[arg_discuss] Topic of the Week Aug. 17: Ghost Players

[Michael Monello]

I think it's easier to have characters deliver hints or push the players via story elements. We used "ghost players" in Art of the Heist, but they didn't mingle with the players and they weren't used to give hints. Maybe they weren't technically ghost players, I don't know, but we needed to model behavior for the retrieval missions, so we basically executed an entire mission inside the story, with outside characters coming in to help Ian and Nisha. This basically set up the model for the kind of help they would need at missions and how to participate.

I think most all the players understood what we were doing while it was going on and there was no backlash that I am aware of, but I guess technically our helpers were NPC rather than "Ghost Players."

-Mike


On 8/17/09 6:09 PM, "Nathan Mishler" <nathan at studiocypher.com> wrote:

I am leery of this for several reasons.

One of the things we have observed in the playerbase is that players
gain social presige (and personal pride) when they either solve a
puzzle outright or participate a little bit in noticing something that
leads to the solve.

If a "ghost player" does either of these things, then you are
rewarding these things to someone who doesn't exist. That's both lame
and have the potential for a lot of backlash if the players realize
that "one of them" isn't real, as seen from the recent furor over the
community member who turned out to be a trailhead in disguise.

This is of course assuming that your players don't know the person is
fake. If it's an obvious PM controlled participant in the story
(confidant to the players) that's a little better. Still, I'd try to
make it so at least someone real has the opportunity to notice this
hint and bring it to the players. Don't deprive them, enable them!

On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 12:14 PM, O'Donnell, Dean M<dodo at wpi.edu> wrote:

> As used at ARGFest, it was a term denoting "players" who were actually controlled by the PMs.

>

> So if the real players got stuck on a puzzle, the Ghost Player could send a hint as if he just had a brainstorm.

>

> Dean

> ________________________________________

> From: arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org [arg_discuss-bounces at igda.org] On Behalf Of Hugh Davies [marcus.helm at gmail.com]

> Sent: Monday, August 17, 2009 11:46 AM

> To: Discussion list of the IGDA ARG SIG

> Subject: Re: [arg_discuss] Topic of the Week Aug. 17: Ghost Players

>

> I'm assuming Ghost Player are those uncommitted followers of a games

> narrative who rarely make their presence known.

>

> A ludic term for lurking?

>

> hugh

>

>

> On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 4:39 PM, Nathan Mishler <nathan at studiocypher.com>wrote:

>

>> Okay.

>>

>> Hmm. Define Ghost Players?

>>

>> On Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 10:08 AM, Andrea Phillips<andrhia at gmail.com>

>> wrote:

>> > The topic of "Ghost Players" came up at ARGfest.

>> >

>> > Discuss.

>> >

>> > --

>> > Andrea Phillips

>> > http://www.aaphillips.com

>> > AIM: Andrh1a * Skype: Andrhia

>> > Words * Culture * Interaction

>> > _______________________________________________

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>> >

>>

>>

>>

>> --

>> Nathan Mishler

>> Studio Cypher, LLC

>> "Curious Games for Curious People"

>> http://www.twitter.com/StudioCypher

>> (812) 361-5981

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--
Nathan Mishler
Studio Cypher, LLC
"Curious Games for Curious People"
http://www.twitter.com/StudioCypher
(812) 361-5981
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