Play-Persona: Modeling Player Behaviour in Computer Games

Lindley defines play-gestalts as patterns of interaction between a player and the game, they are
usable subsets of all the game rules and features; they represent a possible minimum set of rules
that are necessary to successfully support a particular playing style [7] and progress in the game.
When presented with these concepts the designers recognized only play-modes and explained that
they are addressed internally as “mechanics” or “features”. Reading the game design documents I
discovered two distinct groups of play-modes: actions performed by the player on the game world
(the avatar, the environment and other NPC) and actions performed by the player on the crew of
mercenaries that follow the avatar.
World play-modes: Shooting play-modes: Crew play-modes
Walk Selecting weapons Ammo request
Run Blind fire mode Shoot at
Sprint 3rd person mode Go there
Crouch Single shot Follow me
Sneak Full auto Crew member heal
Climb Sniping Crew member select
Rappel Bare hands combat
Cover Push-blade combat
Pick up Throwing grenades
Healing
Context-sensitive actions
Observing testers playing, talking to each other and conducting direct interviews allowed me to
group these play modes in schemas, here are the individuated schemas for player actions:
• Movement (walk, run, crouch, pick up) design affected by FPV2
• Action movement (climb, sneak, sprint, rappel, cover, context sensitive actions, healing,
using equipment) design affected by FPV1
• Basic ranged combat (3rd person mode, single shot, selecting weapons) design affected by
FPV2
• Advanced ranged combat (over the shoulder mode, full auto, throwing grenades, variable
modal accuracy, sniping, swapping weapons) design affected by FPV1
• Basic close combat (bare hands) heavily influenced by both FPV1 and 2
• Advanced close combat (push-blade) heavily influenced by both FPV1 and 2
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