DESIGNING FOR COUCH CO-OP 11 game design guidelines promoting player cooperation Alexander Jonassen Department of Design Norwegian University of Science and Technology ABSTRACT Co-located multiplayer games have shown to have a positive effect on game enjoyment as well as a positive effect on players’ subsequent pro-social behavior. While there is a lack of scientific research on the subject, the game developer community has generated experience based knowledge on how to best achieve effective cooperation. A meta-analysis of 50 recommendations from actors in the game industry resulted in 11 generalized game design guidelines promoting player cooperation. It is argued that the results both can aid the process of designing good cooperative games as well as aid researchers in identifying relevant games for experiments. It is proposed that future research investigate other fields where cooperation is important. KEYWORDS: Game design, Video games, Local multiplayer, Cooperation Greitemeyer and Cox, 2013; Velez, 2015). 1 INTRODUCTION Greitemeyer & Mügge (2014) suggests that 1.1 Playing digital games together games have the potential to impact players’ One of the most important function of games real-world behavior both in a short term and is that it enables social interaction (Schell, long term time perspective. Considering that 2014). Today, despite the rise and popularity video games have grown to become a rather of single player digital games, social prominent part of modern childhood in light interaction is still regarded one of the main of Greitemeyer and Mügge’s point, game motivations for why people play video games designers potentially have a significant role in (Kumar and Herger, 2013). Apart from the nurture of children and youth. enabling people to socialize, studies suggest 1.3 How we play digital games together that games that facilitate co-located The literature usually divides multiplayer multiplayer are considered more fun, as well games into six different configurations: as improve players perceived competence in competitive, cooperative, and team based the game, compared to non-local (e.g. online) games, each of them divided into co-located multiplayer or single player modes of the and online multiplayer. Currently games same game (Gajadhar et al., 2008; offering competitive and team-based online Schmierbach et al., 2012). multiplayer seem to be the most popular in 1.2 The effects of playing digital games terms of number of daily users (“Steam,” n.d.). together 1.4 Goal with this paper Local multiplayer games encourage people to This paper aims to identify current best meet up and socialize. If the game in addition practices in local co-op video game design. In features cooperative gameplay (as opposed to light of current research, learning how to competitive), it can have a positive effect on better facilitate for this configuration could players’ subsequent pro-social behavior potentially yield more fun, more rewarding (Breuer et al., 2017; Ewoldsen et al., 2012; and even more socially responsible games. The intended result is a set of design 2 RESULTS guidelines, providing game designers as well 2.1 Koven’s recommendations as researchers with the tools to create or Koven claims that in order for a multiplayer identify effective and enjoyable co-op game to be enjoyable, players must share the experiences. intention of playing the game well together. 1.5 Method According to him, this agreement is much Game design as a field of scientific research more important for enjoyment than which remains quite immature. It is hard to find game is actually played (Koven, 2013). universal design principles tailored for Koven stresses the importance of this shared cooperative game design. However, actors in intention of playing well together in his book the game developer industry have experience “The Well-Played Game” (Koven, 2013), and in the field, and they have shared some goes through some means on how to arrive at recommendations on what they think is such a game. important for a successful co-op game. Koven’s recommendations By identifying current recommendations and To maintain a well-played game, players should conducting a meta-analysis of them, general be allowed… best practices, or guidelines, regarding the To explicitly share the intention of playing well together. design of local co-op games, could be To express loss of willingness to play. discovered. To change the rules when all players agree it is Because team-based and cooperative games desirable. (both online and local) inherently contain To play with handicaps to adjust the challenge to fit the individual player. cooperative elements, recommendations on To quit with honor. designing for any of these configurations might be of relevance to the others. While the Table 1: Koven’s recommendations focus of this paper remains on local co-op, the terms “cooperative” and “co-op”, when not specified as local, will henceforth cover both 2.2 Schell’s recommendations online and local cooperative games as well as In “The art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses” online and local team-based games. (Schell, 2014), Jesse Schell presents several In search of game design practices for practical game design recommendations. In cooperative gameplay both scientific the chapter “Other players”, Schell explains literature and publicly available statements why players seek to play cooperative games from the professional game developer with each other. In the chapter industry have been examined. Scopus, Google “Communities”, he presents tips on how to Scholar and the Game Developer Conference form strong communities, some of which are archives have been searched for keywords relevant for forming strong cooperative such as ‘Game design’, ‘guidelines’, ‘rules’, groups. ‘cooperation’, ‘collaboration’ and ‘cooperative Schell’s recommendations gameplay’ In the period from August 2017 to Allow players to part take in actions and employ November 2017. strategies that are impossible for only one person. Not all sources have presented their co-op Give players the sensation of group problem design recommendations on list form. In these solving and being part of a successful team. cases, the author has interpreted the source Make the game interesting to watch for and compiled the content to a list of spectators. recommendations. Put a shared conflict at the heart of the community (in this case the group of players). Schell’s recommendations games” (Anderson et al., n.d.) and Allow players to self-express through play style “Engineering social” (Anderson et al., n.d.) or avatar customization. aims to highlight good mechanics and call out Force players to depend on each other. common pitfalls of co-op and social game Support three different levels of skill: Newbie - His challenge is to learn the game; Player - His design. challenge is to master the game; Elder - He has Ruddy Games’ recommendations completely mastered the game. Provide elders Encourage communication between players with a more difficult game, governance Allow players to make choices together privileges, content creation, guild management Avoid quarterbacking1 or a chance to teach. Allow players to take on extremely specialized roles Table 2: Jesse Schell’s recommendations Allow players to change roles during or between rounds Cater for different skill levels by allowing macro 2.3 Amy Jo Kim’s recommendations play (e.g. laying a team strategy or governing an In a talk at the 2013 Game Developers army) as well as micro play (e.g. moving across a Conference, Amy Jo Kim presented 7 field or acting as a soldier) Consider facilitating for a greeting culture, like recommendations on how to best design for the rituals before and after a football match cooperative gameplay (Kim, 2013): Let players complement each other Kim’s recommendations Include consumables that reward others Do Don’t Players versus system Individual rankings and Table 4: Ruddy game’s recommendations or team versus team player versus player competition Shared non-zero goals Individual zero-sum 2.5 Damion Schubert’s recommendations (all players win or lose goals (winner takes it Schubert celebrates cooperative gaming in his collectively) all) Give players inter- Offer a single activity article “No "I" in Team - The increasing dependent roles with one role importance of cooperative multiplayer”, Let players perform Let player perform describing what he thinks is great about cooperative social zero-sum social cooperative gameplay, and thoughts on how gestures (share, heal, gestures (steal, defeat, to accomplish it (Schubert, 2011). acknowledge…) taunt…) Give players shared Allow personal Schubert’s recommendations resources hoarding Let experienced players show mastery of the Non-zero stats and Individual game, while still allowing less experienced team highlights leaderboards players to contribute Allow users to Make players lose or win collectively generate content Allow players to congratulate or console each other. Table 3: Amy Jo Kim’s recommendations Avoid quarterbacking Allow players to reward each other Embrace that people are part of the content in multiplayer games 2.4 Ruddy games’ recommendations In their monthly podcast «Pretentious Game Table 5: Schubert’s recommendations Ideas», the game company Ruddy Games share their subjective opinions and insights about game design. The episodes “Co-op 1 When a player dictates exactly what another (often less experienced) player should do in order to complete a task, or simply takes over the task. 2.6 Burch & Wiseman’s