Psychological Tools for Level Design
Level design consists of more than placing pathways and enemies for players. Considerations need to be thought of for different elements. These include moment to moment gameplay and the wider picture. It’s one thing for players to enjoy the adventure they’re on, but if there’s no immersion then players won’t feel the need to progress. Whilst investment does come from other factors in gameplay, the level itself plays a large role. Luckily, there’s a multitude of techniques that designers can utilise to keep players on a path and towards their goal. These techniques are useful for world building and storytelling through subtle ways.
Visual Information Processing
To begin with, we need to know the ways we process information based on visual perception. Knowledge driven approaches suggest we can’t rely only on external stimuli. That prior knowledge governs what we are likely to expect. Typos are one such example as you see what you expect to see without realising a spelling mistake. Data-driven approaches imply that external stimulus is enough for direct perception and action. It is about the emphasis on stimuli and the direct result of that experience. This is useful to explain relative sizes and superimposition (adding something to an image without compromising what it conveys).
Each of these have their own flaws. Knowledge driven approaches don’t explain why after seeing optical illusions we continue to see them. As we acquire more information, we know it shouldn’t continue to exist but it still does. Data-driven takes place in real time and so doesn’t take into account past experiences. Yet we know this to be the case. It also doesn’t look at naturally occurring illusions, such as looking at a waterfall for too long and looking away to see distorted surroundings.
It’s important to understand that we process what we see differently depending on the circumstances. At times, knowledge and data driven approaches work in tandem to produce an interpretation of the stimulus. Individual differences also play a big factor for conveying different information to players. Therefore, a player’s own schema of what they know about the world may not understand what elements are being conveyed to them. Due to this, keeping information at an easy to understand level will allow those not familiar with environments to become acquainted early on within the game.
Guiding Player Attention in a Level
So now we know how we process information, how does this apply to games? This comes in the form of two different modes of attention. Stimulus driven attention which is involuntary and happens all the time. Goal Directed attention is conscious and occurs towards stimuli that are deemed important at the time. As designers it’s important to guide player attention, with various tools to help the process.
Gestalt Theory
Gestalt theory is a brand of psychology that looks at the whole of an object being greater than the sum of its parts. Its approach to visual organisation and visual processing are what is important. The main principles here include:
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Figure-Ground: This refers to the relationship between the character and its background. Usually used in 2D games with one example being Limbo. This is good for showing what space can be moved through (subtractive) and what space can be used to climb (additive).
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Similarity and Proximity: This refers to grouping based on shape, size, colour, orientation or proximity. By having ideas flow and become less rigid they become easier to look at. For example, Far Cry and its skill tree system have conflicting shapes and directions. By replacing arrows with a more streamlined shape the overall UI experience would flow better.
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Continuation: By using lines to create implicit pathways, players can be drawn to new mechanics. Commonly, these are used in man made and terrain environments and use lines plus natural curves. A prime example is the hidden tutorial in half life 2 with the Barnacles. These are those aliens with the tentacles that drag entities upwards towards them. As the player witnesses an object become attached to the Barnacle, the player can associate this new pathway with touching the Barnacle.
We can use these types of visual organisation through level design to entice players through new pathways. It also helps players to quickly understand the world they are in at a first glance before taking a closer look at the individual aspects. Gestalt theory can be used as a way to give exposure to the high level in environmental storytelling. Whereby the high level is the environment as a whole.
The Pop-Out Effect
The Pop-Out effect derives from Ann Treisman. It refers to how attention is drawn to objects which have unique properties compared to their surroundings. These allow players attention to be shifted to gameplay that’s important to the player at that time. Many factors can contribute to this such as:
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Colour: Directing player attention through a dynamic shift in colour that is offset from the background. Mirror’s edge is a prime example. Through using red to convey pathways through the level, the player is guided by colour that stands out from its surroundings. Of course, this pathway isn’t always the quickest pathway to traverse. Meaning experienced players can look for shortcuts and speed run the game.
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Architecture: A tall building in the distance that can be used as a subtle indicator of progression. The citadel in Half Life 2 is the prime goal and overlooks open sections of the game. As the player nears the end of the game the building gets taller until the player is inside. Architecture can also be used as a way to return to a familiar setting. The castle in Disneyland is tall enough that it can be seen from anywhere in the park and allows players to return to a centralised point in the park (fun fact: Walt Disney coined the term ‘weenies’ to describe this).
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Movement: Swaying lights or subtle movement in horror games is an example of this pop out. As people are drawn to movement, environmental changes relating to movement can create emotion within the game. It is usable as a tool for foreshadowing and can teach the player to expect something later in the game.
A combination of these techniques allow for interesting and engaging mechanics to surface. Drawing in player attention to certain aspects in the level to use as a teaching mechanism or to draw emotion from the player both can equally work. Even subverting these techniques as a way to challenge preconceived notions could also be an interesting mechanic.
The next post will look at social behaviours in level design. How we can use social norms to create mechanics that players automatically follow due to their ludic cognition. So stick around until then!
