At the 2024 Global Game Developers Conference (GDC) this week, Chen Xinghan, CEO of indie studio Thatgamecompany, gave a speech explaining some of the design concepts behind the social MMO game Light Encounter.
Chen Xinghan said that the cumulative number of downloads of "Light Encounter" has exceeded 260 million times so far, and this number continues to grow. More than 70% of all active players in Light Encounter are women, and about 80% of players are between the ages of 13 and 24. In countries such as China, Japan, the United States, and Malaysia, the game is very popular with people.
However, Chen Xinghan pointed out that online games are often full of various "toxic" behaviors of players, which is also related to the design ideas of the development team. So, how exactly did Chen's team create a digital space that largely eliminates the phenomenon of players spraying each other, provoking each other, and humiliating each other?
According to Chen Xinghan, it all started with the change of gaming platform. Thatgamecompany's masterpiece Journey was a huge success on PlayStation, but with the rise of mobile, Chan wanted to bring his new title there to reach more players. "The number of people who started playing the game increased tenfold, and a lot of players simply didn't know what was going on on PlayStation. Chen Xinghan said.
Thatgamecompany wanted to make a "four-quadrant" game with the goal of appealing to a variety of different types of players. Chen Xinghan pointed out that if the studio continues to make PlayStation games, it will mean developing for "a male-dominated platform". "We realized that if we stayed on PlayStation and home consoles, we would only be able to reach a small part of the market at most. ”
As a result, Chen Xinghan decided to shift from making console games to making mobile-first MMOs, "from hardcore gamers to everyone." Through Wind Traveler, Thatgamecompany has gained some experience in developing online gameplay. "When we made Wind Traveler, we didn't develop any chat [features]...... It's very safe, there is no harassment in the game, and there is no provocation or taunting of each other. ”
Unlike Wind Traveler, during the development of Light Encounter, Chen's team wanted to create a "large social chat room" where players could shake hands, hug, high-five, dance, or play music together. However, in order to stop players from indulging in harmful behaviors while interacting with each other, Thatgamecompany must find ways to solve the many new problems that come with it.
Chen Xinghan said that in online games, the reason why some players speak out against others is not because they are "naturally angry", but because they always seek "maximum feedback". Just like newborn babies, players seek feedback in the digital space, but sometimes feedback can be misinterpreted...... Chen discussed this phenomenon with a child psychologist who advised him to use positive feedback to encourage positive behavior (in the game), and conversely, not to provide any feedback if the developer didn't want to see certain behaviors from the player.
Chen Xinghan said that this concept runs through the social and reward system of Light Encounter, and prompted the development team to deliberately set a high threshold for players to access some social features, so as to encourage players to engage in some positive behaviors. For example, in a game, the player's username is hidden by default, and all other people appear as shadows, not visible until a strong relationship is established with each other...... In addition, it is only possible to sit on the game's "chat bench" and talk if two players agree to interact.
There are also some more gentle social filtering techniques in Light Encounter, such as the fact that a player's public information can be seen by their "best friend" - usually, players want to prove to their friends that they are good people, so most players don't do evil. "The higher the barrier to entry, the friendlier the players will be when socializing because they need to work hard to qualify. Chen Xinghan said. He describes in-game chat moderation as a last resort, or "an ambulance under a cliff."
"When we encourage players to spend time interacting with other people, we should make them feel like the experience is great, rather than forcing them to do so or using unlockable items as bait. Chen Xinghan revealed that the gameplay of Light Encounter, which allows players to give away items to each other, is designed to encourage players to socialize, making in-game items cheaper: 40% and 22% of the season passes and event tickets sold in Light Encounter are given to friends by players.
Chen Xinghan added that if a game always makes players feel powerful, it will naturally trigger bad behavior among some players. Conversely, if the game makes the player feel vulnerable, then they will be more concerned about the other people around them and will tend to work together to solve problems.
Original translation https://mobilegamer.biz/jenova-chen-explains-why-theres-no-teabagging-in-sky-children-of-the-light/