Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
By analyzing any given situation or decision and applying what should osten-
sibly be an objective rating to the various facets involved, he believed you could
arrive at a score that was descriptive of what should or should not be done. The
decisions themselves could be of low importance such as selecting a flavor of ice
cream, or they could be of great weight such as selecting the benefit of one human
life over another during a deadly medical outbreak.
Bentham Goes to Dinner
To show how the formula works, we can toss all sorts of anecdotal examples at it.
If I were to try to decide how to spend money on a night out with the family, for
example, I would likely want to weigh the pros and cons of various activities. If we
were to go to dinner, I may be presented with a wide variety of choices of where to
go. If I were to analyze certain components of the dining experience, however, we
may be able to sift through the possibilities a bit easier. By using Bentham's seven
criteria, I can at least get a better idea of how these choices stack up.
Intensity:
There may be a significant difference in the quality of the food from
one establishment to another (intensity of the pleasure). On the other hand,
that can easily be countered with a significant difference in the amount of money
I would need to pay (intensity of displeasure). Of course, that necessitates me
weighing the relative utilities of the pleasure from the food and the displeasure
of spending money.
Duration:
Do we enjoy spending time at an eating establishment? If so, we may
include the value of how long the pleasure lasts. Driving through a burger joint
and inhaling their wares in the car doesn't provide a long duration of pleasure;
sitting down in a restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere and taking our time
may be an important part of the experience for us.
Certainty:
If we are familiar with a restaurant, and know what our favorite
dishes are there, we can be more certain of the pleasure than if we were to go to
a new, unfamiliar establishment where we don't know what we are getting into.
In that case, if we aren't feeling experimental—such as a night when we are
treating company to dinner—we may want to play it safer and avoid the uncer-
tainty involved in visiting a new restaurant.
Remoteness (Time Distance):
If we are very hungry or are concerned with
time, we may be more inclined to select a place that is closer to our house than
to drive across town. The delay in the pleasure would be a significant factor to
us. The same could be said for the expected waiting time. If we know that we
can expect to wait an hour before we get served, it may greatly affect our decision.
