Luis Gerardo Huiza Blanco

Thesis

Humane Design

Nowadays, it feels like the gaming industry only cares about how much money they can get. Games used to be, for the most part, great experiences that people could enjoy whenever they wanted to, but it doesn’t fell like that anymore. I understand that companies aren’t charities; they have their bottom lines to think about. But I don’t think the toxic practices they employ these days are beneficial for their customers, or even themselves for that matter. Practices like these, which hurt consumer trust, have the potential to send the entire industry in a crash course for failure. Luckily, the key to solve these problems is an important element of good design: Humane Design

Humane design is in essence, the idea of designing a product with the mindset that the user of this said product is a human being, and deserves being treated as such[1]. This means respecting the players needs outside of the game, rather that trying to force them to spend as much time as possible playing[2]. A concept like this shouldn’t be something too difficult to accomplish, after all it is an important part of good design to begin with. However, that is if you have the mindset that the purpose of your product is to entertain your audience. Sadly, that really can’t be said for a large amount of games produced today.

The mentality of the gaming industry today is a very narrow, short term one. Publishers and studios hate the idea of making just some money, as opposed to all of the money[3]. This type of thinking has huge ramifications that can be seen in the games themselves. Many games made this day and age could be considered simple Skinner’s box; products that give subliminal messages that reinforce ideas to the player[4]. This allows them to keep people playing their games long after they stopped enjoying the game. Using psychological techniques such as this, companies with no moral fiber exploit players, treating them like money producing machines rather than people[5].

Sadly, this type of behavior isn’t exclusive to how they distribute their product, but it also is a part of how they make it. Whenever it is big name titles or smaller releases, companies seek any way in which to get as much from the player has they can, be it money or time[6]. A few years back, publisher Electronic Arts released the free iOS title Dungeon Keeper, and it didn’t take more than a look to see how abusive the game was. In order to make a significant amount of progress at any time, players needed to spend large amounts of money in the game. The game wasn’t made in any way to give enjoyment to people, but to exploit them and take their money. This

became so evident, that an UK court declared advertising of the game misleading and demanding its removal[7]. It took until a year for the developer to even acknowledge the incident, and the showed no regret in their actions, stating, “They were too innovative”[8].

Fig. 1: This is an actual Skinner box, the mouse is punished or rewarded depending on his actions to specific stimulants. Is this how we should treat people?

Another example of this was in last year big title: Destiny. Made by the creators of Halo, people were excited to see a new game from such a beloved studio with a history of being involved with their fans, but things changed at the release of the game. While the game still had the brilliant combat systems that people expected from it, many parts of its design were questionable at best. The loot system was the biggest criminal in this case. A loot system, for the unfamiliar, is a system in which by doing activities in the game, players get new gear they can use as they please. However, this game’s system had been made to be completely random[9]. This meant that people could spend hours doing various activities in the game, and not be compensated for it. To put this into perspective, it would like working for hours at a job, which should pay a good amount, just to receive minimum wage. While eventually the system was fixed into something more fair, the fact that an experienced studio would make something like that accidentally is unlikely, since while systems like that have a level of randomness, there are parameters that make sure you get something worthwhile for your work. These two previous examples are just some of the main outliners in recent history, but this shows how the industry has no regard for their customers well being.

Fig. 2: The loot system was so bad in Destiny, that to get good gear the community of the game abused an exploit in the game dubbed “The Loot Cave”

However, that isn’t true of all games; there are games that show care for the player’s enjoyment. An example that comes to mind would be the game Bravely Default. The game features various examples of humane design, something that its genre, JRPGs, can struggle with. There are various mechanics in the game that ask you, the player, to close the system and leave it in sleep mode in order for them to work correctly. The game rewards the player for taking a break, something rarely done by any type of game, much less its contemporaries. The game also always provides the players with the ability to save at any time or save whenever something happens in them game, giving the player various opportunities in which they can take a break from the game.

Fig 3: The Rebuilding of Norende is a gameplay element that in order to be complete, asks you to stop playing the game and put it sleep mode.

The systems helped the game make it what it is, and it was so successful that the company responsible for the creation of the game announced in an interview that the games success changed their position regarding the profitability of the genre; and that it would be use as a template for future project of the company[10].

The need of humane design isn’t something that should need to be discussed. A successful industry is one that doesn’t only think of taking money out of their costumers, but one that treats them with respect. Not only is humane design something that would increase the quality of games, but also benefit companies with bigger profits. Regardless of the situation, we should always aim to treat others as actual people, instead of sources of revenue.

Annotated Bibliography

1. Extra Credits. “Humane Design – Games Must Be Good to Their Players – Extra Credits.” Youtube video, 6:02. April 15, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GArkyxP8-n0.

2. Karmali, Luke. “Square Enix to refocus on JRPGs after Bravely Default success.” IGN.com. Accessed August 5, 2015. http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/31/square-enix-to-refocus-on-jrpgs-after-bravely-default-success

3. Sarkar, Samit. “Destiny patch looks to fix loot system so you won’t need a ‘loot cave’.” Polygon.com. Accessed August 5, 2015. http://www.polygon.com/2014/9/26/6852027/destiny-patch-loot-system-engrams-legendary-rare.
4. Jordan Hedges. “User Experience Points – Humane Design.” Youtube video, 5:58. May 1, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwUIjGdAFTs
5.  Yin-Poole, Wesley. “UK watchdog bans Dungeon Keeper ad, accuses EA of “misleading” customers.” Eurogamer.net. Accessed August 5, 2015. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-07-02-asa-bans-dungeon-keeper-ad-accuses-ea-of-misleading-customers
6. Davis, Ian. “EA: Dungeon Keeper Failed by “Innovating Too Much”. The Escapist. Accessed August 5, 2015. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/136011-EA-Dungeon-Keeper-Failed-by-Innovating-Too-Much.
7. Jim Sterling, “When Publishers Kick, Developers Start (The Jimquisition).” Youtube video, 9:08. May 18, 2015.

Fig 1: http://jackiewhiting.net/Psychology/LearnIntell/RatSkinBox.jpg

Fig 2: http://powerleveled.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/10655263_367783370046362_8200580979116329980_o.jpg

Fig 3: http://www.gamerguides.com/bravely-default/intro-and-gameplay-364/norende-reconstruction/

[1] Jordan Hedges. “User Experience Points – Humane Design.” Youtube video

[2] Idib

[3] Jim Sterling, “When Publishers Kick, Developers Start (The Jimquisition).” Youtube video

[4] Extra Credits. “Humane Design – Games Must Be Good to Their Players – Extra Credits.” Youtube video

[5] Idib

[6] Idib

[7] Yin-Poole, Wesley. “UK watchdog bans Dungeon Keeper ad, accuses EA of “misleading” customers.” Eurogamer.net.

[8] Davis, Ian. “EA: Dungeon Keeper Failed by “Innovating Too Much”. The Escapist.

[9] Sarkar, Samit. “Destiny patch looks to fix loot system so you won’t need a ‘loot cave’.” Polygon.com.

[10] Karmali, Luke. “Square Enix to refocus on JRPGs after Bravely Default success.” IGN.com.

Artist Statement

My project for this integrative studio class is an accordion storybook about the Sengoku Period. The book is made of 13 pages, and depicts the fight between the Oda clan and the Saito clan. Each page was first planned making storyboards, which would help plan the contents of any panel in the pages. The production took the arduous process of drawing, tracing in pen, and scanning the drawings for the piece, which then were cleaned in Photoshop. From there, the images were allocated accordion to the layouts established in the storyboards, printed, and stuck together with duct tape. The covers were made using pieces of cardboard. They were covered by cloth, with the front cover having a painting of the symbol of the Oda clan.

My idea for this project was a modern storytelling piece of art, mixing western and eastern styles. The accordion book was chosen to replica the feel when someone opens an old scroll. The monochromatic, simple drawings were inspired by one of my earlier projects in the class, using simple designs that give a sense of mystery. This was probably one of my favorite works I did for my Freshman Year. It made me happy that I was able to deliver with this project.

The two pieces that I saw in the museum where both based around entertainment, a radio and the display of the video game Tetris. The reason these 2 items in particular were my picks for this essay is the fact that they represent the evolution of entertainment and the technology we had before. The first picture shows an old-school radio. The radio uses the various nobs to change between various stations. Radio was in essence the precursor to television, being used as a way to inform people, or for entertainment purposes. It is an important part of telecommunication history, and the design is also appealing to boot.

The second picture shows a screen and some buttons. The screen is a display showing the game Tetris. This is a well-known game that was made in Russia, and has become a classic. The buttons that accompany the display show are arrows and a circular button in the middle. The game is about aligning block in a line to erase them, and making sure they don’t stack to the top of the screen. One of the biggest appeals of the game is how it possesses a perfect degree of difficulty for anyone, as the game scales in difficulty as they go through the game.

While there are obvious differences between the two pieces, one of the main things is the format in which we interact with them. The radio is a physical object, but Tetris is a video game, so it’s not an actual object. This means that people need an interface if they want to interact with the game. Another important one is how the viewer interacts with the pieces. Tetris, while it is being presented as a piece of art, is mainly a game. As such, it is an active piece in that in order to experience it, one must play it. While there would normally be a slight level of interaction with the radio, it is displayed out of reach, so it’s a more passive piece in comparison.

At the end of the day, these two pieces have similar purposes, but the way they are displayed distinguishes them from one another. One is a more active piece, constrained by the way you can interact with it. The other is a more passive work that can be seen in any way the spectator wants. Whichever is more appealing depends on the person