Alfnak Alfventures

Hey there readers! Quick post about an interesting Skyrim mod I played through recently. You can find "Alfnak Ruin" here, along with the results of the (no longer active) survey that goes with it. It's a pretty straightforward dungeon, nothing spectacular if you're looking for cool Skyrim mods (if you are, that's a TOTALLY different blog post, on probably a totally different blog), but I liked the fact that it was created for the purpose of gathering data. Stats? And Skyrim?! How could I say no?



I predict with 95% confidence that this place is full of SW33T LOOT.

Since I spend all day at work on the "organizer" side of the study, it was fun to see a study from the point of view of the participant instead. The mod creator didn't set up any requirements for participation. I wondered if I should create a new character to play through the dungeon, or use one of my existing characters? I usually test newly-downloaded dungeon mods with my Orc warrior since she's difficult to kill and unlikely to be stymied by any poorly-balanced bossfights a modder might throw in to the mix. But I was interested in how this guy had designed his data-gathering dungeon, so I didn't really want to tear through it with battleaxes blazing. I ended up using my stealthy Khajit mage to better ascertain the nature of the dungeon before ripping it apart.


It's right next to Riverwoood (aka Startsville), so I could have played through with a new character. I don't suggest it, though. This place includes a few Superdeath Killtime Draugr Murderlords (band name?)


The creator didn't end up asking any questions about what kind of character I used to travel through the dungeon, just what my choices were. Did I pick up the dagger in the first room with the fire mage? No. Did I choose the path with the swinging axes, or the path with the enemies? Enemies. Did I follow the stream to the dead end cave? Totally. I love streams!

Once he finished the study, he posted his results and findings on the original mod-download page (if you scroll past the pictures of the dungeon itself, you'll find graphs of the data.) I was one of 55 people to try the mod and take the survey, and one of only 10 female participants to do so. I know video games are typically more popular with guys, but I was really surprised by that one! I would think that Skyrim (and the Elder Scrolls series in general) appeals to female gamers, since it includes numerous, varied and interesting female NPCs, and you can play as a male character or a female character. Weird. I line up perfectly with the age demo, though-- more than half the participants were over 23 years old.

The study was all about environmental influence on player choice: can you use passive game elements to subtly direct a player's actions? It's an important area of study. The key aspect of video games that distinguishes them from other storytelling mediums is the player's ability to choose how to interact with the game world. Video games can be incredibly sophisticated storytelling engines, but there's always a little push-and-pull between the story that that writer wants to tell and the freedom that the player desires. I mean, if they player decides that the story of this game is "Mario jumps off a ledge and dies, repeatedly," then that's the story of the game. Not much you can do about it.

It's understandable that a game designer wants players to experience the intricate, dramatic story she spent so long weaving, hence the prevalence of strictly linear games. Event A happens, then you get Objective B, and the only unblocked path is in Direction C, so there you go. The story unfolds in the manner and order that the game developer wants it to. But if the game restricts the player's freedom too tightly, it starts to feel less like you're interacting with the game world and more like you're just wheeling a character from one cutscene to the next.

Not to say that there aren't very, very well-made games that follow a linear storyline! The best ones exhibit a delicate balance between allowing the player freedom and directing the player's actions toward furthering the plot. The subtler the direction on the part of the game designers, the more connected the gamer feels to the consequences of her actions-- she feels like a true participant in the story, rather than just an observer. Some artsier games like to lean on the fourth wall a little, and maybe include dramatic twists that cause the player to question whether they really have free will in a video game or if it's all an elaborate, entertaining ruse designed to make them think they're in control.


A MAN CHOOSES, A SLAVE OBEYS the convention to include a predictable Bioshock reference in a gaming article

Skyrim isn't a linear game. It's one of those big ol' open-world games with tons of stuff to discover, or not, as you choose. There are dozens of different storylines for you to follow or ignore, plenty of factions you could join or destroy, and a million different playing styles to use while you explore. Skyrim employs a laissez-faire approach to their players' actions: yeah, you can pick up a sword and slay the dragons and save the world, or you could stealth-kill them with a bow, or if you just want to pick flowers and catch butterflies that's cool too. In an open-world game, it's more important than ever to use passive, environmental clues to point players toward interesting bits of gameplay without forcing their actions. Which is what Alfnak Ruin is all about!

The mod creator had predicted that most players would pick up the dagger, since it was visually striking and prominently placed in the center of the room. I didn't pick up the dagger, and neither did about half of the players. I certainly noticed the dagger, and had I been playing a different kind of character, I might have picked it up. As it was, my stealthy-mage doesn't really have much use for daggers, so I left the very pretty, very memorable visual element where it was. It still definitely commanded my attention, though.

Here, the designer predicted that most players would choose the corridor with the axes rather than the corridor with the enemies. In a previous set of corridors, the player could travel down an empty corridor or one filled with swinging axes-- most players chose the empty corridor, as predicted. In this case, about half the players (myself included) chose the enemy corridor over the axe corridor, running counter to the designer's hypothesis. Heck, I coulda told him that without even playing the game. Of course you want the path with the enemies rather than the one with the axes, axes don't drop any loot!. Also, might be a personal thing, but I just can't judge the distance between my character and those axes very well no matter how many graphics tweaks I try. I avoid them whenever possible.

Aw, now I just feel dumb. I didn't even realize there was a locked door. But the results show that most other players did notice the locked door, and they correctly assumed that a locked door in a video game is probably hiding something interesting. An effective use of passive environmental elements to direct a player's actions!

Fuck yes I followed that river. I don't even regret that it only led me to a dead end, it was an ENTICING VISUAL ELEMENT that PASSIVELY INFLUENCED MY CHOICES along with the choices of an overwhelming majority of players. Plus, I mean, it could have led to some nirnroot.

In conclusion, it was fun to be a part of a study on an interesting aspect of game design, and I really liked that I got to see the results after he was done. Also, you should go read my friend's blog, Cardinal Virtual. He's better at vidja-game-fancy-talk than I am and his posts are really interesting to read, so go check it out!