Chapter 2.23. Emotioneering Techniques Category 23: Enhancing Emotional Depth Through Symbols

Chapter 2.23. Emotioneering Techniques Category #23: Enhancing Emotional Depth Through Symbols

When an object or phrase is a window through which the winds of emotion blow.

Film and television writers

have learned methods of using symbols to give characters, scenes, and stories emotional depth and resonance. In games, the ideal is to go one step further and create Usable Symbols symbols that have emotional power, but that are also useful in gameplay. This chapter shows a few ways of creating such symbols.

Films and television shows use symbols. In The Matrix, the city of Zion is a symbol of rebellion and hope, even though we never see it.

Advertising uses symbols. The McDonald's arches? They're symbols.

The American flag is a symbol. And that photo on your desk of your loved ones? That's a symbol too.

Symbols resonate with emotion. They can be quite powerful.

When you create a symbol, you're not trying to create an intellectual puzzle, where the player tries to figure out what the symbol means. Such an intellectual exercise would work directly counter to the goal of increasing emotional immersion.

Instead, symbols should evoke emotions even though, when you do your work well, most of the players won't consciously notice the symbols you use. It's not necessary for a player to notice a symbol to be emotionally affected by it.

It's certainly all right if a relatively small percentage of players who consciously notice your symbol might stop and think about the symbol's meaning or meanings.[1] This is only acceptable if, at the same time, the symbol generates in them an emotional experience too. This chapter will give you guidelines as to how to accomplish this.

[1] A loose rule I often apply is that I want about 25% of the players to consciously notice a symbol I use in a game, with about 75% of the players not consciously aware of it. Of course, although they may not be explicitly aware of the symbol, they're still emotionally affected by it. If many more players than this are aware of your symbol and it's supposed meaning, then there's a good chance you're being heavy-handed. The emotional power latent in your symbol will be diminished or destroyed. I suggest that you avoid having a symbol in your game be obvious unless you have a specific reason for having it be that apparent.



Creating Emotion in Games. The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
ISBN: 1592730078
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 394

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