Understanding

Player Understanding & Affordances

• Understanding/Affordances are design tools

• Draw upon player’s real-world knowledge

• Games can be:

  • Realistic
  • Create new worlds/physics

• Affordances

• “Communications from object to person”

  • Tell how to operate/interact
  • Indicate value of interaction

    New areas behind doors Rewards for actions

• Based on lived experience

  • Understanding of body movement
  • Object interactions

    Hand-sized = manipulatable Two handles = heavy/needs help

• Game Implementation

• Must communicate player abilities

  • Walking on walls
  • Teleporting
  • Object lifting limits

• Examples:

  • Super Mario

    Good things from bricks Traversable pipes

  • First/Third Person

    Highlight climbable edges

  • Portal

    Color-coded portals

  • Katamari

    Ball collecting mechanics

Affordances bridge real-world understanding with game mechanics, helping players intuitively grasp how to interact with game worlds. Level designers must effectively communicate both familiar and unique interaction possibilities through careful design choices.