Midterm Exam: GSND5110 11899 Game Design and Analysis SEC 01 Fall 2024

Question 1

1 / 1 pts

According to the Shut Up and Sit Down video on Tabletop Roleplaying Games, what can video game designers learn from these games?

Video game designers should prioritize designing linear and pre-scripted storylines.

Video game designers should focus more on complex rules and statistics to enhance gameplay depth.

Video game designers should avoid allowing players to make choices to maintain a structured experience.

Correct!

Video game designers should encourage player agency and creativity in shaping the narrative.

This is the correct answer. The video highlights that video game designers can benefit from tabletop RPGs by adopting the lesson of encouraging player agency and creativity in shaping the narrative. This approach allows players to have a more immersive and personalized experience.

Question 2

1 / 1 pts

In the Art of Game Design, Jesse Schell describes how punishment can be used to motivate players and he summarizes the research on the topic by stating which of the following sentences?

One thing that psychological study has shown is that reward is always a better tool for reinforcement than punishment for casual players. Whenever possible, if you need to encourage a casual player to do something, it is better to use a reward than a punishment, if you can.

One thing that psychological study has shown is that punishment is always a better tool for reinforcement than reward. Whenever possible, if you need to encourage a player to do something, it is better to use a punishment than a reward, if you can.

One thing that psychological study has shown is that punishment is always a better tool for reinforcement than reward for hardcore players. Whenever possible, if you need to encourage a hardcore player to do something, it is better to use a punishment than a reward, if you can.

Correct!

One thing that psychological study has shown is that reward is always a better tool for reinforcement than punishment. Whenever possible, if you need to encourage a player to do something, it is better to use a reward than a punishment, if you can.

Correct!

Question 3

1 / 1 pts

The manual of the game "Lords of Waterdeep" reads as follows:

If you have any Agents in your pool, you assign 1 of them. To assign an Agent, place it on any unoccupied action space of a Building, whether a basic Building or one that has been put into play. You cannot place an Agent on an action space that contains another Agent (yours or another player's) or on Buildings that are not yet in play.

When you assign an Agent, follow the instructions for that action space. You take that action just once.

What kind of mechanic is this?

Secret Unit Deployment

Correct!

Worker Placement

Correct

Point to Point Movement

Role Playing

Question 4

1 / 1 pts

Which type of complexity in games is characterized by a ruleset that is often hard to learn but enjoyable for those who like mastering intricate rules?

Correct!

Innate complexity

Innate complexity: This is the correct answer. Innate complexity in games is characterized by rules that are complex due to attempts to simulate real-world situations or the addition of extra rules for balance. Games with innate complexity may be challenging to learn but can be enjoyable for those who like mastering complex rulesets.

Fundamental complexity

Extrinsic complexity

Emergent complexity

Question 5

1 / 1 pts

The manual of the game "Blood Rage" reads as follows:

I. Gods' Gifts Phase Take the deck of cards from the Age Track relative to the current Age and deal 8 cards to each player. Th ere will always be two cards left over after that (four in a 2-player game). Discard these cards, without looking at them. Each player inspects the eight cards dealt to them and selects one to keep, placing it face down on their clan sheet, on top of the symbol of their clan animal. Once everyone has placed a card on their clan shee t, everyone passes the rest of their cards to the player on their left. Now each player looks at the cards they've been passed, selects one to keep, and places it face down on t heir clan sheet. Then everyone passes their remaining cards to the left. Continue picking and passing cards until each player has placed six new cards on their clan sheet. By tha t point, everyone will have two cards left to pass. But instead of passing them, they must be discarded w ithout showing them. At the end of this phase, all players should have 6 cards in their hand, plus any card they might have sa ved from a previous Age. Keep these cards secret from the other players. You will be able to use these ca rds during the Action phase.

What kind of mechanic is being described here?

Correct!

Card drafting

Deck building

Commodity Speculation

Auction & Bidding

Question 6

1 / 1 pts

In the narrative Plot Pyramid structure, one of the 5 phases is referred to as the denouement. Which one of the follow scenes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone would qualify as the denouement?

Harry decides to go after the stone to keep Snape from stealing it.

Correct!

Harry wakes up in the hospital. He heroically wins the house cup and feels fully accepted at Hogwarts. He returns to home for the summer.

Harry and his friends pass through trials guarding the stone. Harry meets Voldemort, and because he is pure of heart, he beats Voldemort and escapes with the stone.

Harry is an orphan living in a cupboard under the stairs in the home of his abusive aunt and uncle. He feels odd and out of place.

Harry finds out he is a wizard and attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He goes to class, makes friends like Ron and Hermione, makes enemies like Malfoy and Snape, and he learns about Voldemort, the evil wizard who killed his parents. He also learns that the sorcerer’s stone is hidden and guarded in the castle.

Question 7

1 / 1 pts

In the study by Sherry et al. (2006). the authors relate video games to the Uses and Gratifications paradigm. What is this paradigm about?

It is an alternative to MDA that can be used to make more motivating games.

It is a list of 6 playing motives: Novelty, Challenge, Stimulation, Harmony, Threat and Social Interaction.

Correct!

It explains how human needs lead to motives that subsequently lead to media consumption under influence of psychosocial factors.

All of these answers are correct.

Question 8

1 / 1 pts

According to Jesse Schell, which of the following are not problems commonly found with interactive storytelling?

Combinatorial Explosions

Multiple endings disappointing the player.

Time travel making tragedy obsolete.

Correct!

All of these answers are common issues for interactive storytelling.

Question 9

1 / 1 pts

What is intrinsic motivation?

Correct!

Doing something just for the sake of it.

Doing something because you are bored.

Doing something to avoid punishment.

Doing something to gain a reward.

Question 10

1 / 1 pts

Which of the follow is an example of environmental storytelling?

Correct!

A zombie being fried on an electrical fence.

The history of the game world displayed on the loading screen.

A voice-over that explains the backstory of the player's surroundings.

Question 11

1 / 1 pts

In a Game Maker's Toolkit video, Mark Brown discusses feedback loops. Which of the following is an example of a negative feedback loop?

Kill streaks in Call of Duty giving you bonuses

Correct!

Losing players getting better items in Mario Kart

Correct. Players who do poorly are made stronger which is a negative feedback loop (as the feedback goes into the opposite direction). Note that the video also shows that this needed balancing as it was not fun for the players that did well.

Surviving troops getting new abilities in XCOM

Capturing pieces in Chess