Theme & Conflict &

Fairy Tales

Theme

The utilization of a specific scenario world in which to immerse players.

Theme

Themes let players play pretend!

Theme

Themes provide context to help players remember the rules of a game.

Theme

Theme can also put players in the right frame of mind to make better, more informed decisions because they can use existing knowledge about a subject to help them.

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Theme

Players want the game’s theme and game experience to match their expectations.

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Your Game’s Theme

What fairy tales do you think have a compelling story?

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What is the conflict in the story?

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How can that conflict be gamified?

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Conflict in Games

Conflict in Game Design

Games have conflict.

But what does this mean for you as a designer?

Which Picture Shows Conflict?

Definition of Conflict

The mental struggle resulting from

incompatible or opposing

needs, drives, wishes, or external or internal demands.

(Merriam Webster)

Activity vs. Game

Without conflict, games become an activity.

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Activity:

Playing Apples to Apples casually, just making yourselves laugh, not really caring about score.

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Game:

Playing Apples to Apples with fierce intensity, trying to crush all opponents to win.

Three Types of Conflict

• You want something, and someone else wants it too.
• You want to do something, and someone else gets in the way.
• Someone else has something, and you want it.

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How does the game’s story (or specific parts of the story) fit one of these types of conflict?

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Your Task

How can you gamify the conflict of a story?

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Conflict: Large Scale

• Large Scale: the goal must present conflict that affects everyone.
• Example: Cthulhu in the House
• Players are trying to stay in the house the longest to get the most points.
• Example: Beauty and the Beast
• Belle has to endure the Beast’s castle in order to save her father.

Conflict: Small Scale

• Small Scale: Each player should experience some form of conflict on their turn.
• Example: Cthulhu in the House
• Which piece to move, yours or someone else’s? Who to pick in a battle? Which portal to choose? If I move my piece, will others figure out that it’s mine? If I don’t pick my piece, will others figure out which one is mine? Etc.
• Example: Beauty and the Beast
• The castle’s furnishings are alive, Gaston threatens the Beast, Belle has to learn to trust the Beast and vice versa

Conflict Drives

a Game’s Story

A Refresher on Plot

Exposition

• the beginning; characters, setting, conflict are introduced

Rising Action

• the series of events leading to the climax; excitement and tension build

Climax

• the turning point of the story; the moment of highest interest and emotion.

Falling Action

• the winding up of the story; events and complications begin to resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are seen

Resolution

• the end of a story; ends with either a happy or a tragic ending.

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A Board Game’s Plot

Exposition--Setup, Objectives, Rules

• the beginning; characters, setting, conflict are introduced

Rising Action--Game Play

• the series of events leading to the conflict; excitement and tension build

Climax--End of the Game is Triggered

• the turning point of the story; the moment of highest interest and emotion.

Falling Action--Scoring

• the winding up of the story; events and complications begin to resolve and the result of actions of the main characters are seen

Resolution--Determining a Winner

• the end of a story; ends with either a happy or a tragic ending.

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Mary Had a Little Lamb

Exposition

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Rising Action

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Climax

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Falling Action

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Resolution

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Mary Had A Little Lamb (poem)

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Mary had a little lamb,

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Its fleece was white as snow.

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Everywhere that Mary went

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The lamb was sure to go.

Mary Had a Little Lamb wicked

Exposition

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Rising Action

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Climax

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Falling Action

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Resolution

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Mary Had A Little Lamb (poem)

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Mary Had a Little Lamb wicked

Exposition

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Rising Action

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Climax

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Falling Action

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Resolution

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Mary Had A Little Lamb (poem)

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Mary had a little lamb,

Mary Had a Little Lamb wicked

Exposition

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Rising Action

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Climax

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Falling Action

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Resolution

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Mary Had A Little Lamb (poem)

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Mary had a little lamb,

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Her father shot it dead.

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Mary Had a Little Lambwicked

Exposition

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Rising Action

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Climax

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Falling Action

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Resolution

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Mary Had A Little Lamb (poem)

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Mary had a little lamb,

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Her father shot it dead.

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Now it goes to school with her

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Mary Had a Little Lamb wicked

Exposition

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Rising Action

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Climax

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Falling Action

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Resolution

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Mary Had A Little Lamb (poem)

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Mary had a little lamb,

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Her father shot it dead.

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Now it goes to school with her

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Between two hunks of bread.

Conflict makes games compelling!

Conflict: Large & Small Scale

• Large Scale: the goal must present conflict that affects everyone.
• Survive: Escape from Atlantis!
• Each player is competing to get the most points from meeples rescued from the island.

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• Small Scale: each player should experience some form of conflict on their turn.
• Survive: Escape from Atlantis!
• Which tile to play, which three actions to take, which tile to remove, which monster to move

Conflict is Satisfying for Players!

• Player engagement: It motivates players to start playing, and to keep playing.
• Tension: Players need to have a sense that their game play is going somewhere, to some end, and it’s competitive.
• Good conflict leads to players wanting to play the game again and again and again

Your Turn

Choose three games you’ve played in class, and explain the large and small scale conflict players experience in each game.

Your Turn

Explain how a specific fairy tale has one of the three types of conflict:

• You want something, and someone else wants it too.
• You want to do something, and someone else gets in the way.
• Someone else has something, and you want it.

Fairy Tale

Game Design Project

• Fairy Tales
• Planning Document

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