An affordance based model for gameplay

Dan Pinchbeck

An affordance based model for gameplay

Dan Pinchbeck

Research output: Contribution to conference › Paper › peer-review

Abstract

This paper presents a formal model for gameplay based upon the affordances available to the player that are linked to game objects. It has been constructed via an extensive analysis of major first-person games 1998-2008, although it is argued it may extend to all diegetic games. Gameplay can be understood as a network of allowed actions, that can be summarised as a small number of archetypal affordances mediated by a set of parameters that define their functional relationships. As well as the capacity for the model to elucidate the ludic structures of games, it is argued that an affordance based model also provides a means to understand the relationship and role of story and content within a ludological context.

Original language	English
Publication status	Published - 2009
Event	DiGRA 2009: Breaking New Ground: Innovation in Games, Play, Practice and Theory - Brunel University, London, United Kingdom Duration: 1 Sept 2009 → 4 Sept 2009

Conference

Conference	DiGRA 2009
Country/Territory	United Kingdom
City	London
Period	1/09/09 → 4/09/09

Access to Document

http://www.digra.org/dl/db/09287.31155.pdf#_blank

University of Portsmouth (Organisational unit)
Peter Howell (Chair), Neil Dansey (Member), Gavin Wade (Member), Ted Turnbull (Member), Mark Eyles (Member), Daniel Mcguire Pinchbeck (Member), Matthew Higgins (Member), Ted Turnbull (Member), Anna Limpens (Member), Mohammed Jahangir Uddin (Member) & Leila De Lara (Member)
2006 → …
Activity: Membership types › Membership of network or group

Cite this

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title = "An affordance based model for gameplay",

abstract = "This paper presents a formal model for gameplay based upon the affordances available to the player that are linked to game objects. It has been constructed via an extensive analysis of major first-person games 1998-2008, although it is argued it may extend to all diegetic games. Gameplay can be understood as a network of allowed actions, that can be summarised as a small number of archetypal affordances mediated by a set of parameters that define their functional relationships. As well as the capacity for the model to elucidate the ludic structures of games, it is argued that an affordance based model also provides a means to understand the relationship and role of story and content within a ludological context.",

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AB - This paper presents a formal model for gameplay based upon the affordances available to the player that are linked to game objects. It has been constructed via an extensive analysis of major first-person games 1998-2008, although it is argued it may extend to all diegetic games. Gameplay can be understood as a network of allowed actions, that can be summarised as a small number of archetypal affordances mediated by a set of parameters that define their functional relationships. As well as the capacity for the model to elucidate the ludic structures of games, it is argued that an affordance based model also provides a means to understand the relationship and role of story and content within a ludological context.

M3 - Paper

T2 - DiGRA 2009

Y2 - 1 September 2009 through 4 September 2009

ER -

An affordance based model for gameplay

Abstract

Conference

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Activities

University of Portsmouth (Organisational unit)

Cite this