Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs – Cognition & Disruption in Gameplay
- Submitting institution
-
University of Portsmouth
- Unit of assessment
- 32 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
- Output identifier
- 26321964
- Type
- T - Other
- DOI
-
-
- Location
- -
- Brief description of type
- A multi-component output with contextual information consisting of video capture of games design and three published essays
- Open access status
- -
- Month
- -
- Year
- 2020
- URL
-
-
- Supplementary information
-
-
- Request cross-referral to
- -
- Output has been delayed by COVID-19
- No
- COVID-19 affected output statement
- -
- Forensic science
- No
- Criminology
- No
- Interdisciplinary
- No
- Number of additional authors
-
0
- Research group(s)
-
-
- Proposed double-weighted
- No
- Reserve for an output with double weighting
- No
- Additional information
- The project is a MULTI-COMPONENT output with contextual information documenting the research development of gaming software. It consists of ONE digital media output, video capture of games design, and THREE conference contributions examining cognition/disruption in gameplay gained through software development research. Available via USB from REF archive.
The context of the project is ‘disruptive’ game design which builds on cognitive psychological theory, encouraging players to use higher-order thinking alongside more common performative challenges found in many games. This requires players to cognitively engage more deeply as their expectations of game rules and behaviours are disrupted. Designed to test the capacities of commercial software, it questions the possibility of operationalising disruptive game design so that it supports higher-order player cognitive engagement during play, and how players report their experiences.
Following a bespoke ‘research-through-design’ methodology, this project sought first to determine the pragmatics of using disruptive game design before examining players’ responses to intentionally ‘disruptive’ design interventions. It tested game designs that support players in satiating their psychological needs for achievement/mastery at a performative level alongside problem-solving/creativity at a cognitive level. This resulted in an open-source cross-console/ platform (PlayStation4, XBox1, Nintendo Switch, PC Software) commercial game which embodies new theoretical insights into game design.
Insights from a large-scale phenomenological analysis of over 100 pages of player discussion data indicated positive appetite for games using disruptive principles, suggesting commercial viability. Combining psychological principles with phenomenological analysis enabled publications of a new theoretical framework on ‘ludic cognition’, a psychologically informed ontological ‘model of game space’, and on ‘interpretive play’ and optimal arousal regulation during play.
The research was presented at prestigious games conferences including DiGRA 2014 and 2019 and POCG 2016, subsequently published. Multi-platform releases of Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020) have received approximately 2m downloads worldwide.
- Author contribution statement
- -
- Non-English
- No
- English abstract
- -