Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
more attractive homestead. MMOG publishers have joined in, of ering vir-
tual goods on limited servers through Sony's Station Exchange program 47
or Warhammer Online 's Specialized Training Pack, which allows players
to spend dollars to get levels for each character on their account. 48 The
changes and introduction of dif erent means by which to generate revenue
certainly increases options for game publishers when it comes to recouping
their investment. At the same time it leaves gamers worrying about where
these changes will lead 49 and concerned that micro-transactions and item
sales do not “fi t a lot of traditional mmo [sic] senarios [sic] and if you try
and shoehorn it into these you could break your game balance horribly and
end up pissing of your fanbase.” 50 The terrain in which games are played
are changing, altering the audience for games and the beliefs of the player
base. These changes, particularly the strong response from some players,
is indicative of the most substantial stake in the heart of balance as an
ideograph, that the obsession with balance is representative of a relatively
homogenous group of designers and players.
One of the key functions of an ideograph is that it represents the ideo-
logical biases of the community in which the ideograph is used. As a large
portion of the focus on balance comes from game designers, it is relevant
to note that the game design industry is largely a homogenous group of
white men. 51 When over 83% of game designers are white and over 88%
are men, 52 it becomes reasonable to understand why some elements of
game design may be common across a variety of dif erent game genres and
over time. Add in the fact that a substantial portion of gamers tilt in the
same direction as developers, as 72% of console gamers are men, 53 and
it is relevant to question the ramifi cations of seemingly small elements of
the discourse of video games. When most game developers and console
game players are demographically similar to Trubshaw and Bartle, it is
reasonable to think that they may seek similar things from video games,
like an escape from the real world where they see a lack of balance or the
opportunity to test their skills on the fi eld of battle. 54 Game worlds give
the opportunity to completely construct the environment desired and, if
the group of people playing and designing games is relatively homogenous,
there is no perspective from which to critique the dominant ideographs of
their industry. The political function of the ideograph is to shape action by
tapping into previously held beliefs and the homogeneity of the traditional
gaming audience has meant that there are few to question the perception of
a naturally balanced order of things.
Beyond the homogeneity that allows the focus on balance to persist, an
obsession with balance becomes a political excuse for a single approach to
games. If the presumption is that good games are balanced, the approaches
to games are limited. I suspect almost every gamer has decried a cheap loss
or a computer game that somehow cheated, but there is a gap between hav-
ing some balancing principles within games and being focused on perfect
balance. Two easy examples of a potentially dif erent approach are found
 
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