Mapping the Sandbox: Freedom and Boundaries in Player Choices

Ted Freeseman, Bowling Green State University
Tim Bavlnka, Bowling Green State University
Menghan Liu, Bowling Green State University
Nicholas Ware, University of Central Florida

Abstract

The term, "sandbox," in gaming has the ability to conjure images of freedom, the ability to do what one wishes when they wish to do so, but by removing the restrictions that are common in other varieties of games, the sandbox game provides a more defined picture of the limitations that a majority of games share. These limitations can be seen to have specific functions in the overall design of the game. Like the concept of Chekhov's gun--the idea that an object introduced at one point in the story must contribute to the plot--design choice in games is constructed practically so that gamers are assured that their choices have meaning. For example, if a side-scrolling game allows the player to move left and right, as opposed to only moving to the right, then one can surmise that the game will require the player to "go back" at some point in the game. Likewise, if a non-player character can join the player's party in a Role- Playing Game, the player can assume that recruiting or not recruiting the NPC will open some doors and close others.

The panelists in "Mapping the Sandbox" examine the construction of choice in games as well as the interaction of players with those choices; choice and interaction represent modes of creating meaning for players and games. In "The Legend of Sword and Fairy: Chinese Philosophy, Cybernetics, Masculinity and the Individual," Menghan Liu examines how the limited options of an RPG allowed for a renegotiation of masculinity by Chinese players. Continuing the international perspective in "Textualization and Life Choices with Persona 3," Tim Bavlnka looks at the "social links" feature of Japan's "Persona 3" and how its design attempts to formalize social relationships outside of the game. Next, Nicholas Ware moves to a dystopian future in the United States and takes on the popular trend of designing ethical choices with consequences in games; using Bethesda's Fall Out 3 as his example, "Fear and Loathing in Post-Apocalyptic Washington DC," he asks the question, "can you be the villain if you know that you're being bad?" Finally, Ted Freeseman takes matters further into the abstract with "The Singer of Games," an investigation into the process of communal story telling online that relies almost entirely on gaming tropes for structural coherence and narrative accessibility. Each presentation focuses on intersections that are built into games where players take one path over the other, the choices made revealing designer intent and player's character. The interaction between player choice and game design not only shows the potential and limitations of choices one makes in games, but also how and why those choices lead to a functional, enjoyable experience.