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Blake Dooley
Level Design
Motivated Design : Best Practices for Using Gamer Motivators to Create Level Frameworks and Curated Encounters
This thesis was the most technically challenging endeavor I undertook during my time at SMU Guildhall . Over roughly 200 hours , I created a non-linear level in which players could engage with whatever they wanted , whenever they wanted . The goal of this thesis was to demonstrate a set of best practices for creating content that appeals to the Gamer Motivators , a set of terms used to define what sorts of content motivates players to engage with it from moment to moment .
I gained many insights in gamer psychology over the course of testing this thesis . Some conclusions were predictable , such as that players who like to explore would experience the highest
percentage of content . Other conclusions were more surprising , like the observation that some kinds of explorers avoided skill checks so that they could experience their desired content faster , while others partook in skill checks as a method of gaining more experience and loot .
I think the best practices defined in this thesis could be very beneficial to junior developers and students , as they define sets of actions that players can engage with in specific titles . If a teacher or senior developer defines what those actions are into categories , then developers would have a framework for what sorts of content they would like to provide for their players .
38 LEVEL DESIGN