Jesper Juul’s Casual Games: a case study in juiciness

Game theorist Jesper Juul gave a talk in his new position at MIT Gambit, January 17. His organizing point was that casual games, as the game industry knows, are not casual in use. They are games that users spend a lot of time playing, which often translates into money or ads viewed. His research looks at how (design) and why (users) casual games can produce two kinds of anomalies in the last decade of very complex, non-newbie-centric immersive video game design.

1. The hardcore casual gamer
2. The person who “does not play video games” but plays casual games

As you might guess #1 reflects addictive design, which has been a principle sincec Tetris, with some interesting twists. A general difference between traditional arcade games and casual games (aside form the environment––one is an arcade the other is usually your office computer): causal games are designed for even greater levels of users satisfaction.

The three design traits of CG versus arcade play

a) the easy interruption of level play: this means when you restart the game you do not have to reboot it from level 1.
b) easy-into the game and easy-out to make it even more attractive….but you never want to leave you just want to level.
c) the other is “Juiciness”

Juiciness: the player is always rewarded for playing

Juiciness in video games is extra-play feedback. The game gives you all kinds of *love* for nearly everything you do. It is full-on-flavor feedback where each action is rewarded with positive feedback with many !!!!! This can be sound effects, colors, fireworks, rollovers, explosions, animations…all of the above.

In a sense, Juiciness fits into the design category ease-of-use, which is a trait that is modulated differently for each game genre and mechanics: the extensive feedback lets the user know she is playing the game right. That may be important when it is unclear what the game is. See Affordances of the Familiar (J.D.Norman). Or if may detract from game play is discovery the game is part of the fun.

Check out Peggle, the CG game Juul used as a case study in juiciness.

Check Juul’s postingson CG nouveau and classic, like solitaire.

Caution: making a game easy or without consequences may not be the way to create the most fun. Mistakes without loss, death without dying, and unlimited economy in a game can just make it boring. Juul’s mini-survey suggests (as others have) that games where players are responsible for their actions, i.e. there are consequences, engage players at a greater level than those without.