This week in class, we discussed information systems and dynamics in games, and how these systems can differ in games to convey what a player can and cannot do, or what a player is meant to do. These systems can be utilized to enhance a game with more information for the player, or can be intentionally taken away to give the player more of a sense of urgency or “being in the dark”. Some information systems can be quite simple, such as with checkers. Each space on a checker board is color coded, to show where players can and cannot move their pieces, and conveys the idea of diagonal movement through its layout. Some information systems, however, can be quite complex, such as with a game like ‘World of Warcraft’. This game tasks the player with using several sources of information at once to overcome their obstacles, such as knowing your spells and how they are cast using your hotkeys, what is nearby on the minimap, what your opponent is capable of, where your teammates are in relation to you, among other resources (quest log, quest markers, etc.).  These information systems become dynamic, however, through several elements of game play. A good example of a dynamic system comes from the popular Battle Royale games of the past few years, such as ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Apex Legends’. These games have very similar information systems to begin, such as sharing a markable map and minimap, but diverge from the genre’s staples in gameplay differences. In ‘Apex Legends’, a valuable source of information comes from the expansive in game ping system, in which a player can ask the team to move to a certain position, warn of enemies, or alert teammates of certain items they find. While ‘Fortnite’ has also implemented this system, ‘Apex Legends’ goes further in its information system by giving the player choice of using an incredible amount of pings, such as “Looting here”,  “Defending this position”, “This area has been comprimised”, or the option to take back a ping, in case a mistake is made. This system changes dynamically as fights are had, showing grenade warnings, ability cooldowns, options of healing items found on the map, and the variety of characters to play as, with, or against.  Dynamic systems apply to not only information systems, but other areas of games, such as random events, or an evolving world such as in Animal Crossing. One day, you might find a perfect peach hanging on one of your trees, or perhaps Gulliver will wash up on the shores (again). Without a little variety in games, every round or match would start to feel the same. Making a game feel truly alive can just take a little random chance.

Dynamic and Engaging Music