Avoid Punishing Players When They Don’t Play the Way You Intended
As previously mentioned, players will engage with your game according to their own preferences. While some may proceed with caution, advancing slowly and methodically, others may take significant risks, opting for aggressive and fast-paced gameplay. Regardless of how their approach manifests, it is ultimately the player’s decision. Developers should avoid imposing specific playstyles that were envisioned during development. Since not all players aim to be the best or most efficient, every playstyle should be considered valid, regardless of its overall effectiveness.
Examples of playstyles that players may adopt:
Slow-Paced Gameplay
Slow-paced gameplay is not limited to beginners or casual players; it can be adopted by anyone who wishes to reduce the tempo of their experience for a variety of reasons. The following list outlines several examples:
Players may need additional time before making decisions, such as:
Issuing orders.
Choosing the appropriate weapon.
Selecting a dialogue branch.
Players may require time to read and comprehend on-screen text, including:
Instructions.
Dialogue transcriptions.
Information about the game world and its characters.
Players may wish to study visual elements, such as:
The graphical user interface.
Maps.
Plans and layouts.
Situational developments, such as ongoing events on a battlefield.
Players may need to practice aspects such as:
Mastery of the control scheme.
Timing of specific inputs.
Players may want to appreciate visual elements on-screen, including:
Landscapes.
Characters.
Crafted objects.
Customized vehicles.
Players may wish to enjoy the audio experience, including:
Ambient sounds.
Sound effects.
Music.
Singing.
Conversations.
Players may need to wait for events to occur, such as:
Rewards appearing in the game world.
Other players connecting to the session.
Developers should refrain from penalizing players for adopting a slow-paced approach. Instead, they should reward those who choose to act swiftly. The following are some examples of appropriate rewards:
Successfully performing several consequential kills in a brief period.
Capturing strategic points, such as a hill, in record time.
Setting the fastest lap in a racing event.
Executing multiple moves in rapid succession during a combat sequence.
Supreme Tactics
Players may at times develop tactics that differ significantly from the strategies originally intended by the developers. These alternative tactics may be:
Faster: The player’s primary goal is to act with speed. For example:
Completing a game segment as quickly as possible in a speedrun.
Gaining immediate access to numerous resources via commands in a cheat console.
Grinding to achieve the maximum level in a particular skill.
Safer: The player’s priority is to minimize risk. For example:
In an action game, using a helicopter to bypass dangerous roadblocks, whereas developers intended the use of a car.
In an action game, locating a distant mountain to eliminate a target using a sniper rifle, avoiding close combat with guards as anticipated by developers.
In a strategy game, employing submarines with ballistic missiles to destroy an enemy base slowly but safely, contrary to the developer’s expectation of a fast ground assault using tanks and infantry.
Flawless Gameplay
Some players strive to complete objectives without making any errors. When players adopt this approach, it should be respected, and the game should accommodate the challenge they impose upon themselves. While rewarding flawless gameplay can serve as motivation for players to pursue such an ideal, such incentives may not always resonate with the entire player base.
One of the reasons to be cautious about incentivizing flawless gameplay is that human error is a natural part of life. From a young age, people are often taught to aim for perfection, particularly in academic settings. However, as they transition into adulthood and enter the workforce, many come to realize that perfection is not always the most important attribute. In fact, those who are willing to take risks and occasionally fail often achieve greater long-term success—this is a recurring theme in the stories of many successful entrepreneurs. Consequently, if you choose to reward flawless gameplay, consider designing rewards in a way that allows for some degree of imperfection.
Consider the following example:
The player’s goal is to remain undetected throughout a mission. Before implementing a reward for such gameplay, assess whether players have a fair chance of remaining undetected for the mission’s entire duration. If it is highly unlikely—meaning players will probably make at least one mistake that leads to detection or suspicion—it would be unwise to punish that single error. Instead, the system should permit a few mistakes to ensure the gameplay remains enjoyable. Imagine watching two young boys play the violin. Would you prefer to watch the first boy, who makes a few mistakes but smiles throughout his performance, or the second boy, who plays perfectly but shows no emotion?
Aggressive Gameplay
An aggressive approach to gameplay may stem from various motivations:
A desire to dominate the game environment.
A need to assert control or demonstrate authority.
An ambition to win at any cost.
A wish to attract attention.
A pursuit of thrill and dramatic tension.
A sense of confidence.
An expression of anger.
Aggressive gameplay can often be an effective strategy, both against artificial intelligence and human opponents. It also tends to be more emotionally engaging than defensive, slow-paced, or methodical styles. Given that this approach is generally more challenging to execute, it should be rewarded appropriately. The following are examples of actions that merit recognition:
Achieving successive feats, such as:
Multiple kills in a short span.
Combos in fighting games.
Performing high-risk maneuvers, such as:
Driving against traffic on a highway.
Charging directly into heavily defended enemy positions.