Difference between revisions of "Power Fantasy"

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Power fantasy is the thing we do best in games.  We excel at giving players a feeling of power over their surroundings, at letting them feel the satisfaction of starting out weak and becoming invincible<ref>Nicole Lazzaro writes about [http://xeodesign.com/xeodesign_whyweplaygames.pdf this stuff] a lot.  She uses the term Fiero in this context.</ref>, until they are the kings of the world, the rulers the universe, they have vanquished evil, saved the girl, and finally gotten to that really high ledge by exploding a rocket at their feet.
Power fantasy is the thing we do best in games.  We excel at giving players a feeling of power over their surroundings, at letting them feel the satisfaction of starting out weak and becoming invincible<ref>Nicole Lazzaro writes about [http://xeodesign.com/xeodesign_whyweplaygames.pdf this stuff] a lot.  She uses the term Fiero in this context.</ref>, until they are the kings of the world, the rulers the universe, they have vanquished evil, saved the girl, and finally gotten to that really high ledge by exploding a rocket at their feet.


However, I think power fantasy is pretty cheap, and we need to eschew it and find better, deeper, more meaningful ways to entertain and compel players.
However, I think power fantasy is pretty cheap, and we need to eschew it<ref>Let me be more clear:  I think power fantasy is a useful tool as a designer, and I enjoy experiencing it as a player, and I don't think it's going away.  However, I think we already do it pretty damned well. We need to work on the other stuff, and some short-term overcorrection would not hurt...less power fantasy for a while, more exploration of other emotional tools.  Let's call it ''Affirmative Action for Interactive Emotional Tools''.</ref> and find better, deeper, more meaningful ways to entertain and compel players.


The New Yorker<ref>I think it was the October, 2003 issue.</ref> had a David Denby review of the film, ''Seabiscuit''.  As usual, Denby writes a pretty good review.  But one sentence stuck with me:
The New Yorker<ref>I think it was the October, 2003 issue.</ref> had a David Denby review of the film, ''Seabiscuit''.  As usual, Denby writes a pretty good review.  But one sentence stuck with me:
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I think he's totally right about pathos, and it's also exactly how I feel about power fantasy in games.  Every time we use it, we fail a test of honor and miss a chance to explore new emotional territory.
I think he's totally right about pathos, and it's also exactly how I feel about power fantasy in games.  Every time we use it, we fail a test of honor and miss a chance to explore new emotional territory.
<center>[[Image:powerfantasy.png|400px]]</center>


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Latest revision as of 05:11, 2 January 2008

Power fantasy is the thing we do best in games. We excel at giving players a feeling of power over their surroundings, at letting them feel the satisfaction of starting out weak and becoming invincible[1], until they are the kings of the world, the rulers the universe, they have vanquished evil, saved the girl, and finally gotten to that really high ledge by exploding a rocket at their feet.

However, I think power fantasy is pretty cheap, and we need to eschew it[2] and find better, deeper, more meaningful ways to entertain and compel players.

The New Yorker[3] had a David Denby review of the film, Seabiscuit. As usual, Denby writes a pretty good review. But one sentence stuck with me:

When a director exploits our hard-wired responses to pathos, he fails, so to speak, a test of honor.

I think he's totally right about pathos, and it's also exactly how I feel about power fantasy in games. Every time we use it, we fail a test of honor and miss a chance to explore new emotional territory.

Powerfantasy.png
  1. Nicole Lazzaro writes about this stuff a lot. She uses the term Fiero in this context.
  2. Let me be more clear: I think power fantasy is a useful tool as a designer, and I enjoy experiencing it as a player, and I don't think it's going away. However, I think we already do it pretty damned well. We need to work on the other stuff, and some short-term overcorrection would not hurt...less power fantasy for a while, more exploration of other emotional tools. Let's call it Affirmative Action for Interactive Emotional Tools.
  3. I think it was the October, 2003 issue.
This page was last edited on 2 January 2008, at 05:11.