41:20.000 align:middle line:84% Which makes it more likely that I'm going to pick it up 00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:21.950 align:middle line:90% and throw it at someone. 00:41:21.950 --> 00:41:24.835 align:middle line:84% Clearly it's something that's designed for me to throw that 00:41:24.835 --> 00:41:26.670 align:middle line:90% the GMs put there. 00:41:26.670 --> 00:41:29.560 align:middle line:84% And if you want your players to be engaging in that kind of 00:41:29.560 --> 00:41:31.700 align:middle line:90% activity that's technically-- 00:41:31.700 --> 00:41:33.090 align:middle line:84% you could have put a real bottle there. 00:41:33.090 --> 00:41:37.640 align:middle line:84% You could have put a real mug or computer or something. 00:41:37.640 --> 00:41:39.540 align:middle line:84% That's the reason why you as the GM could have, but they 00:41:39.540 --> 00:41:43.610 align:middle line:84% are deliberately designing to put something fake there to 00:41:43.610 --> 00:41:47.040 align:middle line:84% clue the player into maybe there's something I can do 00:41:47.040 --> 00:41:49.220 align:middle line:84% with that I wouldn't necessarily want to do if it 00:41:49.220 --> 00:41:50.774 align:middle line:90% was the real thing. 00:41:50.774 --> 00:41:53.264 align:middle line:84% I wouldn't want to throw a real bottle at somebody, but I 00:41:53.264 --> 00:41:56.760 align:middle line:84% would easily throw a foam bottle at somebody. 00:41:56.760 --> 00:42:03.600 align:middle line:84% Same thing for Nerf guns, dart guns, this guns, it's like you 00:42:03.600 --> 00:42:06.320 align:middle line:84% put something with a trigger in somebody's hands that's 00:42:06.320 --> 00:42:09.670 align:middle line:84% going to launch a little cheap piece of plastic at someone? 00:42:09.670 --> 00:42:12.160 align:middle line:84% They're itching for a chance to use it, really. 00:42:12.160 --> 00:42:15.740 align:middle line:90% 00:42:15.740 --> 00:42:19.840 align:middle line:90% Let's see, what else? 00:42:19.840 --> 00:42:21.060 align:middle line:90% Dice are difficult. 00:42:21.060 --> 00:42:23.240 align:middle line:84% The problem with dice is you need a flat surface to roll 00:42:23.240 --> 00:42:26.304 align:middle line:84% them on, and you might not have that. 00:42:26.304 --> 00:42:27.554 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:42:27.554 --> 00:42:31.520 align:middle line:90% 00:42:31.520 --> 00:42:34.350 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Still a little bit risky, because they could end 00:42:34.350 --> 00:42:35.230 align:middle line:90% up going all over the floor. 00:42:35.230 --> 00:42:37.725 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Another thing that I've seen people do is some 00:42:37.725 --> 00:42:40.220 align:middle line:84% kind of [INAUDIBLE] style thing. 00:42:40.220 --> 00:42:44.461 align:middle line:84% Where essentially they have [INAUDIBLE] or something, you 00:42:44.461 --> 00:42:45.709 align:middle line:90% might have created them. 00:42:45.709 --> 00:42:48.810 align:middle line:84% You can beat a challenge by giving one to the other player 00:42:48.810 --> 00:42:51.021 align:middle line:90% that you're fighting with. 00:42:51.021 --> 00:42:52.271 align:middle line:90% And then [INAUDIBLE]. 00:42:52.271 --> 00:42:55.310 align:middle line:90% 00:42:55.310 --> 00:42:56.898 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So it's like the amount of energy you've got. 00:42:56.898 --> 00:42:58.850 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Yeah, it's like the amount of energy you've got. 00:42:58.850 --> 00:43:03.040 align:middle line:84% And also, if you discard them or give them to another player 00:43:03.040 --> 00:43:07.960 align:middle line:84% then it's the difference between these things are just 00:43:07.960 --> 00:43:12.236 align:middle line:84% gone and they circulate around. 00:43:12.236 --> 00:43:12.728 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: [INAUDIBLE]. 00:43:12.728 --> 00:43:16.418 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Yeah, so if there's the circulation thing than you 00:43:16.418 --> 00:43:18.140 align:middle line:90% can get whooped a few times. 00:43:18.140 --> 00:43:19.616 align:middle line:84% But after being whooped then suddenly you get a chance to 00:43:19.616 --> 00:43:21.092 align:middle line:90% whoop back. 00:43:21.092 --> 00:43:25.028 align:middle line:84% And then it becomes less [INAUDIBLE]. 00:43:25.028 --> 00:43:26.012 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That was interesting. 00:43:26.012 --> 00:43:29.456 align:middle line:84% This is the good part that I want to talk about which is 00:43:29.456 --> 00:43:31.460 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:43:31.460 --> 00:43:34.570 align:middle line:84% A topic that you guys are already very familiar with. 00:43:34.570 --> 00:43:39.580 align:middle line:84% But, at what point do your game mechanics-- 00:43:39.580 --> 00:43:42.270 align:middle line:84% are you designing your game mechanics not necessarily to 00:43:42.270 --> 00:43:46.260 align:middle line:84% enhance the realism or to encourage certain behaviors or 00:43:46.260 --> 00:43:48.790 align:middle line:84% to give the player enough information about what they're 00:43:48.790 --> 00:43:51.110 align:middle line:84% allowed to do or what they should be doing? 00:43:51.110 --> 00:43:53.880 align:middle line:84% And you're just going into the realm of how do I make this 00:43:53.880 --> 00:43:56.410 align:middle line:90% competitively interesting? 00:43:56.410 --> 00:43:59.080 align:middle line:84% Real fights, if you get a bunch of blows, 00:43:59.080 --> 00:44:00.330 align:middle line:90% you do not get stronger. 00:44:00.330 --> 00:44:03.190 align:middle line:90% 00:44:03.190 --> 00:44:07.825 align:middle line:84% Well, if you're Bruce [? Bannon ?] maybe. 00:44:07.825 --> 00:44:14.510 align:middle line:84% But from a competitive point of view, or from a traditional 00:44:14.510 --> 00:44:17.860 align:middle line:84% game play point of view, that sounds like a great idea. 00:44:17.860 --> 00:44:24.730 align:middle line:84% That gets you back into the game, whereas any very 00:44:24.730 --> 00:44:27.481 align:middle line:84% realistic fight mechanic is really probably going to be a 00:44:27.481 --> 00:44:28.690 align:middle line:90% positive feedback mechanic. 00:44:28.690 --> 00:44:30.270 align:middle line:90% You win, you keep winning. 00:44:30.270 --> 00:44:33.920 align:middle line:90% 00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:40.340 align:middle line:84% You can think of these five different things as--its not 00:44:40.340 --> 00:44:43.280 align:middle line:84% like game balance, but these are decisions that you have to 00:44:43.280 --> 00:44:46.785 align:middle line:84% make either as an individual designer or as a team about 00:44:46.785 --> 00:44:50.010 align:middle line:84% what any given mechanic in your game is trying to 00:44:50.010 --> 00:44:50.720 align:middle line:90% accomplish. 00:44:50.720 --> 00:44:52.585 align:middle line:84% It's rarely mutually exclusive. 00:44:52.585 --> 00:44:55.310 align:middle line:84% It's usually trying to involve multiple one of these things. 00:44:55.310 --> 00:44:58.230 align:middle line:84% You don't want to fall down on any of these, especially not 00:44:58.230 --> 00:44:59.400 align:middle line:90% feasibility. 00:44:59.400 --> 00:45:01.330 align:middle line:84% It's like, yes this is the perfect game mechanic! 00:45:01.330 --> 00:45:05.540 align:middle line:84% And we had two years to be able to put together all the 00:45:05.540 --> 00:45:07.930 align:middle line:90% things that we had. 00:45:07.930 --> 00:45:09.790 align:middle line:84% And for the games that have failed to run 00:45:09.790 --> 00:45:12.280 align:middle line:90% because of that idea. 00:45:12.280 --> 00:45:14.925 align:middle line:84% Especially live-action games that have a hidden computer 00:45:14.925 --> 00:45:19.100 align:middle line:84% component, especially if they're designed by MIT 00:45:19.100 --> 00:45:22.460 align:middle line:84% students, rapidly designed into a software engineering 00:45:22.460 --> 00:45:25.680 align:middle line:90% project that never finishes. 00:45:25.680 --> 00:45:28.070 align:middle line:84% The game kind of disappears and it's all about this damn 00:45:28.070 --> 00:45:31.890 align:middle line:84% website that would have solved everything else. 00:45:31.890 --> 00:45:33.750 align:middle line:84% It's completely realistic because of the hacking 00:45:33.750 --> 00:45:36.100 align:middle line:84% mechanic that actually happens on the computer. 00:45:36.100 --> 00:45:39.800 align:middle line:84% And the skills scale to your ability as a character which 00:45:39.800 --> 00:45:41.900 align:middle line:84% the computer already knows, and you don't have to 00:45:41.900 --> 00:45:45.120 align:middle line:84% remember, so you can feel really neat. 00:45:45.120 --> 00:45:48.420 align:middle line:84% And it's competitive because you know what the opponents 00:45:48.420 --> 00:45:51.493 align:middle line:84% are doing, but not everything they're doing, and it's going 00:45:51.493 --> 00:45:53.734 align:middle line:84% to take us five years to write this code. 00:45:53.734 --> 00:45:55.198 align:middle line:84% The game's never going to happen. 00:45:55.198 --> 00:45:58.920 align:middle line:90% 00:45:58.920 --> 00:46:02.160 align:middle line:84% Let's see, let me think about an example just to sort of put 00:46:02.160 --> 00:46:05.820 align:middle line:90% some ideas in your head. 00:46:05.820 --> 00:46:08.650 align:middle line:84% Back to the idea of things that players might be 00:46:08.650 --> 00:46:11.060 align:middle line:84% uncomfortable doing with each other. 00:46:11.060 --> 00:46:14.600 align:middle line:84% Seduction is one of those things that's-- 00:46:14.600 --> 00:46:18.160 align:middle line:84% if you don't have a game mechanic for it, it never 00:46:18.160 --> 00:46:21.380 align:middle line:84% happens in the way that you want it to 00:46:21.380 --> 00:46:23.530 align:middle line:90% that helps the game. 00:46:23.530 --> 00:46:26.540 align:middle line:84% If it happens, it's happening between the players and that 00:46:26.540 --> 00:46:29.080 align:middle line:90% causes all kinds of problems. 00:46:29.080 --> 00:46:32.180 align:middle line:84% So you come up with a rule, come up with a game mechanic, 00:46:32.180 --> 00:46:34.660 align:middle line:84% that feels nothing like real-life seduction. 00:46:34.660 --> 00:46:37.827 align:middle line:84% We're going to play a game of blackjack now, if I win you're 00:46:37.827 --> 00:46:38.935 align:middle line:90% now in love with me. 00:46:38.935 --> 00:46:42.690 align:middle line:84% And it's like, that's not how seduction actually works, but 00:46:42.690 --> 00:46:44.910 align:middle line:84% it actually makes it easier for players to 00:46:44.910 --> 00:46:47.630 align:middle line:90% say, I can do that. 00:46:47.630 --> 00:46:48.440 align:middle line:84% I can play a game of blackjack. 00:46:48.440 --> 00:46:49.690 align:middle line:84% There's no social awkwardness in 00:46:49.690 --> 00:46:50.400 align:middle line:90% playing a game of blackjack. 00:46:50.400 --> 00:46:54.460 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: You can associate that with, I win this game so 00:46:54.460 --> 00:46:57.281 align:middle line:84% I slipped inside your glass a love potion so now you're in 00:46:57.281 --> 00:46:58.109 align:middle line:90% love with me. 00:46:58.109 --> 00:46:59.359 align:middle line:90% Something like that. 00:46:59.359 --> 00:47:02.036 align:middle line:90% 00:47:02.036 --> 00:47:04.260 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: But see, in that particular case you're 00:47:04.260 --> 00:47:10.360 align:middle line:84% describing an action that people might be more actually 00:47:10.360 --> 00:47:13.820 align:middle line:84% willing to do through some sort of simple mechanic. 00:47:13.820 --> 00:47:15.800 align:middle line:84% Like OK, instead of love potion we're going to mechanic 00:47:15.800 --> 00:47:18.100 align:middle line:90% that enables you to something. 00:47:18.100 --> 00:47:20.220 align:middle line:84% I'm going to actually give you a file. 00:47:20.220 --> 00:47:24.010 align:middle line:84% And if you drink something in the tea, like maple syrup, 00:47:24.010 --> 00:47:24.870 align:middle line:90% talk to the GM. 00:47:24.870 --> 00:47:30.540 align:middle line:84% Because you probably just drank some magic potion. 00:47:30.540 --> 00:47:32.740 align:middle line:84% But if the goal is, all right we're playing 00:47:32.740 --> 00:47:33.870 align:middle line:90% a film noire game. 00:47:33.870 --> 00:47:38.330 align:middle line:84% And you're supposed to be engaging in constant witty 00:47:38.330 --> 00:47:43.460 align:middle line:84% banter, laden with sexual innuendo, a lot of people have 00:47:43.460 --> 00:47:46.570 align:middle line:90% a lot of difficulty with that. 00:47:46.570 --> 00:47:48.120 align:middle line:90% Sometimes it works. 00:47:48.120 --> 00:47:50.970 align:middle line:90% I made it work in some games. 00:47:50.970 --> 00:47:54.750 align:middle line:84% But it makes it a lot easier if the success or failure in 00:47:54.750 --> 00:48:00.020 align:middle line:84% that is not going to be bottlenecked by whether the 00:48:00.020 --> 00:48:03.210 align:middle line:84% players feel comfortable doing it. 00:48:03.210 --> 00:48:06.030 align:middle line:84% So creating a game mechanic that actually feels a little 00:48:06.030 --> 00:48:12.060 align:middle line:84% bit less than what activity you're trying to represent may 00:48:12.060 --> 00:48:14.790 align:middle line:84% make it easier for people to engage in the activity. 00:48:14.790 --> 00:48:16.680 align:middle line:84% Same thing goes in combat, playing rock, paper, scissors, 00:48:16.680 --> 00:48:18.890 align:middle line:84% feels nothing like an actual fight. 00:48:18.890 --> 00:48:21.110 align:middle line:84% But people will be much more willing to play rock, paper, 00:48:21.110 --> 00:48:23.170 align:middle line:84% scissors with each other than to punch each other. 00:48:23.170 --> 00:48:28.040 align:middle line:84% So come up a rule, give them a little plastic gun, give them 00:48:28.040 --> 00:48:30.914 align:middle line:84% something to make it easier, and they'll be willing to 00:48:30.914 --> 00:48:34.000 align:middle line:84% engage in that activity more often. 00:48:34.000 --> 00:48:36.817 align:middle line:84% Violence in the rule will probably be the thing that 00:48:36.817 --> 00:48:38.067 align:middle line:84% comes up a lot in this setting. 00:48:38.067 --> 00:48:44.730 align:middle line:90% 00:48:44.730 --> 00:48:51.208 align:middle line:84% So, let me see what else we can get into. 00:48:51.208 --> 00:48:54.620 align:middle line:90% It's about 2 o'clock. 00:48:54.620 --> 00:48:59.050 align:middle line:84% How many folks here have played some variant of Mafia 00:48:59.050 --> 00:49:04.050 align:middle line:90% or Werewolf or? 00:49:04.050 --> 00:49:06.770 align:middle line:84% Who's played Mafia in particular? 00:49:06.770 --> 00:49:08.470 align:middle line:90% OK, who's played Werewolf? 00:49:08.470 --> 00:49:12.960 align:middle line:90% 00:49:12.960 --> 00:49:15.815 align:middle line:84% So those are live-action games too. 00:49:15.815 --> 00:49:18.630 align:middle line:84% And those are live-action games that specifically don't 00:49:18.630 --> 00:49:23.860 align:middle line:84% try to draw too sharp a division between who you are 00:49:23.860 --> 00:49:25.350 align:middle line:90% and who your player is. 00:49:25.350 --> 00:49:30.625 align:middle line:84% You are given a role, a card, that basically says whether 00:49:30.625 --> 00:49:34.960 align:middle line:84% you're Mafia or whether you're a villager I think. 00:49:34.960 --> 00:49:36.290 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Civilian. 00:49:36.290 --> 00:49:40.250 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: And the whole idea is that everybody who's-- 00:49:40.250 --> 00:49:43.690 align:middle line:84% that's a character sheet that gives you private, secret, 00:49:43.690 --> 00:49:46.840 align:middle line:84% information about the role that you're supposed to play. 00:49:46.840 --> 00:49:53.010 align:middle line:84% But in my opinion, these particular games-- and we're 00:49:53.010 --> 00:49:54.940 align:middle line:84% going to play some variants of them-- 00:49:54.940 --> 00:49:58.400 align:middle line:90% 00:49:58.400 --> 00:50:02.020 align:middle line:84% what you are told by the cards is only what 00:50:02.020 --> 00:50:03.720 align:middle line:90% you're allowed to do. 00:50:03.720 --> 00:50:08.520 align:middle line:84% What actually gives you the role is what you decide to do. 00:50:08.520 --> 00:50:13.140 align:middle line:84% I play Mafia and I'm going to say, Patrick needs to die. 00:50:13.140 --> 00:50:19.179 align:middle line:84% And other people in the room agree with me, and Patrick's 00:50:19.179 --> 00:50:20.610 align:middle line:84% character gets taken out of the game. 00:50:20.610 --> 00:50:23.800 align:middle line:84% That decision is the decision that made me Mafia. 00:50:23.800 --> 00:50:26.540 align:middle line:84% And that decision is the decision that other people are 00:50:26.540 --> 00:50:33.650 align:middle line:84% trying to catch, because they are trying to find a person 00:50:33.650 --> 00:50:36.090 align:middle line:84% who's actually responsible for various acts when everybody's 00:50:36.090 --> 00:50:37.560 align:middle line:90% eyes are closed. 00:50:37.560 --> 00:50:42.290 align:middle line:84% The general model for these games is there are cycles. 00:50:42.290 --> 00:50:45.120 align:middle line:84% For Werewolf it's a day and night cycle, and for Mafia 00:50:45.120 --> 00:50:46.560 align:middle line:90% it's also day and night. 00:50:46.560 --> 00:50:51.090 align:middle line:84% But the idea is that during the night everybody who's not 00:50:51.090 --> 00:50:54.270 align:middle line:84% Mafia gets to have their eyes open. 00:50:54.270 --> 00:50:56.180 align:middle line:90% Everybody who is Mafia-- 00:50:56.180 --> 00:50:58.280 align:middle line:84% everybody who's not Mafia keeps their eyes closed. 00:50:58.280 --> 00:51:01.080 align:middle line:84% Everyone who is Mafia keeps their eyes open. 00:51:01.080 --> 00:51:05.550 align:middle line:84% And people who are Mafia can communicate through some GM 00:51:05.550 --> 00:51:09.090 align:middle line:84% mediator, some game master mediated way, to specify the 00:51:09.090 --> 00:51:11.650 align:middle line:84% player to be taken out of the game at this point. 00:51:11.650 --> 00:51:12.950 align:middle line:90% It's usually a point. 00:51:12.950 --> 00:51:15.710 align:middle line:90% 00:51:15.710 --> 00:51:18.400 align:middle line:90% I see things with blinks. 00:51:18.400 --> 00:51:20.770 align:middle line:84% Because as the GM moves around sometimes that gives you 00:51:20.770 --> 00:51:22.460 align:middle line:90% clues, because you can hear. 00:51:22.460 --> 00:51:25.110 align:middle line:84% Even with your eyes closed you can hear where the GM is. 00:51:25.110 --> 00:51:29.410 align:middle line:90% 00:51:29.410 --> 00:51:32.180 align:middle line:84% And then that's like the night cycle. 00:51:32.180 --> 00:51:36.985 align:middle line:84% And during the day cycle everyone opens their eyes and 00:51:36.985 --> 00:51:39.940 align:middle line:84% whoever's been taken out of the game informs you. 00:51:39.940 --> 00:51:43.670 align:middle line:84% And everyone knows and everybody starts discussing 00:51:43.670 --> 00:51:46.160 align:middle line:84% and accusing each other of being responsible for it. 00:51:46.160 --> 00:51:49.132 align:middle line:84% And the whole point of the game is for the villagers to 00:51:49.132 --> 00:51:51.380 align:middle line:84% identify who all the Mafia is before everyone finishes. 00:51:51.380 --> 00:51:58.380 align:middle line:90% 00:51:58.380 --> 00:52:01.210 align:middle line:84% It's a live-action game that doesn't have a lot of action. 00:52:01.210 --> 00:52:03.570 align:middle line:90% I would say, it's one action. 00:52:03.570 --> 00:52:04.910 align:middle line:84% There's closing your eyes, opening your 00:52:04.910 --> 00:52:07.990 align:middle line:90% eyes, and there's pointing. 00:52:07.990 --> 00:52:10.330 align:middle line:90% There are variants where 00:52:10.330 --> 00:52:13.590 align:middle line:90% sometimes there is a Godfather. 00:52:13.590 --> 00:52:16.430 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I've seen websites with whole lists of different 00:52:16.430 --> 00:52:18.000 align:middle line:84% roles that are just ridiculous. 00:52:18.000 --> 00:52:21.640 align:middle line:84% Like there's grave keeper, there's necromancers. 00:52:21.640 --> 00:52:23.170 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: There's people who can bring characters 00:52:23.170 --> 00:52:24.480 align:middle line:90% back from the dead. 00:52:24.480 --> 00:52:26.730 align:middle line:84% There are people who can basically do 00:52:26.730 --> 00:52:28.170 align:middle line:90% a background check. 00:52:28.170 --> 00:52:28.910 align:middle line:90% I think that's-- 00:52:28.910 --> 00:52:30.260 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Oh, that's right you told us. 00:52:30.260 --> 00:52:31.510 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: -- angels and cops. 00:52:31.510 --> 00:52:34.810 align:middle line:90% 00:52:34.810 --> 00:52:38.470 align:middle line:84% And you go from two cycles to three cycles per round. 00:52:38.470 --> 00:52:39.802 align:middle line:84% Four cycles per round where different people 00:52:39.802 --> 00:52:41.290 align:middle line:90% have their eyes open. 00:52:41.290 --> 00:52:46.620 align:middle line:84% And you get different bits of information about what the 00:52:46.620 --> 00:52:49.090 align:middle line:90% world state is like. 00:52:49.090 --> 00:52:53.830 align:middle line:84% The fact that killing somebody is pointing at them, that's a 00:52:53.830 --> 00:52:55.260 align:middle line:90% dissociation mechanic right? 00:52:55.260 --> 00:52:57.365 align:middle line:84% It's not like you're actually being asked to engage in 00:52:57.365 --> 00:52:59.378 align:middle line:90% physical combat. 00:52:59.378 --> 00:53:01.745 align:middle line:84% Even though the fiction of the game is that you're 00:53:01.745 --> 00:53:03.200 align:middle line:84% assassinating this person in the middle of the night. 00:53:03.200 --> 00:53:06.640 align:middle line:90% 00:53:06.640 --> 00:53:10.435 align:middle line:84% The verisimilitude, and competition, will largely come 00:53:10.435 --> 00:53:12.870 align:middle line:90% down to the discussion phase. 00:53:12.870 --> 00:53:17.970 align:middle line:84% They are trying to put players in an environment where you've 00:53:17.970 --> 00:53:22.660 align:middle line:84% got a paranoid of villagers, a paranoid town, and they're all 00:53:22.660 --> 00:53:27.390 align:middle line:90% mutually accusing each other. 00:53:27.390 --> 00:53:34.240 align:middle line:84% And both the act of trying to not be accused, and trying to 00:53:34.240 --> 00:53:40.210 align:middle line:84% deduce who is the right person to accuse, is a compelling 00:53:40.210 --> 00:53:41.730 align:middle line:90% competitive experience. 00:53:41.730 --> 00:53:45.360 align:middle line:84% That's what all these games are really about. 00:53:45.360 --> 00:53:48.820 align:middle line:84% So all the emphasis, all the time of the game frankly, is 00:53:48.820 --> 00:53:52.520 align:middle line:84% devoted to that phase when everyone sits down and 00:53:52.520 --> 00:53:56.820 align:middle line:84% discusses with each other who could be the Mafia. 00:53:56.820 --> 00:54:01.126 align:middle line:84% You want to walk us through one of the variants maybe? 00:54:01.126 --> 00:54:03.260 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: Yeah, do you want to actually play it? 00:54:03.260 --> 00:54:05.640 align:middle line:90% Or just describe it? 00:54:05.640 --> 00:54:09.540 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: We have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 00:54:09.540 --> 00:54:11.890 align:middle line:90% 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. 00:54:11.890 --> 00:54:14.050 align:middle line:84% We could have two groups or one big group. 00:54:14.050 --> 00:54:15.690 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: One big group may take awhile. 00:54:15.690 --> 00:54:18.424 align:middle line:90% 00:54:18.424 --> 00:54:22.220 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Let's do two groups but how many 00:54:22.220 --> 00:54:23.840 align:middle line:90% different rule variants? 00:54:23.840 --> 00:54:25.740 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: I only found one that I thought was really 00:54:25.740 --> 00:54:28.192 align:middle line:84% interesting, although we can certainly-- even the Wikipedia 00:54:28.192 --> 00:54:30.210 align:middle line:90% page has a million variants. 00:54:30.210 --> 00:54:32.620 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: The one I normally would play would be one where 00:54:32.620 --> 00:54:34.950 align:middle line:84% there's mafia and there's cops. 00:54:34.950 --> 00:54:36.490 align:middle line:90% There might be a medic. 00:54:36.490 --> 00:54:40.718 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Inspector, angel, and prostitute. 00:54:40.718 --> 00:54:42.160 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: What's the prostitute do again? 00:54:42.160 --> 00:54:42.656 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: If you sleep with the mafia 00:54:42.656 --> 00:54:43.420 align:middle line:90% they don't kill anybody. 00:54:43.420 --> 00:54:46.070 align:middle line:84% If you sleep with an inspector they get incorrect 00:54:46.070 --> 00:54:46.560 align:middle line:90% information. 00:54:46.560 --> 00:54:48.770 align:middle line:84% If you sleep with a nurse they don't heal. 00:54:48.770 --> 00:54:54.570 align:middle line:90% 00:54:54.570 --> 00:54:56.370 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: This is it's very important to make sure you 00:54:56.370 --> 00:54:57.980 align:middle line:84% know what rules that you're playing with 00:54:57.980 --> 00:55:00.500 align:middle line:90% before the game starts. 00:55:00.500 --> 00:55:04.220 align:middle line:84% So walk us through the roles, and then what we'll do is 00:55:04.220 --> 00:55:06.450 align:middle line:84% we'll break this into two groups. 00:55:06.450 --> 00:55:13.030 align:middle line:84% And we'll have two groups play separately and that's probably 00:55:13.030 --> 00:55:16.800 align:middle line:90% the end of the class activity. 00:55:16.800 --> 00:55:20.760 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: I had found a variant called Thing, which is 00:55:20.760 --> 00:55:23.200 align:middle line:84% based on the John Carpenter movie. 00:55:23.200 --> 00:55:25.440 align:middle line:84% Which is interesting because it takes out one of the roles. 00:55:25.440 --> 00:55:30.260 align:middle line:84% The idea is one person is the shape shifting thing, and at 00:55:30.260 --> 00:55:33.300 align:middle line:84% night they infect someone else and that person becomes a 00:55:33.300 --> 00:55:34.980 align:middle line:90% thing as well. 00:55:34.980 --> 00:55:37.860 align:middle line:84% So they're not knocked out, out right. 00:55:37.860 --> 00:55:40.930 align:middle line:84% And then during the day the group votes and decides on one 00:55:40.930 --> 00:55:42.580 align:middle line:90% person to test. 00:55:42.580 --> 00:55:45.720 align:middle line:84% And if they test a thing that person is killed and they get 00:55:45.720 --> 00:55:47.020 align:middle line:90% to test another one. 00:55:47.020 --> 00:55:49.410 align:middle line:84% And the idea is that the things are trying to outnumber 00:55:49.410 --> 00:55:51.810 align:middle line:90% the people. 00:55:51.810 --> 00:55:53.540 align:middle line:84% Which is interesting because it takes away 00:55:53.540 --> 00:55:56.840 align:middle line:90% that inspector role. 00:55:56.840 --> 00:56:00.552 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Do you know who gets thinged in the 00:56:00.552 --> 00:56:02.120 align:middle line:90% middle of the night? 00:56:02.120 --> 00:56:03.520 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: So, I was thinking about this. 00:56:03.520 --> 00:56:07.140 align:middle line:84% What you would need is for the person who is the thing to 00:56:07.140 --> 00:56:08.810 align:middle line:90% indicate to the moderator. 00:56:08.810 --> 00:56:12.460 align:middle line:84% And then maybe the moderator could tap them or something. 00:56:12.460 --> 00:56:14.526 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Ok, so if you're a thing you know you're a thing. 00:56:14.526 --> 00:56:16.770 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: Yeah. 00:56:16.770 --> 00:56:19.020 align:middle line:84% The things are spreading as opposed to just-- 00:56:19.020 --> 00:56:21.060 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: And then if there's two things, do they both just 00:56:21.060 --> 00:56:22.290 align:middle line:90% agree on another? 00:56:22.290 --> 00:56:22.530 align:middle line:90% On a third? 00:56:22.530 --> 00:56:23.460 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: Presumably. 00:56:23.460 --> 00:56:27.360 align:middle line:84% So this is really interesting because apparently this is 00:56:27.360 --> 00:56:30.210 align:middle line:84% played at a conference for science fiction writers. 00:56:30.210 --> 00:56:34.155 align:middle line:84% So there's little snippets of it on the web about the rules 00:56:34.155 --> 00:56:35.590 align:middle line:84% from different blogs and stuff. 00:56:35.590 --> 00:56:37.510 align:middle line:84% And it's not as interesting, but of course the problem is 00:56:37.510 --> 00:56:39.810 align:middle line:84% how do you Google for mafia thing? 00:56:39.810 --> 00:56:44.590 align:middle line:90% 00:56:44.590 --> 00:56:47.370 align:middle line:84% It's not interesting to me, and then it seems like there's 00:56:47.370 --> 00:56:48.620 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 00:56:48.620 --> 00:56:52.020 align:middle line:90% 00:56:52.020 --> 00:56:55.100 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So it might be fine actually to have two groups 00:56:55.100 --> 00:56:58.296 align:middle line:84% figure out how to play that game just from the description 00:56:58.296 --> 00:56:59.940 align:middle line:90% that you've just been given. 00:56:59.940 --> 00:57:01.490 align:middle line:90% I think [INAUDIBLE] 00:57:01.490 --> 00:57:02.872 align:middle line:84% there's going to be enough people who've played 00:57:02.872 --> 00:57:05.100 align:middle line:84% traditional Mafia to know how it works. 00:57:05.100 --> 00:57:09.580 align:middle line:84% And then we'll just reconvene at the end of it and see what 00:57:09.580 --> 00:57:12.330 align:middle line:84% each version people came up with. 00:57:12.330 --> 00:57:15.670 align:middle line:84% What were the similarities and what were the differences. 00:57:15.670 --> 00:57:18.160 align:middle line:84% Again, that's the flexibility of doing a live-action game 00:57:18.160 --> 00:57:19.670 align:middle line:84% when the people who are actually coming up the the 00:57:19.670 --> 00:57:23.070 align:middle line:84% rules are actually in the same room as the players, or are 00:57:23.070 --> 00:57:24.595 align:middle line:90% the players themselves. 00:57:24.595 --> 00:57:26.250 align:middle line:84% You get to make stuff up on the fly as 00:57:26.250 --> 00:57:27.500 align:middle line:90% long as everyone agrees. 00:57:27.500 --> 00:57:29.870 align:middle line:90% 00:57:29.870 --> 00:57:31.530 align:middle line:90% So let's give it a shot. 00:57:31.530 --> 00:57:36.516 align:middle line:84% While Jason is sorting out, any questions about the stuff? 00:57:36.516 --> 00:57:42.578 align:middle line:90% 00:57:42.578 --> 00:57:45.554 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: The two biggest challenges that I've come 00:57:45.554 --> 00:57:52.810 align:middle line:84% across in the block mechanics have to do with surgical 00:57:52.810 --> 00:57:57.610 align:middle line:84% challenges and intellectual skill. 00:57:57.610 --> 00:58:00.076 align:middle line:90% So let's go intellectual. 00:58:00.076 --> 00:58:02.580 align:middle line:84% It's easy to play a character that's stupider than you. 00:58:02.580 --> 00:58:04.710 align:middle line:84% It's really hard to play a character that's 00:58:04.710 --> 00:58:05.820 align:middle line:90% smarter than you. 00:58:05.820 --> 00:58:08.390 align:middle line:84% In particular, it's really hard to play a character 00:58:08.390 --> 00:58:11.980 align:middle line:84% that's smarter than you if you don't have a GM around all the 00:58:11.980 --> 00:58:15.770 align:middle line:90% time to tell you, stop. 00:58:15.770 --> 00:58:18.686 align:middle line:90% 00:58:18.686 --> 00:58:21.225 align:middle line:84% So, if you have any ideas about how to deal with that. 00:58:21.225 --> 00:58:26.306 align:middle line:84% The other one is, I'm creating social conflicts. 00:58:26.306 --> 00:58:29.810 align:middle line:84% Like, this is harder than any role-playing game because it 00:58:29.810 --> 00:58:33.120 align:middle line:84% feels like if you want to be able to persuade a character 00:58:33.120 --> 00:58:35.768 align:middle line:84% or something you just want to persuade them because you're 00:58:35.768 --> 00:58:37.640 align:middle line:90% role-playing right? 00:58:37.640 --> 00:58:39.960 align:middle line:84% But you're supposed to be playing a character who is 00:58:39.960 --> 00:58:41.990 align:middle line:90% more persuasive than you. 00:58:41.990 --> 00:58:44.870 align:middle line:90% But it feels really cheap. 00:58:44.870 --> 00:58:46.620 align:middle line:90% If you can just sort of. 00:58:46.620 --> 00:58:49.480 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: You believe me now! 00:58:49.480 --> 00:58:53.190 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It also ties into another area that frequently 00:58:53.190 --> 00:58:55.635 align:middle line:84% pops up in LARP's and role-playing games in general 00:58:55.635 --> 00:58:58.210 align:middle line:84% which is use of metagame knowledge. 00:58:58.210 --> 00:59:03.030 align:middle line:84% So frequently if you've been persuaded to do something then 00:59:03.030 --> 00:59:07.400 align:middle line:84% you've come across players using their metagame knowledge 00:59:07.400 --> 00:59:09.420 align:middle line:84% that they don't want to do the thing that they're being 00:59:09.420 --> 00:59:11.720 align:middle line:90% mechanically forced to do. 00:59:11.720 --> 00:59:15.100 align:middle line:84% And they're trying to find loopholes constantly. 00:59:15.100 --> 00:59:20.490 align:middle line:84% I don't know if you can really force people to abandon their 00:59:20.490 --> 00:59:21.960 align:middle line:84% metagame knowledge mechanically? 00:59:21.960 --> 00:59:24.410 align:middle line:90% But I don't know. 00:59:24.410 --> 00:59:28.090 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I have some examples on how the Assassin's 00:59:28.090 --> 00:59:32.690 align:middle line:84% Guild in particular has dealt with that. 00:59:32.690 --> 00:59:36.580 align:middle line:84% And in some ways it's cheating, because we're not 00:59:36.580 --> 00:59:39.370 align:middle line:84% going to try to do some of those things. 00:59:39.370 --> 00:59:41.650 align:middle line:84% In particular, let's take persuasion for 00:59:41.650 --> 00:59:43.450 align:middle line:90% one of those things. 00:59:43.450 --> 00:59:47.020 align:middle line:84% The problem with persuasion is that whatever mechanic you 00:59:47.020 --> 00:59:51.110 align:middle line:84% come to, other than what you see is what you get-- 00:59:51.110 --> 00:59:52.360 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]-- 00:59:52.360 --> 00:59:56.750 align:middle line:90% 00:59:56.750 --> 00:59:59.900 align:middle line:84% any other mechanic that you come up with runs that risk of 00:59:59.900 --> 01:00:01.640 align:middle line:84% the, wait a minute this is not what I really, 01:00:01.640 --> 01:00:03.460 align:middle line:90% really, want to do. 01:00:03.460 --> 01:00:07.190 align:middle line:84% So the Assassin's Guild has replaced that with 01:00:07.190 --> 01:00:07.810 align:middle line:90% brainwashing. 01:00:07.810 --> 01:00:12.790 align:middle line:84% Which is the whole idea of, you're not being persuaded. 01:00:12.790 --> 01:00:16.870 align:middle line:84% You goals are being forcibly changed, but now you have 01:00:16.870 --> 01:00:18.470 align:middle line:90% other goals. 01:00:18.470 --> 01:00:19.720 align:middle line:90% And that's the big difference. 01:00:19.720 --> 01:00:23.390 align:middle line:90% 01:00:23.390 --> 01:00:26.300 align:middle line:84% Your old goals are no longer your win conditions. 01:00:26.300 --> 01:00:29.160 align:middle line:84% Your new goals are now your win conditions. 01:00:29.160 --> 01:00:33.247 align:middle line:84% You can still win the game by obeying your new goals. 01:00:33.247 --> 01:00:35.430 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: That's cool. 01:00:35.430 --> 01:00:37.144 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: The brainwashing mechanism. 01:00:37.144 --> 01:00:39.154 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So you've aligned the interests of the player 01:00:39.154 --> 01:00:41.410 align:middle line:84% with the interest of the character. 01:00:41.410 --> 01:00:46.680 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR:You want to go with your new goals now because-- 01:00:46.680 --> 01:00:50.110 align:middle line:84% how this came up, typically in the Assassin's Guild, the 01:00:50.110 --> 01:00:51.940 align:middle line:84% Assassin's Guild actually grew out from 01:00:51.940 --> 01:00:53.250 align:middle line:90% circle of death games. 01:00:53.250 --> 01:00:54.950 align:middle line:90% Which is, getting to know you. 01:00:54.950 --> 01:00:57.175 align:middle line:84% I have the name of somebody, and I need to shoot them with 01:00:57.175 --> 01:00:58.430 align:middle line:90% this water gun. 01:00:58.430 --> 01:00:59.950 align:middle line:90% Who is this person again? 01:00:59.950 --> 01:01:00.450 align:middle line:90% I don't know. 01:01:00.450 --> 01:01:01.230 align:middle line:90% I'm a freshman. 01:01:01.230 --> 01:01:02.010 align:middle line:84% I haven't met everyone on campus. 01:01:02.010 --> 01:01:03.180 align:middle line:84% I'm going to figure out who this person is. 01:01:03.180 --> 01:01:05.560 align:middle line:84% That's where those games came from. 01:01:05.560 --> 01:01:07.440 align:middle line:84% The Assassin's Guild kind of grew up from that. 01:01:07.440 --> 01:01:09.200 align:middle line:90% Then it became teams. 01:01:09.200 --> 01:01:14.190 align:middle line:84% And brainwashing was basically the set of game mechanics that 01:01:14.190 --> 01:01:16.140 align:middle line:84% was used for recruiting people to your team. 01:01:16.140 --> 01:01:19.010 align:middle line:84% So it's like, all right everyone's got one target. 01:01:19.010 --> 01:01:22.490 align:middle line:84% But there are a few people out there who's job is destroying 01:01:22.490 --> 01:01:25.730 align:middle line:84% everybody on this opposing faction. 01:01:25.730 --> 01:01:27.820 align:middle line:84% And there's only one person in that opposing 01:01:27.820 --> 01:01:28.430 align:middle line:90% faction right now. 01:01:28.430 --> 01:01:29.060 align:middle line:90% There's only one of me. 01:01:29.060 --> 01:01:31.750 align:middle line:84% But I have this brainwashing mechanic that recruits more 01:01:31.750 --> 01:01:32.320 align:middle line:90% and more people. 01:01:32.320 --> 01:01:35.810 align:middle line:84% So what you thought was one, I'm just against another 01:01:35.810 --> 01:01:40.500 align:middle line:84% individual, becomes my group is against that group. 01:01:40.500 --> 01:01:42.160 align:middle line:84% And it feels pretty awesome, actually. 01:01:42.160 --> 01:01:43.820 align:middle line:84% Because what it actually feels-- 01:01:43.820 --> 01:01:48.620 align:middle line:84% it's a weird game mechanic way of making your character have 01:01:48.620 --> 01:01:50.960 align:middle line:84% some sort of development in the game. 01:01:50.960 --> 01:01:53.960 align:middle line:84% If you think about a role-playing game, character 01:01:53.960 --> 01:01:57.210 align:middle line:84% development means your goals now change somehow. 01:01:57.210 --> 01:02:01.340 align:middle line:84% But it's really difficult to give players a means of doing 01:02:01.340 --> 01:02:02.840 align:middle line:90% that themselves. 01:02:02.840 --> 01:02:04.270 align:middle line:84% Brainwashing was one of the few ways that seems to 01:02:04.270 --> 01:02:05.570 align:middle line:90% actually have worked. 01:02:05.570 --> 01:02:08.780 align:middle line:84% I'm actively going to knock out this character, put this 01:02:08.780 --> 01:02:12.130 align:middle line:84% blinky helmet on them for five seconds, and if nobody catches 01:02:12.130 --> 01:02:14.570 align:middle line:84% me in this process I give them new goals. 01:02:14.570 --> 01:02:17.260 align:middle line:84% And the person who's [INAUDIBLE], dude this is way 01:02:17.260 --> 01:02:19.074 align:middle line:84% more exciting than anything [INAUDIBLE]. 01:02:19.074 --> 01:02:21.790 align:middle line:90% 01:02:21.790 --> 01:02:25.770 align:middle line:84% And you also avoid the metagame problem of loyalty. 01:02:25.770 --> 01:02:28.370 align:middle line:84% It's like, I got this information from this other 01:02:28.370 --> 01:02:30.720 align:middle line:84% group but I've been brainwashed and I don't want 01:02:30.720 --> 01:02:32.090 align:middle line:90% to tell you. 01:02:32.090 --> 01:02:33.250 align:middle line:84% It's like, no you want to tell me now because it'll actually 01:02:33.250 --> 01:02:34.500 align:middle line:90% help you win. 01:02:34.500 --> 01:02:36.260 align:middle line:90% 01:02:36.260 --> 01:02:42.320 align:middle line:84% But metagaming in all kinds of live-action 01:02:42.320 --> 01:02:43.740 align:middle line:90% games is a big thing. 01:02:43.740 --> 01:02:47.850 align:middle line:84% You know things about the player or you know things 01:02:47.850 --> 01:02:49.506 align:middle line:84% about the game state that you're not 01:02:49.506 --> 01:02:51.260 align:middle line:90% really supposed to know. 01:02:51.260 --> 01:02:54.096 align:middle line:84% If a person is supposed to be able to teleport from one end 01:02:54.096 --> 01:02:56.610 align:middle line:84% of campus to the other end of campus, the character may be 01:02:56.610 --> 01:02:57.810 align:middle line:90% able to do that. 01:02:57.810 --> 01:03:00.286 align:middle line:84% But the damn player's got to walk all the way in between. 01:03:00.286 --> 01:03:03.100 align:middle line:84% And you have to drive the player halfway to the, I now 01:03:03.100 --> 01:03:05.980 align:middle line:84% know that player is probably on this side of campus. 01:03:05.980 --> 01:03:08.298 align:middle line:84% Even though your character really had no idea how 01:03:08.298 --> 01:03:09.480 align:middle line:90% to deal with that. 01:03:09.480 --> 01:03:12.345 align:middle line:90% That's just one of those-- 01:03:12.345 --> 01:03:16.880 align:middle line:84% there are ways to design game mechanics to avoid those 01:03:16.880 --> 01:03:17.560 align:middle line:90% situations. 01:03:17.560 --> 01:03:21.630 align:middle line:84% But in many, many, live-action role playing there is a honor 01:03:21.630 --> 01:03:24.710 align:middle line:84% system that really has to kick in. 01:03:24.710 --> 01:03:26.580 align:middle line:84% The nice thing about it is that if everyone decides to go 01:03:26.580 --> 01:03:29.280 align:middle line:84% by the honor system, and agrees that this honor system 01:03:29.280 --> 01:03:32.750 align:middle line:84% is necessary for the world to be reinforced, it actually 01:03:32.750 --> 01:03:35.586 align:middle line:84% helps reinforce that mutual illusion that 01:03:35.586 --> 01:03:38.500 align:middle line:90% this world is real. 01:03:38.500 --> 01:03:40.940 align:middle line:84% By saying, I know that I'm not supposed to know those things. 01:03:40.940 --> 01:03:48.330 align:middle line:84% But I am going to play this game as hard as I can in a way 01:03:48.330 --> 01:03:50.000 align:middle line:90% that's [INAUDIBLE]. 01:03:50.000 --> 01:03:52.590 align:middle line:84% Actually reinforces the world for everybody else. 01:03:52.590 --> 01:03:53.915 align:middle line:84% It's the same for improv theatre. 01:03:53.915 --> 01:03:56.454 align:middle line:90% 01:03:56.454 --> 01:04:00.850 align:middle line:84% Anyone here involved in improv theatre or improv comedy? 01:04:00.850 --> 01:04:03.100 align:middle line:90% So, you know yes, and? 01:04:03.100 --> 01:04:04.130 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Sure. 01:04:04.130 --> 01:04:07.370 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: What would be the concept behind that? 01:04:07.370 --> 01:04:10.010 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Yes, and, is an idea where if you give someone an 01:04:10.010 --> 01:04:13.580 align:middle line:90% offer they'll take your offer. 01:04:13.580 --> 01:04:18.220 align:middle line:84% So if I say, man we're all out of tomatoes. 01:04:18.220 --> 01:04:22.700 align:middle line:84% Someone will say, yes and the big tomato cook-off is 01:04:22.700 --> 01:04:24.880 align:middle line:84% tomorrow or something like this. 01:04:24.880 --> 01:04:26.350 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: You cannot contradict what was said. 01:04:26.350 --> 01:04:28.410 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Not only do you not contradict, you always add 01:04:28.410 --> 01:04:28.930 align:middle line:90% information. 01:04:28.930 --> 01:04:30.943 align:middle line:84% Every line, at least at the beginning of the scene, should 01:04:30.943 --> 01:04:32.552 align:middle line:84% be adding information to the scene. 01:04:32.552 --> 01:04:35.300 align:middle line:84% And then after a few lines you have a very, very, elaborate 01:04:35.300 --> 01:04:37.950 align:middle line:84% set up that's kind of ridiculous. 01:04:37.950 --> 01:04:40.070 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: But, mutually shared? 01:04:40.070 --> 01:04:41.760 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Exactly. 01:04:41.760 --> 01:04:44.220 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So, in that same situation. 01:04:44.220 --> 01:04:47.570 align:middle line:84% Metagaming is one of those things that's actively working 01:04:47.570 --> 01:04:49.340 align:middle line:84% to destroy the reality of your world. 01:04:49.340 --> 01:04:54.740 align:middle line:84% And if all the players agree to try their damn hardest to 01:04:54.740 --> 01:04:57.160 align:middle line:84% not let it interfere with the world [INAUDIBLE]. 01:04:57.160 --> 01:05:02.040 align:middle line:84% The illusion in a way that it strengthens the scene for 01:05:02.040 --> 01:05:04.838 align:middle line:90% improv theatre. 01:05:04.838 --> 01:05:07.900 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Hold on, just one sec, the other concern that 01:05:07.900 --> 01:05:11.630 align:middle line:84% you had before persuasion issue which was? 01:05:11.630 --> 01:05:17.042 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Characters who, in particular this comes up a lot 01:05:17.042 --> 01:05:19.994 align:middle line:84% in this [INAUDIBLE] type situations or what have you, 01:05:19.994 --> 01:05:22.990 align:middle line:84% where you have somebody's who either a super genius. 01:05:22.990 --> 01:05:25.140 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Oh, so someone who's better than you at something. 01:05:25.140 --> 01:05:28.020 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Much better than you. 01:05:28.020 --> 01:05:30.900 align:middle line:90% How do you mechanic that? 01:05:30.900 --> 01:05:33.920 align:middle line:90% 01:05:33.920 --> 01:05:36.600 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: The best way that you can do that is to cast the 01:05:36.600 --> 01:05:37.530 align:middle line:90% right person. 01:05:37.530 --> 01:05:44.000 align:middle line:84% But what I have generally found is that old role-playing 01:05:44.000 --> 01:05:47.510 align:middle line:84% game chestnut of separating intelligence from wisdom makes 01:05:47.510 --> 01:05:48.970 align:middle line:90% it a little bit easier. 01:05:48.970 --> 01:05:51.034 align:middle line:84% There's intelligence, which is the ability to think on the 01:05:51.034 --> 01:05:52.550 align:middle line:84% feet, and there's wisdom which is how much you 01:05:52.550 --> 01:05:54.790 align:middle line:90% know about the world. 01:05:54.790 --> 01:06:00.990 align:middle line:84% And you as the game master designing a game can figure 01:06:00.990 --> 01:06:03.995 align:middle line:84% out, when I say someone's really smart, what do I mean? 01:06:03.995 --> 01:06:05.090 align:middle line:90% Intelligence or wisdom? 01:06:05.090 --> 01:06:08.410 align:middle line:84% It helps you a little bit on thinking how I can use game 01:06:08.410 --> 01:06:11.940 align:middle line:84% mechanics or game writing to fix that problem. 01:06:11.940 --> 01:06:15.360 align:middle line:84% So if it's intelligence it's just like, oh I have the 01:06:15.360 --> 01:06:18.190 align:middle line:84% ability to do stuff that other people can't do 01:06:18.190 --> 01:06:20.010 align:middle line:90% because I'm so smart. 01:06:20.010 --> 01:06:24.740 align:middle line:84% And you can literally just give them abilities to act on 01:06:24.740 --> 01:06:28.440 align:middle line:84% things that other people do not have. 01:06:28.440 --> 01:06:31.730 align:middle line:84% I'm able to build a telephone out of this Coke because I'm a 01:06:31.730 --> 01:06:34.900 align:middle line:84% professor of Gilligan's Island. 01:06:34.900 --> 01:06:36.330 align:middle line:90% I'm smart. 01:06:36.330 --> 01:06:37.920 align:middle line:84% It doesn't mean I have to act terribly smart. 01:06:37.920 --> 01:06:40.083 align:middle line:84% I'm capable of doing things that other people can't 01:06:40.083 --> 01:06:42.060 align:middle line:84% because I've been told specifically 01:06:42.060 --> 01:06:43.330 align:middle line:90% I have these abilities. 01:06:43.330 --> 01:06:44.860 align:middle line:84% But that's the intelligence side of it. 01:06:44.860 --> 01:06:46.120 align:middle line:84% The wisdom side of it is a little bit harder. 01:06:46.120 --> 01:06:48.410 align:middle line:84% Which is basically, you dump a whole bunch of 01:06:48.410 --> 01:06:50.100 align:middle line:90% information on somebody. 01:06:50.100 --> 01:06:53.600 align:middle line:84% And you hope that they are capable of making associations 01:06:53.600 --> 01:06:56.580 align:middle line:84% between what's happening in game and what they read. 01:06:56.580 --> 01:06:57.830 align:middle line:90% That's a lot harder. 01:06:57.830 --> 01:07:02.890 align:middle line:84% It is a problem, but I find that by separating those two 01:07:02.890 --> 01:07:06.635 align:middle line:90% it makes it an easier problem. 01:07:06.635 --> 01:07:08.132 align:middle line:90% Patrick? 01:07:08.132 --> 01:07:10.770 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Yeah, this is a bit of a noobish question. 01:07:10.770 --> 01:07:12.640 align:middle line:84% Are LARPs usually played in real time? 01:07:12.640 --> 01:07:15.860 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Typically, they have rules about when to hit 01:07:15.860 --> 01:07:16.910 align:middle line:90% the pause button. 01:07:16.910 --> 01:07:20.800 align:middle line:84% Basically at MIT those are usually enacted when safety 01:07:20.800 --> 01:07:21.780 align:middle line:90% becomes an issue. 01:07:21.780 --> 01:07:25.170 align:middle line:90% People are running too fast. 01:07:25.170 --> 01:07:27.650 align:middle line:84% Somebody just fell down and you want to be able to stop 01:07:27.650 --> 01:07:30.710 align:middle line:84% everyone from running, and so they shout halt. 01:07:30.710 --> 01:07:33.295 align:middle line:90% 01:07:33.295 --> 01:07:37.000 align:middle line:84% Typically they're happening in real time because it's really 01:07:37.000 --> 01:07:41.980 align:middle line:84% hard to do turn based stuff that doesn't quickly feel like 01:07:41.980 --> 01:07:42.390 align:middle line:90% a board game. 01:07:42.390 --> 01:07:44.199 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I mean like, when you say someone would want to 01:07:44.199 --> 01:07:46.260 align:middle line:84% do a background check and you'd say I don't know, come 01:07:46.260 --> 01:07:47.010 align:middle line:90% back in two hours. 01:07:47.010 --> 01:07:49.080 align:middle line:84% You'd literally wait two hours? 01:07:49.080 --> 01:07:52.000 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: So, yeah, often that really 01:07:52.000 --> 01:07:52.990 align:middle line:90% means just two hours. 01:07:52.990 --> 01:07:55.530 align:middle line:84% And that's an interesting thing of that it's real time 01:07:55.530 --> 01:07:58.000 align:middle line:84% but it's kind of a time delay at the same time. 01:07:58.000 --> 01:08:03.060 align:middle line:84% So as a game master you can build in game mechanics that 01:08:03.060 --> 01:08:06.740 align:middle line:84% take advantage of real time delays to be able to give you 01:08:06.740 --> 01:08:09.920 align:middle line:84% as game master some time to breathe. 01:08:09.920 --> 01:08:11.900 align:middle line:84% Typically they're happening in real time. 01:08:11.900 --> 01:08:16.609 align:middle line:84% I wrote a game where the clock stopped somewhere between 01:08:16.609 --> 01:08:19.590 align:middle line:90% midnight and 8:00 AM. 01:08:19.590 --> 01:08:22.965 align:middle line:84% The game world literally froze, well not literally 01:08:22.965 --> 01:08:24.215 align:middle line:90% figuratively froze, as well. 01:08:24.215 --> 01:08:28.170 align:middle line:90% 01:08:28.170 --> 01:08:32.630 align:middle line:84% And one minute after 8:00 the clock would practically, in 01:08:32.630 --> 01:08:37.604 align:middle line:84% game terms, have moved one minute even though there were 01:08:37.604 --> 01:08:39.020 align:middle line:84% eight intervening hours in between so that people could 01:08:39.020 --> 01:08:40.270 align:middle line:90% go and take a break. 01:08:40.270 --> 01:08:42.990 align:middle line:90% 01:08:42.990 --> 01:08:45.220 align:middle line:84% Which would be great for an Army of 01:08:45.220 --> 01:08:47.460 align:middle line:90% Darkness type of scenario. 01:08:47.460 --> 01:08:48.710 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 01:08:48.710 --> 01:08:50.439 align:middle line:90% 01:08:50.439 --> 01:08:52.770 align:middle line:84% But those three films as opposed to it all happened 01:08:52.770 --> 01:08:56.439 align:middle line:90% within 48 hours. 01:08:56.439 --> 01:08:58.040 align:middle line:90% So Andrew? 01:08:58.040 --> 01:08:59.200 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 01:08:59.200 --> 01:09:00.510 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So I guess two things, one 01:09:00.510 --> 01:09:02.120 align:middle line:90% is in terms of wisdom. 01:09:02.120 --> 01:09:04.198 align:middle line:84% Could you possibly have little note cards that are flipped 01:09:04.198 --> 01:09:04.694 align:middle line:90% over everywhere? 01:09:04.694 --> 01:09:06.678 align:middle line:84% And then the wisdom person, the person with high wisdom, 01:09:06.678 --> 01:09:09.700 align:middle line:84% could read about information in there? 01:09:09.700 --> 01:09:13.248 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: You could certainly have taken advantage of a 01:09:13.248 --> 01:09:14.020 align:middle line:84% piece of paper taped on the wall just put 01:09:14.020 --> 01:09:15.270 align:middle line:90% in the back, right? 01:09:15.270 --> 01:09:16.800 align:middle line:90% 01:09:16.800 --> 01:09:18.936 align:middle line:84% Some people can arguably be able to read off the back of 01:09:18.936 --> 01:09:20.569 align:middle line:90% the paper, some people aren't. 01:09:20.569 --> 01:09:23.960 align:middle line:84% Which will be a little bit easier than trying to keep it 01:09:23.960 --> 01:09:25.740 align:middle line:90% all in your head at once. 01:09:25.740 --> 01:09:27.990 align:middle line:84% You can also give very limited wisdom, like the whole psychic 01:09:27.990 --> 01:09:30.050 align:middle line:90% example, right? 01:09:30.050 --> 01:09:32.240 align:middle line:90% I am sensitive in some way. 01:09:32.240 --> 01:09:35.850 align:middle line:84% I can tell when certain things are cursed. 01:09:35.850 --> 01:09:39.920 align:middle line:84% By giving them clues on printed pieces of paper that 01:09:39.920 --> 01:09:42.569 align:middle line:84% nobody else knows how to interpret. 01:09:42.569 --> 01:09:47.249 align:middle line:84% I see there is a number associated with each one of 01:09:47.249 --> 01:09:47.410 align:middle line:90% these rooms. 01:09:47.410 --> 01:09:49.580 align:middle line:84% That number happens to be even. 01:09:49.580 --> 01:09:53.029 align:middle line:84% This is not a place that any sane person would want to be. 01:09:53.029 --> 01:09:55.374 align:middle line:84% And there are people who have the wisdom to tell that and 01:09:55.374 --> 01:09:58.240 align:middle line:84% there are some people who don't. 01:09:58.240 --> 01:10:01.000 align:middle line:84% That's another way to put those environmental clues. 01:10:01.000 --> 01:10:06.010 align:middle line:90% 01:10:06.010 --> 01:10:12.510 align:middle line:84% Particularly in MIT, hiding clues in plain sight, and 01:10:12.510 --> 01:10:14.220 align:middle line:84% every single way that you can possibly do 01:10:14.220 --> 01:10:17.720 align:middle line:90% that, is really exploited. 01:10:17.720 --> 01:10:20.080 align:middle line:90% So the numbers for instance. 01:10:20.080 --> 01:10:24.130 align:middle line:84% I've seen games where everyone has five 01:10:24.130 --> 01:10:24.875 align:middle line:90% digits on their badge. 01:10:24.875 --> 01:10:28.120 align:middle line:84% And every single one of those digits means something. 01:10:28.120 --> 01:10:33.805 align:middle line:84% If you happen to have the ability to interpret them, but 01:10:33.805 --> 01:10:36.910 align:middle line:84% each one of the digits means something different. 01:10:36.910 --> 01:10:40.736 align:middle line:90% So that's an example. 01:10:40.736 --> 01:10:42.220 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: And just really quickly. 01:10:42.220 --> 01:10:44.130 align:middle line:84% In terms of space, how much space do Assassin's Guild 01:10:44.130 --> 01:10:47.320 align:middle line:90% games take? 01:10:47.320 --> 01:10:49.210 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: MIT Assassin's Guild has the advantage of the 01:10:49.210 --> 01:10:50.210 align:middle line:90% MIT campus. 01:10:50.210 --> 01:10:56.152 align:middle line:84% So it can go anywhere from main campus mounted by Mass 01:10:56.152 --> 01:11:02.600 align:middle line:84% Ave. and Main Street, to all over campus. 01:11:02.600 --> 01:11:04.740 align:middle line:90% But players hate that. 01:11:04.740 --> 01:11:06.060 align:middle line:84% Players hate walking all over campus. 01:11:06.060 --> 01:11:07.680 align:middle line:90% It kills their feet. 01:11:07.680 --> 01:11:12.770 align:middle line:84% So often it just turns out to be the few rooms that they 01:11:12.770 --> 01:11:15.820 align:middle line:84% could get room reservations for, the MIT campus activities 01:11:15.820 --> 01:11:18.770 align:middle line:84% complex, and the sort of general vicinity around there. 01:11:18.770 --> 01:11:21.520 align:middle line:84% Outdoors is really not used much, because MIT Assassin's 01:11:21.520 --> 01:11:24.270 align:middle line:84% Guild loves shooting little plastic things at each other. 01:11:24.270 --> 01:11:25.630 align:middle line:84% And when the wind blows that just sucks. 01:11:25.630 --> 01:11:28.908 align:middle line:90% 01:11:28.908 --> 01:11:29.884 align:middle line:90% Jeremy? 01:11:29.884 --> 01:11:33.450 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Do those eight story [INAUDIBLE] 01:11:33.450 --> 01:11:37.135 align:middle line:84% games that have gone way horribly, fallen apart. 01:11:37.135 --> 01:11:39.576 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: Oh, absolutely. 01:11:39.576 --> 01:11:41.986 align:middle line:90% How much time have we got? 01:11:41.986 --> 01:11:44.560 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Can you highlight what are the mistakes that 01:11:44.560 --> 01:11:45.966 align:middle line:90% have made-- 01:11:45.966 --> 01:11:48.310 align:middle line:84% everyone who's doing these, especially on my team, they're 01:11:48.310 --> 01:11:48.880 align:middle line:90% all smart people. 01:11:48.880 --> 01:11:50.980 align:middle line:84% And they're written by smart people. 01:11:50.980 --> 01:11:53.435 align:middle line:84% So what hazard mistakes do smart people still make that 01:11:53.435 --> 01:11:55.190 align:middle line:84% results in these games falling apart? 01:11:55.190 --> 01:11:57.350 align:middle line:90% Or bad things happen? 01:11:57.350 --> 01:11:59.020 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Well, the most common thing that happens is 01:11:59.020 --> 01:12:03.760 align:middle line:84% not even an issue of how smart the game writers were but how 01:12:03.760 --> 01:12:05.033 align:middle line:84% much experience they've had in seeing 01:12:05.033 --> 01:12:08.345 align:middle line:90% things go horribly wrong. 01:12:08.345 --> 01:12:09.570 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Right, which is why I'm asking. 01:12:09.570 --> 01:12:12.180 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Just like this class has given you experience 01:12:12.180 --> 01:12:15.420 align:middle line:84% making games, you've seen how some projects can go wrong. 01:12:15.420 --> 01:12:20.030 align:middle line:84% A lot of it is just system dynamics, right? 01:12:20.030 --> 01:12:21.490 align:middle line:84% I put together a bunch of rules. 01:12:21.490 --> 01:12:24.540 align:middle line:84% I didn't expect those rules to interact in that way. 01:12:24.540 --> 01:12:28.090 align:middle line:84% But because a live-action game is difficult to run multiple 01:12:28.090 --> 01:12:31.460 align:middle line:84% times, the first time you see-- 01:12:31.460 --> 01:12:33.020 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: How do you play a live-action game 01:12:33.020 --> 01:12:35.040 align:middle line:90% that lasts to a month? 01:12:35.040 --> 01:12:36.090 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: That actually came up in the forums I believe. 01:12:36.090 --> 01:12:38.950 align:middle line:84% Somebody was asking about this. 01:12:38.950 --> 01:12:41.650 align:middle line:90% You can at best to a test-- 01:12:41.650 --> 01:12:42.870 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Give them mechanics? 01:12:42.870 --> 01:12:44.280 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: --You can play the sort of game mechanics. 01:12:44.280 --> 01:12:46.860 align:middle line:84% Write down the stripped down version which takes out all of 01:12:46.860 --> 01:12:50.030 align:middle line:84% the plot motivations and just has the combat. 01:12:50.030 --> 01:12:51.150 align:middle line:90% This is how combat plays. 01:12:51.150 --> 01:12:53.160 align:middle line:84% I did that for a Matrix game once. 01:12:53.160 --> 01:12:55.280 align:middle line:84% And it's like, I'm writing a game of a Matrix. 01:12:55.280 --> 01:12:58.860 align:middle line:84% Combat is really freaking important. 01:12:58.860 --> 01:13:02.960 align:middle line:84% So I just made an entire game where all it was, you want to 01:13:02.960 --> 01:13:05.030 align:middle line:84% go in and get this thing and get out. 01:13:05.030 --> 01:13:06.110 align:middle line:90% That was the whole rule. 01:13:06.110 --> 01:13:08.880 align:middle line:84% And here's your three pages of contact notes. 01:13:08.880 --> 01:13:10.170 align:middle line:90% And people were like holy shit, 01:13:10.170 --> 01:13:11.420 align:middle line:90% this is a lot to remember. 01:13:11.420 --> 01:13:13.770 align:middle line:90% 01:13:13.770 --> 01:13:16.950 align:middle line:84% And that showed me the problems that I had. 01:13:16.950 --> 01:13:20.420 align:middle line:84% Unfortunately, it wasn't so catastrophic that I would use 01:13:20.420 --> 01:13:22.284 align:middle line:84% it as a catastrophic game example. 01:13:22.284 --> 01:13:24.100 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Tell us about a catastrophic. 01:13:24.100 --> 01:13:27.250 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Catastrophic game examples. 01:13:27.250 --> 01:13:27.610 align:middle line:90% OK. 01:13:27.610 --> 01:13:29.090 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Tell us someone tripped and hurt themselves. 01:13:29.090 --> 01:13:29.890 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 01:13:29.890 --> 01:13:35.117 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: No, that's not what you're looking for I 01:13:35.117 --> 01:13:35.710 align:middle line:90% understand. 01:13:35.710 --> 01:13:43.580 align:middle line:84% It was a game where everyone was playing undead. 01:13:43.580 --> 01:13:44.950 align:middle line:90% I think they were vampires. 01:13:44.950 --> 01:13:49.810 align:middle line:84% So they could get knocked down if they got shot, and they 01:13:49.810 --> 01:13:51.420 align:middle line:84% would get up again in five minutes 01:13:51.420 --> 01:13:52.260 align:middle line:90% because they were immortal. 01:13:52.260 --> 01:13:54.247 align:middle line:84% Unless they got staked or something they 01:13:54.247 --> 01:13:55.980 align:middle line:90% would get up again. 01:13:55.980 --> 01:13:58.530 align:middle line:84% Unfortunately, there were a lot of vampires in the game. 01:13:58.530 --> 01:14:01.790 align:middle line:84% Often many of them were in different factions. 01:14:01.790 --> 01:14:04.940 align:middle line:84% So they were going after each other with guns. 01:14:04.940 --> 01:14:08.350 align:middle line:84% So when two people who were obviously against each other 01:14:08.350 --> 01:14:11.830 align:middle line:84% shot each other, fell over, they would get up in five 01:14:11.830 --> 01:14:13.456 align:middle line:84% minutes and shoot each other again. 01:14:13.456 --> 01:14:16.860 align:middle line:90% 01:14:16.860 --> 01:14:23.035 align:middle line:84% Repeatedly begging for someone to show up and do something to 01:14:23.035 --> 01:14:25.060 align:middle line:90% break this deadlock. 01:14:25.060 --> 01:14:26.910 align:middle line:84% And that's one of those things where it's like game 01:14:26.910 --> 01:14:28.553 align:middle line:84% mechanically you know what's supposed to 01:14:28.553 --> 01:14:29.910 align:middle line:90% happen, and it sucks. 01:14:29.910 --> 01:14:34.180 align:middle line:90% 01:14:34.180 --> 01:14:35.140 align:middle line:90% So that's one example. 01:14:35.140 --> 01:14:36.560 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Do we have to wait five minutes? 01:14:36.560 --> 01:14:39.960 align:middle line:84% Can we just continue to shoot each other? 01:14:39.960 --> 01:14:42.944 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: But the issue is, again, these games are 01:14:42.944 --> 01:14:43.590 align:middle line:90% happening in real time. 01:14:43.590 --> 01:14:46.635 align:middle line:84% So the five minute rule is there possibly for a reason. 01:14:46.635 --> 01:14:49.320 align:middle line:90% 01:14:49.320 --> 01:14:52.320 align:middle line:84% While you are down for five minutes those five minutes 01:14:52.320 --> 01:14:54.870 align:middle line:84% become very valuable for someone who wants you down for 01:14:54.870 --> 01:14:56.120 align:middle line:90% those five minutes. 01:14:56.120 --> 01:14:57.940 align:middle line:90% 01:14:57.940 --> 01:14:58.300 align:middle line:90% You can kill me. 01:14:58.300 --> 01:14:59.240 align:middle line:90% I can kill you. 01:14:59.240 --> 01:15:01.250 align:middle line:84% But both of us can knock each other down for five minutes. 01:15:01.250 --> 01:15:02.920 align:middle line:84% And that's a great delaying tactic. 01:15:02.920 --> 01:15:05.640 align:middle line:84% And I can send one of my friends and do something that 01:15:05.640 --> 01:15:08.640 align:middle line:84% I don't want you interfering with. 01:15:08.640 --> 01:15:10.120 align:middle line:84% And if that's the case then that's great. 01:15:10.120 --> 01:15:12.220 align:middle line:84% But often it was just, oh crap there's no way 01:15:12.220 --> 01:15:13.572 align:middle line:90% to break the deadlock. 01:15:13.572 --> 01:15:15.620 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: You'd figure the limiting factor would be 01:15:15.620 --> 01:15:17.280 align:middle line:90% ammunition though. 01:15:17.280 --> 01:15:19.070 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I think that game actually let you pick up your 01:15:19.070 --> 01:15:20.320 align:middle line:90% ammunition all you want. 01:15:20.320 --> 01:15:23.260 align:middle line:90% 01:15:23.260 --> 01:15:25.960 align:middle line:84% Because it can be a really annoying limitation to run out 01:15:25.960 --> 01:15:26.990 align:middle line:90% of ammunition. 01:15:26.990 --> 01:15:29.315 align:middle line:84% Especially if you are playing with the little rubber dart 01:15:29.315 --> 01:15:31.970 align:middle line:84% guns because carrying a whole pile of 01:15:31.970 --> 01:15:32.550 align:middle line:90% them is really annoying. 01:15:32.550 --> 01:15:37.090 align:middle line:84% So if the rule is, I get to pick them up, then you have 01:15:37.090 --> 01:15:39.176 align:middle line:84% the allusion of having a lot of ammunition without having 01:15:39.176 --> 01:15:43.160 align:middle line:90% to carry a lot of ammunition. 01:15:43.160 --> 01:15:45.290 align:middle line:84% So that's one example of a catastrophic failure. 01:15:45.290 --> 01:15:48.720 align:middle line:84% There's a really funny quote regarding brainwashing 01:15:48.720 --> 01:15:55.160 align:middle line:84% actually, which is where were you? 01:15:55.160 --> 01:15:56.830 align:middle line:90% I was not being brainwashed. 01:15:56.830 --> 01:15:58.440 align:middle line:90% Who were you with? 01:15:58.440 --> 01:16:01.625 align:middle line:84% Not with the people who were brainwashing me. 01:16:01.625 --> 01:16:04.200 align:middle line:84% Back to the problem with the persuasion, right? 01:16:04.200 --> 01:16:07.900 align:middle line:84% It's like, I want to tell you something because my goals 01:16:07.900 --> 01:16:10.950 align:middle line:84% haven't changed far enough to want to align 01:16:10.950 --> 01:16:12.240 align:middle line:90% me to my new goals. 01:16:12.240 --> 01:16:14.190 align:middle line:84% So I'm going to do everything that I can without 01:16:14.190 --> 01:16:15.160 align:middle line:90% breaking the rules. 01:16:15.160 --> 01:16:17.590 align:middle line:84% I'm not allowed to tell you that I was being brainwashed. 01:16:17.590 --> 01:16:19.236 align:middle line:84% So I can say that I wasn't being brainwashed. 01:16:19.236 --> 01:16:23.470 align:middle line:90% 01:16:23.470 --> 01:16:24.720 align:middle line:90% Other catastrophic? 01:16:24.720 --> 01:16:26.800 align:middle line:90% 01:16:26.800 --> 01:16:29.132 align:middle line:84% How long do you think the thing will take probably? 01:16:29.132 --> 01:16:30.545 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: I don't know. 01:16:30.545 --> 01:16:33.371 align:middle line:84% Probably about as long as a game of Mafia. 01:16:33.371 --> 01:16:35.740 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: OK, so like half an hour? 01:16:35.740 --> 01:16:37.010 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: Depends on the people. 01:16:37.010 --> 01:16:41.040 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: If you put a time limit on discussions then, 01:16:41.040 --> 01:16:42.960 align:middle line:84% because I've played in the past where it's lasted hours. 01:16:42.960 --> 01:16:45.530 align:middle line:84% Because there's no cap and people just went into these 01:16:45.530 --> 01:16:48.160 align:middle line:84% long discussions in between rounds. 01:16:48.160 --> 01:16:50.730 align:middle line:84% So if you put a cap like OK, it's going to be this long a 01:16:50.730 --> 01:16:52.270 align:middle line:84% discussion and then we're going to kill someone off. 01:16:52.270 --> 01:16:55.250 align:middle line:90% 01:16:55.250 --> 01:16:57.540 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Let's see, I had wanted to read. 01:16:57.540 --> 01:16:58.830 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Played online Mafia? 01:16:58.830 --> 01:17:01.535 align:middle line:84% It's a totally different experience. 01:17:01.535 --> 01:17:02.990 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: Chat involved or something? 01:17:02.990 --> 01:17:04.240 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Forums usually. 01:17:04.240 --> 01:17:09.300 align:middle line:90% 01:17:09.300 --> 01:17:11.250 align:middle line:84% So basically, when you can look at the history of what 01:17:11.250 --> 01:17:12.975 align:middle line:84% people have said and who they've accused and what order 01:17:12.975 --> 01:17:15.350 align:middle line:84% they did it in, it completely changes how 01:17:15.350 --> 01:17:17.730 align:middle line:90% Mafia turns out, right? 01:17:17.730 --> 01:17:20.362 align:middle line:84% Because all of a sudden, people start going, back in 01:17:20.362 --> 01:17:23.890 align:middle line:84% the history and compiling statistics [INAUDIBLE]. 01:17:23.890 --> 01:17:26.445 align:middle line:84% And who said what and then who must be on their side if 01:17:26.445 --> 01:17:28.030 align:middle line:90% that's the case. 01:17:28.030 --> 01:17:30.755 align:middle line:84% But there's this kind of meta knowledge that you can use 01:17:30.755 --> 01:17:37.030 align:middle line:84% with this if you are Mafia because you can tell 01:17:37.030 --> 01:17:38.280 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 01:17:38.280 --> 01:17:41.085 align:middle line:90% 01:17:41.085 --> 01:17:43.770 align:middle line:84% We were able to communicate at the Mafia privately. 01:17:43.770 --> 01:17:46.910 align:middle line:90% 01:17:46.910 --> 01:17:49.267 align:middle line:84% That meant we could for instance do things like, make 01:17:49.267 --> 01:17:52.440 align:middle line:84% sure we were never the first people to accuse anyone. 01:17:52.440 --> 01:17:54.490 align:middle line:84% So that's a Mafia truth, never do that. 01:17:54.490 --> 01:17:57.415 align:middle line:84% Because it immediately makes you look suspicious later on 01:17:57.415 --> 01:18:01.320 align:middle line:84% if somebody turns out to be the Mafia. 01:18:01.320 --> 01:18:04.280 align:middle line:84% There's no way that you can be the first person who accuses. 01:18:04.280 --> 01:18:07.070 align:middle line:84% But bandwagoning somebody who's not in the Mafia is 01:18:07.070 --> 01:18:08.940 align:middle line:90% always great. 01:18:08.940 --> 01:18:13.040 align:middle line:84% So you can coordinate to do the sort of thing to try and 01:18:13.040 --> 01:18:15.090 align:middle line:84% defeat the statistical analysis that 01:18:15.090 --> 01:18:16.740 align:middle line:90% somebody else is doing. 01:18:16.740 --> 01:18:17.530 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: You've got this whole 01:18:17.530 --> 01:18:18.970 align:middle line:90% shadow governance theory. 01:18:18.970 --> 01:18:23.670 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: That's a great [INAUDIBLE] tactic to try and 01:18:23.670 --> 01:18:26.575 align:middle line:84% get you away from my team is to actually accuse 01:18:26.575 --> 01:18:28.020 align:middle line:90% someone on your team. 01:18:28.020 --> 01:18:33.180 align:middle line:84% And hope that they don't actually vote them off. 01:18:33.180 --> 01:18:36.825 align:middle line:84% I've definitely been in a game where we purposely killed off 01:18:36.825 --> 01:18:39.180 align:middle line:84% one of the people on our team just so that 01:18:39.180 --> 01:18:42.580 align:middle line:90% we wouldn't be accused. 01:18:42.580 --> 01:18:46.860 align:middle line:84% Oh, he cannot be on Mafia because he killed off a Mafia. 01:18:46.860 --> 01:18:50.620 align:middle line:84% OK, and then we end up winning because no one 01:18:50.620 --> 01:18:52.190 align:middle line:90% figured that out. 01:18:52.190 --> 01:18:55.080 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I mean, that's one of the best things about all 01:18:55.080 --> 01:18:58.480 align:middle line:84% kinds of live-action games is that it almost encourages 01:18:58.480 --> 01:19:00.980 align:middle line:84% people to look for these slightly 01:19:00.980 --> 01:19:02.594 align:middle line:90% out of the box illusions. 01:19:02.594 --> 01:19:05.029 align:middle line:84% These sort of emergent I'm not really going to expect that 01:19:05.029 --> 01:19:06.330 align:middle line:84% but it still fits within the rules. 01:19:06.330 --> 01:19:08.420 align:middle line:84% Because we are dealing with real people for the most part 01:19:08.420 --> 01:19:11.098 align:middle line:84% and you're not limited to the cards you're allowed to play 01:19:11.098 --> 01:19:13.014 align:middle line:84% or the turns you're allowed to take. 01:19:13.014 --> 01:19:14.264 align:middle line:90% So taking advantage of that. 01:19:14.264 --> 01:19:17.330 align:middle line:90% 01:19:17.330 --> 01:19:21.520 align:middle line:84% I have one more disaster story. 01:19:21.520 --> 01:19:24.520 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: I want to hear it. 01:19:24.520 --> 01:19:26.150 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: I'll limit it to just one for 01:19:26.150 --> 01:19:27.400 align:middle line:90% the people who don't. 01:19:27.400 --> 01:19:29.430 align:middle line:90% 01:19:29.430 --> 01:19:31.360 align:middle line:84% This was a game where there was a 01:19:31.360 --> 01:19:33.940 align:middle line:90% virus that was spreading. 01:19:33.940 --> 01:19:36.940 align:middle line:84% People who are in Assassin's Guild might have 01:19:36.940 --> 01:19:38.460 align:middle line:90% already heard this one. 01:19:38.460 --> 01:19:43.140 align:middle line:84% The whole basic idea is that there was a explosive 01:19:43.140 --> 01:19:44.850 align:middle line:90% nano-virus. 01:19:44.850 --> 01:19:48.515 align:middle line:84% People who got infected after a certain amount of time would 01:19:48.515 --> 01:19:52.120 align:middle line:84% explode and anybody in the room with them 01:19:52.120 --> 01:19:54.880 align:middle line:90% would now be infected. 01:19:54.880 --> 01:19:57.354 align:middle line:90% Of course this was a game-- 01:19:57.354 --> 01:19:59.540 align:middle line:84% a game set in science fiction kind of thing-- 01:19:59.540 --> 01:20:02.430 align:middle line:84% and we've got doctors who are capable. 01:20:02.430 --> 01:20:06.830 align:middle line:84% Who have mechanics to be able to research cures. 01:20:06.830 --> 01:20:08.570 align:middle line:84% However when the doctor happened to be one of the 01:20:08.570 --> 01:20:14.760 align:middle line:84% first people to die, what rapidly happens is that what 01:20:14.760 --> 01:20:18.545 align:middle line:84% should have been a one night game turned out to be a one 01:20:18.545 --> 01:20:19.795 align:middle line:84% hour game and everybody exploded. 01:20:19.795 --> 01:20:27.690 align:middle line:90% 01:20:27.690 --> 01:20:29.800 align:middle line:84% I guess that might come down to feasibility. 01:20:29.800 --> 01:20:33.530 align:middle line:84% But you can think about it as you need a certain amount of 01:20:33.530 --> 01:20:36.800 align:middle line:84% redundancy when you're designing any game, but 01:20:36.800 --> 01:20:38.400 align:middle line:84% particularly live-actions games. 01:20:38.400 --> 01:20:41.050 align:middle line:90% Because shit happens. 01:20:41.050 --> 01:20:43.920 align:middle line:84% And you've got to expect that to happen. 01:20:43.920 --> 01:20:46.100 align:middle line:84% There's always this fear about, oh I put in too many 01:20:46.100 --> 01:20:47.900 align:middle line:84% resources into this game and the players are going to find 01:20:47.900 --> 01:20:48.950 align:middle line:90% it too easy. 01:20:48.950 --> 01:20:52.000 align:middle line:84% And more often than not, yeah, there's some players that that 01:20:52.000 --> 01:20:53.830 align:middle line:84% are going to say we breezed through that. 01:20:53.830 --> 01:20:57.125 align:middle line:84% But, rarely do people get terribly upset in a 01:20:57.125 --> 01:20:59.900 align:middle line:84% live-action game when something is really too easy. 01:20:59.900 --> 01:21:03.798 align:middle line:84% They get really upset when it comes to the end and it seems 01:21:03.798 --> 01:21:05.470 align:middle line:90% to be impossible. 01:21:05.470 --> 01:21:11.410 align:middle line:84% Oh, so the GMs only made it possible for one person to fix 01:21:11.410 --> 01:21:12.070 align:middle line:90% this problem? 01:21:12.070 --> 01:21:15.330 align:middle line:84% And they didn't think about that person just dying in the 01:21:15.330 --> 01:21:17.440 align:middle line:90% beginning of the game? 01:21:17.440 --> 01:21:20.730 align:middle line:90% So that was another example. 01:21:20.730 --> 01:21:22.240 align:middle line:90% That [INAUDIBLE], I'm sorry. 01:21:22.240 --> 01:21:25.476 align:middle line:84% I feel really bad about bringing up examples from my 01:21:25.476 --> 01:21:29.016 align:middle line:84% games, but I don't know which ones are the ones that I 01:21:29.016 --> 01:21:29.650 align:middle line:90% genuinely-- 01:21:29.650 --> 01:21:32.530 align:middle line:90% Oh, I do have one more. 01:21:32.530 --> 01:21:34.380 align:middle line:84% So, this was after The Sims came out. 01:21:34.380 --> 01:21:38.960 align:middle line:84% And people should really be worried about that. 01:21:38.960 --> 01:21:40.860 align:middle line:84% I thought having a bladder stat would be a really good 01:21:40.860 --> 01:21:42.110 align:middle line:90% idea for a game. 01:21:42.110 --> 01:21:45.520 align:middle line:90% 01:21:45.520 --> 01:21:47.033 align:middle line:84% This was a game that was set in a train 01:21:47.033 --> 01:21:47.490 align:middle line:90% that was steam pumped. 01:21:47.490 --> 01:21:49.120 align:middle line:90% So tea was the game. 01:21:49.120 --> 01:21:50.990 align:middle line:84% Tea was in fact the combat drug. 01:21:50.990 --> 01:21:54.520 align:middle line:84% If you drank tea, your combat status would increase but so 01:21:54.520 --> 01:21:56.770 align:middle line:90% would your bladder stat. 01:21:56.770 --> 01:21:59.670 align:middle line:84% Once your bladder stat was passed a certain point all 01:21:59.670 --> 01:22:02.730 align:middle line:84% your combat stats went down and you really had to go to 01:22:02.730 --> 01:22:04.470 align:middle line:90% the restroom. 01:22:04.470 --> 01:22:08.200 align:middle line:84% Which was really interesting, most people just 01:22:08.200 --> 01:22:10.970 align:middle line:90% reviled that game. 01:22:10.970 --> 01:22:14.800 align:middle line:84% Because there was one more number they had to hit that 01:22:14.800 --> 01:22:19.490 align:middle line:84% was stupid annoying and really didn't do terribly much for 01:22:19.490 --> 01:22:21.120 align:middle line:90% the immersion of the game. 01:22:21.120 --> 01:22:24.100 align:middle line:84% I was thinking, it's a game about travelling on the train. 01:22:24.100 --> 01:22:25.360 align:middle line:84% So you use the restroom all the time. 01:22:25.360 --> 01:22:26.905 align:middle line:84% That's the only thing I do when I'm travelling. 01:22:26.905 --> 01:22:29.490 align:middle line:90% I use the restroom. 01:22:29.490 --> 01:22:30.740 align:middle line:90% [INAUDIBLE]. 01:22:30.740 --> 01:22:33.870 align:middle line:90% 01:22:33.870 --> 01:22:35.600 align:middle line:84% But that led to some interesting emergent 01:22:35.600 --> 01:22:36.740 align:middle line:90% situations. 01:22:36.740 --> 01:22:39.380 align:middle line:84% Because when this train gets attacked, and everybody needs 01:22:39.380 --> 01:22:42.350 align:middle line:84% to find a safe place to hide, what they all do is they head 01:22:42.350 --> 01:22:46.690 align:middle line:84% into the washroom, barricade it, and drink tea until all 01:22:46.690 --> 01:22:50.595 align:middle line:84% their combat stats go out the roof and then win the fight. 01:22:50.595 --> 01:22:53.020 align:middle line:84% Because they were right there in the restroom they could 01:22:53.020 --> 01:22:54.960 align:middle line:90% afford to do that. 01:22:54.960 --> 01:22:56.210 align:middle line:90% It was hilarious. 01:22:56.210 --> 01:22:59.325 align:middle line:90% 01:22:59.325 --> 01:23:03.750 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Some of these people come up with exploits. 01:23:03.750 --> 01:23:05.270 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: They may hate the rules, but once they 01:23:05.270 --> 01:23:07.080 align:middle line:84% understand how the systems work they're going to come up 01:23:07.080 --> 01:23:09.270 align:middle line:84% with ways to use it to their advantage. 01:23:09.270 --> 01:23:12.622 align:middle line:84% And that can be some of the most enjoyable moments. 01:23:12.622 --> 01:23:15.274 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I saw a squirrel this past weekend, and he 01:23:15.274 --> 01:23:20.942 align:middle line:84% figured out if he stood under a bird feeding thing up in the 01:23:20.942 --> 01:23:24.562 align:middle line:84% tree it could just get free food because when the birds 01:23:24.562 --> 01:23:26.724 align:middle line:84% ate it once every two to three minutes they would drop a 01:23:26.724 --> 01:23:27.556 align:middle line:90% grain inevitably. 01:23:27.556 --> 01:23:32.047 align:middle line:84% And there was this really fat squirrel just sitting there. 01:23:32.047 --> 01:23:36.890 align:middle line:84% He spent the entire day sitting right [INAUDIBLE]. 01:23:36.890 --> 01:23:38.852 align:middle line:84% So it's like it's so natural to try and find exploits of 01:23:38.852 --> 01:23:40.820 align:middle line:84% everything and work it to your advantage. 01:23:40.820 --> 01:23:41.920 align:middle line:90% PROFESSOR: There is a moral-- 01:23:41.920 --> 01:23:43.113 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: It doesn't work for [INAUDIBLE] but 01:23:43.113 --> 01:23:44.310 align:middle line:90% you still do it anyway. 01:23:44.310 --> 01:23:46.140 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: There is a moral to that. 01:23:46.140 --> 01:23:49.620 align:middle line:84% Is that the live-action games, especially if you're playing 01:23:49.620 --> 01:23:53.090 align:middle line:84% in the live-action game community, there is whatever 01:23:53.090 --> 01:23:56.776 align:middle line:84% you write down as a rule we put it up on the wall and they 01:23:56.776 --> 01:23:58.270 align:middle line:90% put it on a piece of paper. 01:23:58.270 --> 01:23:59.880 align:middle line:84% Someone's going to try to do it. 01:23:59.880 --> 01:24:04.904 align:middle line:84% And you have to think of, I'm going to put in a rule that's 01:24:04.904 --> 01:24:08.324 align:middle line:84% so ridiculous that people are not going to want to try and 01:24:08.324 --> 01:24:10.980 align:middle line:84% do it because it's going to hurt them or something. 01:24:10.980 --> 01:24:14.098 align:middle line:84% Like jump on this spot 100 times and you 01:24:14.098 --> 01:24:14.930 align:middle line:90% will unlock this door. 01:24:14.930 --> 01:24:18.220 align:middle line:84% Or you could find someone with lock picking, and you'll just 01:24:18.220 --> 01:24:19.196 align:middle line:84% assume that person's going to find 01:24:19.196 --> 01:24:20.490 align:middle line:90% someone with lock picking. 01:24:20.490 --> 01:24:22.980 align:middle line:84% No, someone's going to jump on the spot 100 times and they're 01:24:22.980 --> 01:24:25.160 align:middle line:84% going to hate you for it because you 01:24:25.160 --> 01:24:26.300 align:middle line:90% put the rule in there. 01:24:26.300 --> 01:24:32.530 align:middle line:84% So try not to hurt your players, would be the moral, 01:24:32.530 --> 01:24:34.115 align:middle line:84% because they will do what you tell them to do. 01:24:34.115 --> 01:24:37.680 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Do you guys sign disclosure forms? 01:24:37.680 --> 01:24:39.116 align:middle line:84% PROFESSOR: All right, that's a [INAUDIBLE]. 01:24:39.116 --> 01:24:42.246 align:middle line:90% 01:24:42.246 --> 01:24:44.947 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: Before we go, I want to just clarify this 01:24:44.947 --> 01:24:46.420 align:middle line:84% version of the investigation mechanic. 01:24:46.420 --> 01:24:52.390 align:middle line:84% So, the group of scientists gets to test two people. 01:24:52.390 --> 01:24:56.430 align:middle line:84% If you catch the thing then they're dead and out. 01:24:56.430 --> 01:24:58.600 align:middle line:84% If you catch them on the second time-- this is what 01:24:58.600 --> 01:25:00.690 align:middle line:84% I've read-- if you catch them on second guess you get 01:25:00.690 --> 01:25:03.030 align:middle line:90% another guess. 01:25:03.030 --> 01:25:04.764 align:middle line:84% I'm not sure if that means you can have 01:25:04.764 --> 01:25:06.210 align:middle line:90% infinite guesses or not. 01:25:06.210 --> 01:25:07.180 align:middle line:84% So that's something to play around with. 01:25:07.180 --> 01:25:09.180 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: If you test the wrong person who's not the 01:25:09.180 --> 01:25:09.780 align:middle line:90% thing they don't die? 01:25:09.780 --> 01:25:12.660 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: No. 01:25:12.660 --> 01:25:14.122 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So I test someone the first time, they're the 01:25:14.122 --> 01:25:15.430 align:middle line:90% thing, then they're out. 01:25:15.430 --> 01:25:17.384 align:middle line:84% But I test someone the second time, regardless of whether or 01:25:17.384 --> 01:25:19.170 align:middle line:84% not I tested a thing the first time. 01:25:19.170 --> 01:25:19.990 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: Yes. 01:25:19.990 --> 01:25:22.370 align:middle line:84% So you always get at least two guesses. 01:25:22.370 --> 01:25:23.420 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: But if you test someone on the second 01:25:23.420 --> 01:25:25.206 align:middle line:90% one they don't die? 01:25:25.206 --> 01:25:26.870 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: If they're the thing they're dead. 01:25:26.870 --> 01:25:27.830 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: The thing dies. 01:25:27.830 --> 01:25:29.680 align:middle line:84% If you test someone on the first time and they're the 01:25:29.680 --> 01:25:31.210 align:middle line:84% thing you don't get an extra guess? 01:25:31.210 --> 01:25:32.025 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Well, not necessarily. 01:25:32.025 --> 01:25:33.320 align:middle line:90% GUEST SPEAKER: You get two. 01:25:33.320 --> 01:25:35.420 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: You always get two. 01:25:35.420 --> 01:25:37.720 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: So if you guess any time [INAUDIBLE] 01:25:37.720 --> 01:25:40.770 align:middle line:90% 01:25:40.770 --> 01:25:42.425 align:middle line:84% but if you guess a thing and then not a 01:25:42.425 --> 01:25:43.560 align:middle line:90% thing you get a player. 01:25:43.560 --> 01:25:44.090 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I think you can catch the 01:25:44.090 --> 01:25:45.366 align:middle line:90% thing really quickly. 01:25:45.366 --> 01:25:47.245 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: I think you can catch the thing without 01:25:47.245 --> 01:25:50.575 align:middle line:84% actually doing anything sort of like making a system where 01:25:50.575 --> 01:25:52.350 align:middle line:84% you automatically catch the thing. 01:25:52.350 --> 01:25:56.200 align:middle line:84% You're getting two guesses so in the ratio of randomly 01:25:56.200 --> 01:25:56.960 align:middle line:90% guessing you'll-- 01:25:56.960 --> 01:25:59.490 align:middle line:84% GUEST SPEAKER: And you can certainly change it right? 01:25:59.490 --> 01:26:00.750 align:middle line:90% This is just what I've found. 01:26:00.750 --> 01:26:02.710 align:middle line:84% And it seemed like an interesting thing, the whole 01:26:02.710 --> 01:26:04.160 align:middle line:90% point of the part was. 01:26:04.160 --> 01:26:05.660 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Which thing do you start with? 01:26:05.660 --> 01:26:07.020 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: No, you're not [INAUDIBLE]. 01:26:07.020 --> 01:26:10.060 align:middle line:84% Because as I recall you would infect someone first. 01:26:10.060 --> 01:26:11.984 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: Because you're going to have two unprescribed. 01:26:11.984 --> 01:26:14.940 align:middle line:90% 01:26:14.940 --> 01:26:18.720 align:middle line:84% AUDIENCE: This seems really like biased towards 01:26:18.720 --> 01:26:20.330 align:middle line:90% non-infected. 01:26:20.330 --> 01:26:21.580 align:middle line:90% AUDIENCE: Well we'll find out. 01:26:21.580 --> 01:26:22.340 align:middle line:90%