Kasey Clark
Richard Sykes
Simulation and Game Design
9/21/15
A game for all ages.
People can find many reason why a game can be either good
or bad, but not always what works behind the scenes that makes it good or bad.
The game Pickman 2 may seem like just a simple children’s game, but it is
enjoyable at every age. This is because of its simplistic known state, well
balanced operative and resultant actions, clear goals, relationship between
goals, and easy acquirement of skill.
When playing any game there
are different states of knowledge. An example of this would be a game of Texas
Hold’em. In that game you lay the three cards face-up on the table where
everyone can see, and hold two cards in your hand that only you can see, and
draw from the deck. Each one of those are different states of knowledge within
the game. Video games are no different, each game has multiple states of
knowledge that builds a relationship between the game and the player. In the
game Pickman2 the game has knowledge hidden from the player such as the respawn
time of enemies, damage calculations and unlockable features throughout the
game. The player also has knowledge the game doesn’t know such as the players
strategies to handle different obstacles and challenges. In pickman2 your goal
in each level is to find items of value on a post-apocalyptic earth and bring
it back to the ship before nightfall to lift a 10,000 dollar debt. There are
different puzzles and enemies that block your way from the items, along with
requirements to lift certain items. This allows the player to go about the goal
in each level in multiple ways by splitting up your forces to tackle different
obstacles.
Each game will have both operative and resultant actions
that make up the core skeleton of the game. In pickman2 there are very basic core mechanics in the game
such as moving, throwing, and whistle blowing, and growing
pickman. These core mechanics are called operative actions and are the basis of
the game. With these operative actions you can do a wide range of different
things such as moving around, going to different spaces in the game, attacking
enemies, dividing pickman to handle multiple tasks, having different types of
pickman to achieve different objectives. These extra actions are called
resultant actions.
Every game has one or more goals to be completed, some
are easy and clear to figure out while others take some time to truly
understand the goal. Karl Kapp states “The simple introduction of a goal adds purpose, focus and
measurable outcomes. You now have a method to measure the quality of play or,
at least, certain aspects of the play”. In the case of Pickman2 the overall goal is very clear
and upfront to the player. The overall goal as stated earlier is to collect
10,000 dollars by collecting various items on different levels to clear a debt.
Some sub-goals are defeating or avoiding monsters, finding caves, and solving
puzzles. These sub goals are explained very quickly into the game through a
small tutorial. Each sub quest has a major relationship with the main goal. For
example defeating an enemy and carrying the dead body back to the ship will
produce more pickman. By producing more pickman you can have more opportunities
for different obstacles.
Certain games require
different levels of skills ranging from good hand-eye coronation to simple
problem solving. Each player will have different things they are good and bad
at, but that doesn’t always mean that if the player isn’t that great at a skill
in a game that he should give up. Some skills needed in games can be built over
practice and time. Kent L. Norman gives an example on skill related to
utilizing abilities. “Many games require the player to manage resources such as
guns and ammo, health packs and potions, and attend to numeric information
about status of self and opponents. This is essentially an ability to optimize
these resources”. Pickman2 doesn’t necessarily have need for high skill levels
in things, however you do need basic skills in time
management, multitasking, and strategy. The more dominate of these skills
are both time management and strategy. The game has the option to focus on one
task at a time so multitasking is not always needed. Since the designers made
the game have simplistic goals and skills needed to play, it creates an
experience that was intended to be enjoyable. Even if you are a bit low on your
skills in time management and strategy the game offers plenty of chances to
refine those skills.
In the end the game pickman2
had a well-balanced system that made a positive relationship between the game
and player. Even with its simplistic goals and mechanics the balance of the
game and the different opportunities the game offers makes it enjoyable to any
age.
Work Cited
Karel
Knapp. Karlknapp.com. Bloomsburg University’s Institute for
Interactive Technologies (IIT)., March 2, 2011. Onling Blog. September 21,
2015.
Kent L
Norman. http://hcil2.cs.umd.edu/trs/2011-27/2011-27.pdf. Department of Psychology,
University of Maryland, College Park, MD, PDF. September 21, 2015