1.
Emotions and Agents
in Games
Rui
Prada

2.
Who am I?
Professor
at
Ins0tuto
Superior
Técnico
Dep.
Computer
Science
and
Engineering
Applica0on
Area
on
Games
h5p://ajist.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/
7
years,
2
courses
>200
students,
>
50
game
prototypes

3.
Who am I?
Senior
Researcher
at
INESC-­‐ID
Intelligent
Agents
and
Synthe0c
Characters
Group
h5p://gaips.inesc-­‐id.pt/

4.
Who am I?
Sociedade
Portuguesa
de
Ciências
dos
Videojogos
(Est.
2009)
Co-­‐Founder
and
Current
President
Promo0ng
Knowledge
and
understanding
CollaboraHon
of
peers
Teaching
and
research
www.spcvideojogos.org

5.
Author
of
Who am I?
Design
e
Desenvolvimento
de
Jogos
Carlos
MarHnho,
Pedro
Santos,
Rui
Prada
FCA,
2014
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/nanagyei/5199156473

6.
Who am I?
Avid
Player
Game
Collector
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/merydith/5875929614

7.
Player Experience
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesHmbrell/8314586801/

8.
Experience? Why?
Gameplay
Experience
Games
are
means
to
live
experiences
Voluntary
Subjec0ve
Game
Designer
Player

9.
Experience? Why?
Experience
Design
for
the
Gameplay
experience
A
good
game
is
one
that
promotes
a
good
experience
Player
Game
Designer

10.
Experience? What?
1.
Doing/Performing
2.
Feeling/Assessing
3.
Remembering/Learning

11.
Fulfill
a
dream
Do
something
that
cannot
be
done
Feel
special
Live
and
acquire
something
unique
Player Experience

12.
Crafting the Experience
Doing/Performing
Create
moHvaHon,
opportuniHes,
incenHves
for
acHon
Feeling/Assessing
Promote
interesHng
choices
Define
consequences
of
choices
Remembering/Learning
Promote
re-­‐use
and
combinaHon

13.
Pleasure
h5p://pixabay.com/p-­‐110303

14.
A Good Experience
A
good
experience
elicits
pleasure
Brain
rewards
“desirable”
situaHons
and
behaviours

15.
Pleasure: Satisfaction of Needs
Achievement.
Achieve
milestones,
finish
tasks.
Power.
Have
an
impact
on
the
world,
improve
skill.
Affilia0on.
Maintain
posiHve
interacHons
with
others.
Avoidance.
Self-­‐preservaHon,
seeking
certainty.
Balance
Novelty
and
Control

16.
Pleasure: Emotions
Internal
sensa0ons
linked
to
assessment
of
situaHons
People
have
needs
of
emo0onal
regula0on
(to
relax
or
get
excited)
Regulate
engagement
(a5enHon
and
moHvaHon)

17.
Emotions and Engagement
If
something
has
emo0onal
impact
it
is
relevant!

18.
Primary Emotions
Anger
Fear
Disgust
a. b. c.
Surprise
Happiness
Sadness
d. e. f.

19.
Eliciting Emotions
Achieve
a
desirable
situaHon
Complete
a
level
Give
the
players
what
they
desire
Nice
rewards
(e.g.
rare
items)
Achieve
an
undesirable
situaHon
Lose
something
important
Lose
an
opportunity
Stronger
if
the
situaHon
is
irreversible

20.
Eliciting Emotions
Obstruct/deny
players’
goals
Hurt/damage
what
they
like
The
blame
is
not
a5ributed
enHrely
to
the
self
Belief
that
the
situaHon
is
recoverable
Promote
anHcipaHon
of
an
undesirable
situaHon
Threaten
what
is
important
for
the
player
Creates
tension
PotenHates
other
emoHons
(e.g.
Happiness)

21.
Eliciting Emotions
Create
unexpected
situaHons
Framed
in
the
expectaHons
of
players
and
uncertainty
PosiHve
or
negaHve
surprises
Create
uncomfortable
situaHons
Not
clearly
undesirable,
but
to
avoid
Social
disgust:
related
to
social
values

22.
Which Emotions?
All
emoHons
ma5er
Go
beyond
primary
emoHons
Social
emo0ons
(Guilt,
shame,
pride,
love…)

23.
Pleasure: Learning
Playing
is
a
learning
ac0vity
(players
learn
controls,
mechanics,
strategies,
story…)

24.
Learning
Support
learning
in
your
game
Balance
guidance
and
self-­‐explora0on

25.
Learning
The
experience
is
ruined
if
There
is
nothing
to
learn
It
is
impossible
to
learn
(noise,
sensory
overload)
There
is
no
interest
in
the
things
learnt
(are
not
applied
in
the
game)

26.
Types of Pleasure
Visceral:
moHon,
heat,
relaxaHon
Cogni0ve:
problem
solving,
memory
challenges
Social:
social
status,
sense
of
belonging,
interacHng
with
others
Moral:
follow
ideals,
moral
code

27.
Types of Pleasure
Mechanics,
Dynamics
and
AestheHcs

28.
MDA: Sensation
h5p://www.hyperplus.pl/gra-­‐limbo_1958

29.
MDA: Fantasy
h5p://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Guitar_Hero_World_Tour-­‐players.jpg

30.
MDA: Narrative
h5ps://c1.staHcflickr.com/9/8157/7339666002_12643d98b5.jpg

31.
MDA: Challenge
h5p://www.destructoid.com/ul/238434-­‐/77222_NSMBWiiU_Boss-­‐05-­‐620x.jpg

32.
MDA: Fellowship
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/brendan-­‐c/4136435012

33.
MDA: Discovery
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/terr/2071342211/

34.
MDA: Expression
h5p://tjseabury.deviantart.com/art/Minecrak-­‐Manor-­‐280667402

35.
MDA: Submission
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/ilamont/4329344542

36.
Progression
h5ps://www.flickr.com/photos/usafe/14050607788/

37.
Progression
The
experience
changes
with
Hme

38.
Managing the Progression
Challenge
and
Novelty
(keep
the
learning)

39.
The Flow
Flow
Channel
Skill Level
Experience
Degree of
Challenge
Skill Level
Anxiety
Boredom
Experience

40.
Agents in Games
h5p://irisaurus.deviantart.com/art/Vocaloid-­‐The-­‐sims-­‐2-­‐336146712

41.
Agents
Autonomous
enHHes
ProacHve
ReacHve
DeliberaHve

42.
Interactive Agents
Interact
with
people
Become
characters

43.
Characters
Social
Roles
Purpose
IdenHty
EmoHons
Personality

44.
Characters
Promote
Social
Experience

45.
Believability
Coherent
behaviour
Fit
the
context
Meet
the
expecta0ons
(The
Media
EquaHon)

46.
Believability
Suspension
of
disbelief
“Illusion
of
Life”

47.
Believability: Visual

48.
Believability: Behavioural

49.
Models For Believable AI
h5p://agsandrew.deviantart.com/art/Emergence-­‐of-­‐ArHficial-­‐Intelligence-­‐0007-­‐382222119

50.
SGD Model
Group
dynamics
Personality:
OCEAN
PosiHon
in
the
group
InteracHon
dynamics:
IPA

51.
SGD Model
Social
RelaHons
Influence
and
A5racHon
Balance

52.
Perfect Circle

53.
Social Power
PotenHal
force
towards
change:
beliefs,
behaviour
Influence
=
Power
-­‐
Resistance

54.
Social Power
Reward
Coercion
LegiHmate
Referent
Expert

55.
Social Theater

56.
DIMA Model
IdenHty
Layered:
personal,
social
(group
memberships)
salience
=
accessibility
x
fit

57.
DIMA Model
Intergroup
relaHonships
EmoHonal
appraisal
In-­‐group
bias

58.
Volcano Island

59.
SID Model
Social
Importance
InteracHon
Dynamics
Claim
and
Confer

60.
SI Model: Culture
Individualism/collecHvism
Power
distance
Uncertainty
avoidance
Long
term/short
term
orientaHon
Masculinity/femininity
Indulgence/restraint

61.
Traveller

62.
EMYS Robotic Player
Physical
embodiment
Face
to
face
interacHon
Verbal
and
non-­‐verbal
behaviour:
gaze,
a5enHon

63.
EMYS Robotic Player
EmoHonal
appraisal:
luck,
social
relaHons,
state
of
the
game
Social
memory:
players
and
past
experiences
Social
roles:
helper,
dominator

64.
EMYS Robotic Player

65.
Conclusions
h5p://pixabay.com/en/message-­‐in-­‐a-­‐bo5le-­‐post-­‐bo5le-­‐413680/

66.
Games
are
means
for
experience
Emo0ons
and
learning
have
a
crucial
role
Believable
agents
may
improve
the
social
experience
of
games
Concluding

67.
Concluding
People
have
social
expecta0ons
of
agents
To
achieve
believability:
idenHty
personality,
emoHons,
social
awareness,
social
skills,
social
needs,
balanced
behaviour

68.
Contacts
rui.prada@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
h5p://gaips.inesc-­‐id.pt/rprada
h5p://spcvideojogos.org
h5p://ajist.tecnico.ulisboa.pt/