Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Looking at the list, we would think that the only things that mattered were the
intensity and duration (amount) of the pleasure. However, the one thing that was
missing in Bentham's list was the notion of
context
. The decision in question did
not
happen in a vacuum. It was not entirely stand-alone. Some ramifications were not
covered by the seven parameters.
The second lesson is that utility values don't always ebb and flow the way we
would expect them to. Or at least not in a way that is as simple and clear-cut as
we would like. Everything that we have internalized about the laws of supply and
demand tells us that as a price goes up, we should consume less of it. However, that
outlook is simplistic in the sense that it doesn't take into account all of the other
laws that are in effect at the time… notably that we were working between the
bookends of finite quantities and finite demands.
The third lesson is that lab rats are a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
I
NTHE
G
AME
Wizardry and Wands
The reason the rats even had a decision to make in the first place was that they were
on a budget. They had a limited number of level presses available to them. We can
think of that limit in terms of “income.� Additionally, they had a fixed amount of
thirst. They had a set amount of liquid (of any type) that they wanted to consume.
This is analogous to “expenses.� Given the juxtaposition of those two limits, we
have a very simple income vs. expense comparison. That's what Giffen goods were
originally designed to analyze.
The question of income vs. expense is no stranger in the game world. Obvious
examples come from the strategy game world, where purchasing decisions are com-
mon. Examples abound in which we must decide how to distribute a fixed amount
of a resource between two or more options with differing costs. However, there are
other game choices that involve income and expense transactions that aren't quite
as obvious simply because they don't use the familiar “buy and spend� terminology.
Imagine we are a spell-casting character in a role-playing game (RPG). We have
the ability to cast a fireball spell but with only moderate results—dealing a paltry
five points of damage. However, we are packing a magic wand that casts a blizzard
spell that does 60 points of damage. The drawback of the wand, however, is that it
only has a limited number of charges. We are reluctant to use it unless it is absolutely
necessary. With our own spell-casting, for all intents and purposes we can cast spells
as many times as we want. Given the choice, we would prefer to use our fireball spell
and save the wand's blizzard for urgent situations. Regardless of whether we are
casting a spell or using our wand, it takes us five seconds to perform either action.
