[MUD-Dev] Blog about GDC implies changes to MMORPG population

[Morris Cox]

On 7/15/05, Paul Schwanz <pschwanz at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> Morris Cox wrote:

> At Full Sail, in our Ethics and Psychology class last month, we
> were tasked to create a game concept that took into account
> personality types as well as personality disorders.  My group put
> together a preliminary design document for a game called "The
> Asylum."

There are also different levels of each type. eNF*j, for example.
Lowercase for weak, * after a letter for strong, and uppercase for
standard (X for 50/50). Then there's also the perception of the
personality type/temperament. Where one is and who they are around
might influence the expression of the type/temperament

> The basic premise involves playing a character whose memory has
> been erased and who has been locked away in an Asylum.  (Think
> Manchurian Candidate; the character knew too much.)  The character
> must enlist the aid of other patients in order to rediscover their
> past, escape, and expose the conspiracy.  The main concept is that
> each of the patients is a psychological puzzle for the player to
> solve.  Figuring out personality disorders and, to a lesser
> extent, MBTI types is essential in order to garner cooperation in
> getting past the game's obstacles.  In addition, during Check-In
> at the asylum (our character creation), the player selects a
> personality disorder for their own character.  This works as a
> sort of character class for the game.  Managing your own sanity is
> an important concept for the game, and your own disorder affects
> your limitations and how a slip toward insanity is presented.

Nice. And the personality disorder is expressed with more nuances as
the game goes on. Maybe actually change the graphics, interface, and
overall look of the game for each person based on the personality
type/temperament and personality disorder of that person.

> Our focus tended to be more toward personality disorders than MBTI
> types, and we allowed players to choose these outright instead of
> having them take a test in order to figure out what sort of
> character they should play, but I think the same core concepts lie
> at the heart of either approach.  In the end, I think that
> exploring the psychological aspects of characters makes for some
> interesting game concepts (cf.  Psychonauts).  I wish we'd had
> more time to flesh out some of our ideas, but we only had abut 12
> hours to get the design document and presentation in place.

Disorders seem to interest/fascinate people more than orders do, so
that was probably a good way to go. Don't know whether it would be
better to have the test upfront or as-you-go-along. However, I
figure that it's better to get the person into the game quickly
(especially for non-primary characters) and let them learn as they
go along.

> Our game design document was put together as a class exercise and
> I have no reservations about sharing it as such (it is not a
> proposal of any type).  In addition to the psychological
> exploration of personality types and disorders, the assignment
> also required that we flesh out how our design would be
> gender-inclusive (based on concepts fro Sheri Garner Ray's book)
> and includes additional values and ethics statements for our
> fictitious design studio that are not typical design document
> fare.  Drop me an email if you are interested in a copy.  It is a
> 14-page word document with graphics, so it is rather large.

Please do. I have no decent game development experience, however, I
am still quite interested and I am good with ideas.

--=20
Morris "MorrisCat" Cox
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