IndustryGamers' GDC coverage is sponsored by Perkins Coie Interactive Entertainment Practice.
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In a talk at the ongoing GDC 2011 event, Playdom VP of Creative Design Raph Koster posited that while we call the new wave of casual titles ‘social’, in reality most of them are “primarily single player experiences.” Koster identified 40 social mechanics that exist in social games that could be used to improve player collaboration in those titles, highlighting a few of the more interesting mechanics as truly compelling.
For example, elections are one social mechanic that most game makers have seemingly avoided.
"American Idol is the biggest social game there is. ... You could hold an election in your social game for a position that means nothing at all, but players will go bananas, because that's what we do during elections,” said Koster.
Koster also highlighted rituals: ceremonies that happen when players change roles. He notes that developers already use these sparingly with achievements and Facebook-style friend notifications, but contends that they could serve a larger purpose.
"When people change roles ... there's a ceremony to it. We put rituals on all kinds of things when people change roles, and these are powerfully social,” he added.
He also covered mechanics usually used by more enthusiast-level titles, like races and tournaments. Both compare gamers to see who’s best at some metric. He even noted that races are “actually the oldest form of game that we can find, historically."
Finally, Koster talked about two mechanics that saw players and developers taking up specific roles to improve gameplay. Assigning roles to players, similar to games like Team Fortress 2, is one area that social games have neglected.
"The fact that we don't use team roles or classes ... is actually really, really fascinating, because it could happen. ... This is guaranteed to raise retention," he said.
A developer becoming an active gamesmaster was also explored, much like the short-lived Matrix Online MMO which featured developer-driven events in-game. "We don't do a lot of directing in social games, but we certainly could," said Koster.
In the end, the social game industry is slowly growing, and developers have the chance to explore new ideas in the space. Koster provides some starting points for creative developers to build upon.
[Via Gamasutra]
