GDC 2010 - Game Environments

Smith and Worch state that a game environment;


a) Constrains and guides player movement through physical properties and ecology (the relationship between living things, in this case, the player - and the environment)

b) Uses player reference to communicate simulation boundaries and affordance

c) Reinforces and shapes player identity

d) Provide narrative context

Environmental Narrative is mostly concerned with the latter two.

1. Constrains and Guides

Looking at the opening scenes in Bioshock from 2KGames, the level layout of a decaying new years party gone wrong demonstrates the idea that "an environment constrains and guides player movement through physical properties and ecology". The physical properties are represented by walls/stairs etc and the gameplay ecology is made up of enemy and item placement. 

Smith and Worch say that "we can also see that a game environment represents access and that the restrictions on access create decisions and meaningful play"

They use a diagram to convey this utilizing a level in Bioshock as an example, I'm going to use my own example from Heavy Rain and apply their principles to it.

The above is concept art for a scene during the "Lizard Trial" in Heavy Rain, which if you've read my previous blog posts you'll see a lot about as I've examined it in terms of play and monitored others as they played through. It preserves the same themes as the Bioshock example in terms of decay and decadence.

 

The above is a very simplistic diagram of a top-down view of the room. Using simple shapes and colours, I identified the physical properties of the environment by highlighting the walls and objects in thick black lines. The gameplay ecology is made up of item placement, and the items which you can interact with are represented in the diagram by the green circles. The objects outlines in red are the key areas of interest that you must interact with in order to further the story at all.

However this example differs from Smith and Worch's Bioshock example in that you can choose not to take part in the trial, and wait for the countdown timer to end, instead of taking action and utilizing the props in the room. 

Nevertheless, we can see that a game environment represents access and that the restrictions on access create decisions, (you can select which objects to use, and have varying results, or choose not to partake in the trial at all), which in turn creates meaningful play. 

2. Communicate Affordance

Through visual references or "affordance", the area itself communicates with the player. From what we've gathered from playing through previous trials, the monitor on the table represents a task to undertake, and the player can quickly understand that they are meant to sit in the chair and initiate the trial.

-Communicate Simulation Boundaries

When it comes to simulation boundaries, Heavy Rain presents a large variety of interactive actions but they are always within the context of the situation. For example, the scene in which Ethan and Shawn at at the park and Ethan is attempting to bond with him, there are various actions available to help ensure Shawn is cheered up, and various objects such as swings and seesaws to help you out. However, at no point is Ethan able to just ignore Shawn and go off and play on the swings and seesaw on his own. He needs to interact with Shawn first to identify what he wants to do. Therefore the player quickly comes to realise that while they have a certain amount of freedom regarding choice and consequence, the interactions must be in context, and the player comes to understand the simulation boundaries. 

3. Reinforces Player Identity

"The environment shapes and reinforces the identity of the player." Smith states that identity is shaped by both performance and context. Essentially, that games ask players to assume an identity, contextualize this identity within the game environment, which in turn often implies or encourages social conventions and behaviours. The contrast of textures and colours of the environment in Heavy Rain before and after Jason's death, help to convey a state of decay and overall depression and at times - desperation, which makes the player feel more secure in the justification of their difficult and at times, morally grey choices.

Again, the Heavy Rain case study works well here as it is all about social factors such as relationships and presents you with the boundaries of what you would be capable of in an unthinkable situation.

Heavy Rain forces the player to make impossible decisions and presents various moral dilemmas to the player. Their choices and actions in relation to these dilemmas shape the path of the game, making for more personal and meaningful play.

In contrast, the environment in Portal makes you feel like a test subject (which you are) The simple shapes, textures and clean cut lines, in conjunction with the restricted colour palette lends itself better to a puzzle game. We can see that the environment contextualizes experience and exerts influence over the identity of the player during play.

4. Narrative Context

The game environment generated from a fictional storyline can convey;

• The history of what has happened in the setting
• Who currently inhabits it (if at all)
• Their living conditions
• What may happen next
• The practical purpose of the area
• The mood

When environmental narratives are fully utilized to their greatest potential, no external influence is required to anchor the plot, the world speaks for itself as the player progresses through it.

5. Environmental Storytelling

That's why Heavy Rain is such a good example, the environments are so compelling and intricately designed that they speak volumes about the current events taking place, and even help to symbolise the current state of mind of the character and in turn, influence the state of mind of the player who assumes the identity of the character. The majority of the mood and story are expressed and deduced through the rich textures and props, and often need no further explanation.


Original Lecture available here; (http://www.worch.com/files/gdc/What_Happened_Here_Web_Notes.pdf)