Play-Persona: Modeling Player Behaviour in Computer Games

choice given until the mark “police car” is the chance to pick up a handgun, which in turn is a way
to train the player to pick up objects. We arrive at the second shootout with the possibility to just
observe our “saviors” or to take part in the action either with unarmed close combat or with the
handgun. After climbing the fence (another play-mode learnt from the “advanced movement”
schema) the player gains access to rifles dropped by mercenaries shot by the helicopter that
appears in the back lot of the garage. In the garage, which marks the end of the first half of the
level, we have the first really big confrontation where the player will have to hold a small army of
policemen until a gas tank explodes liberating the way to the fourth shootout. This area can be
quickly evaded just by running in the alley where the player learns another way or negotiating
obstacles: by jumping over a car it is in fact possible to gain access to the warehouse, the first real
breathing room since the beginning. In the lower part of the warehouse another shootout forces
the player out and towards a diner, stage for the last gunfight before the escape of the crew. This
first level does not allow for crew control and it consists mostly of narrow, corridor-like passages,
yet the linearity is concealed with several open areas and a couple of obstacles to overcome in
order to proceed along the path. In spite of the limited set of options available to the player and
the narrow, linear structure, it is very successful in establishing and reinforcing both narrative and
functional play values, furthermore player expression in terms of play style is not only allowed, but
deliberately encouraged in many of the shootout sections.
Navigation and interaction attitudes are important looking glasses through which we can study
emerging play-styles. Navigation attitudes tell us how players move in the game space:
- physical position of the avatar within the limits of the available space in relation to the vector
of hostile NPCs.
- pace of movement (walking, running, staying still, sneaking, sprinting, etc.)
- use of cover, flanking or frontal charges.
- Interaction attitudes inform us on how players chose to negotiate obstacles and NPC:
- preferred weapon
- preferred shooting mode
- use of grenades
- use of advanced teamwork (swap weapon, give ammo, heal, etc.)
- use of individual command or squad command
- whether or not player makes use of aiming modifiers
Studying these variables is the main instrument in order to detect coalescing play-styles.
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