Conflict in Games

Opponents, Obstacles, and Dilemmas

Conflict in Games

• Conflict emerges when the players try to accomplish the goals of the game within its rules and boundaries.

• Conflict is designed into the game by creating rules and procedures that prevent players from accomplishing their goals directly.

• Procedures offer an inefficient means toward accomplishing the game objective.

Conflict in Games

Conflict in Games

• Conflict results when trying to meet objectives in the following ways: – Challenging the player by forcing them to use a

particular skill or range of skills.

– Creating a sense of competition among players which will encourage them to meet objectives in order to win the game. .

Examples of Game Conflict

• Pinball: Keep the ball from escaping the field of play using only the flippers or other devices provided.

Examples of Game Conflict

• Golf: Get the ball from the tee to the hole, past any obstacles on the course, in as few strokes as possible.

Examples of Game Conflict

• Monopoly: Manage your money and your properties to become the richest player in the game.

Examples of Game Conflict

• Quake: Stay alive while player and non-player opponents try to kill you.

Examples of Game Conflict

• WarCraft III: Maintain your forces and resources, while using them to command and control the map objectives.

Examples of Game Conflict

• Poker: Outbid opponents based on your hand or your ability to bluff.

Sources of Game Conflict

• Opponents

• Obstacles

• Dilemmas

Opponents

• In multiplayer games, other players are typically the main source of conflict.

• Quake uses other players in addition to non-player opponents and physical obstacles to create conflict.

• In Monopoly, conflict comes from interactions with other players.

Spiderman III with non-player opponent

Obstacles • Obstacles are a common source of conflict in both single

and multiplayer games, though they play a more important role in single-player games.

• Sometimes, as in Toy Story II, the characters try to maneuver around obstacles.

• Obstacles may take a physical form, or may involve mental skills, such as puzzles in an adventure game.

Dilemmas

• Conflict from dilemmas arise from the choices players have to make.

• The dilemma in Monopoly is the choice of whether to spend money to buy property or use the money to upgrade a property that is already owned.

• One of the dilemmas in Poker is whether to stay or hold.

• Players make choices that have good or bad potential consequences.

• Dilemmas are a powerful source of conflict.