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Clare Zhang
Level Design
Best Practices for Guiding Players Through the Use of Visual Stimulation
A video game typically comprises various aesthetic components that engage players in the virtual world . The visual elements of a game deeply impact a player ’ s perception of the game . My thesis focused on how visual stimulation in level design influences players ’ gaming choices .
Push and pull reactions are used to describe how players react to different situations . By researching and applying different level design and conveyance strategies to my level , players could easily identify the critical path without any quest objectives . What players can see helps them navigate the level freely . To attract players ’ attention at the appropriate time , I researched bottom-up attention and used it in the level to highlight critical information with standout visual stimuli .
My artifact is a single-player level created for Crysis 2 , in which the player must navigate around city ruins without any assistance . Branching paths with hazards or visual effects were included to assist players in identifying correct direction and reaching the end .
Through this project , I gained a deeper understanding of how level design affects player choice and how to adapt my level for different types of players . This knowledge can be used to explore how to guide players with different elements and convey important information appropriately .
Level designers who focus on different types of players should further study this topic and develop better solutions to guide players effectively in different game genres .
82 LEVEL DESIGN