Gameplay and psychological foundations of discomfort
Art and business standards and interconnections of these aspects
Let's try to navigate in consumer preferences, based on well-known observations made not only in the field of the gaming industry. The experience of the film industry is also interesting, especially since it is much older than the game.
Some data on games, platforms and genres:
')
Preference statistics published on "E3" in 2003:
* 57.3% gaming consoles.
* 26.7% personal computers.
* 2.6% online games.
* 13.3% all others (PDA, telephones, combo and portable devices).
Distribution of announced games by genres:
* 20.3% Action
* 15.5% Sports & Driving
* 11.7% RPG
* 8.3% Strategy
* 8% Adventure
* 5.1% Family & Child
* 4.8% Educational / Edutainment
* 2.9% Simulation
The analysis of demand in the film industry has been engaged for a long time and professionally, since its very existence depends on the box office. Let us try to determine the similarity of the average consumer of film and gaming products, and draw useful conclusions for us.
Selection criteria by which the consumer of film production is oriented
* Budget.
o In the film industry: Mega budget is one of the main criteria for consumer choice. This parameter estimates the expected level of the product and the number of special effects.
o In the gaming industry: A large budget in the gaming industry is not so clearly interpreted. This criterion may be an indicator of product quality, but often it is an attribute of a failed project.
* Producer.
o In the film industry: The director's name is often a serious criterion for selection.
o In the gaming industry: You can list several names - Carmack, Sid Meier, Peter Muline, etc. But more often they pay attention to the publisher or developer.
* Actors.
o In the film industry: At times, the viewer comes to the cinema in order to look at the unfortunate role of the famous actor “The Policeman from Kindergarten”.
o In the gaming industry: There is a trend: Duke Nyukem, Lara Croft, Max Payne. Today, however, this is the exception rather than the rule.
* Scenario or adaptation of popular works.
o In the film industry: None of the above will help a bad scenario.
o In the gaming industry: The scenario, as a game concept, has the same properties as in the movie. Adaptations of popular works, such as The Lord of the Rings of Tolkien and Harry Potter, by JK Rowling often become hits.
Genre affiliation, movies and games.
* Action: In the film and gaming industry, preferences are similar. Action and Action are the most popular genres.
* Children's films, cartoons: In the gaming industry, this category includes Family & Child, Adventure, Sports & Driving.
* Melodrama: A serious niche in the film industry; The closest analogue in the gaming industry is a quest, but, unfortunately, quests are not so profitable. Although on the other hand, the Sims are not a soap opera, and with box-office success they are fine ...
* Fantasy: A very popular genre in movies and games, but the game always has something from fiction, so talking about a separate genre of fiction in games is difficult.
* Comedy: A popular and difficult genre in the cinema, but in the gaming industry, this subject is not presented in its pure form.
Of course, not all genres are listed in the movies and games ...
Consumer preferences.
* Cinema for all: American (medium) standard, this category of films is most popular.
* Elite cinema: Films that most often receive prestigious awards, but box office success is not their indispensable attribute.
Summary
Listed about ten main criteria that affect consumer preferences.
The film industry is an art that is taught, around which a huge, self-sufficient world has formed; there are traditions there. Perhaps an excursion into the history of cinema will allow a better understanding of the gaming industry.
In the 1950s, when films began to bring losses, professionals began to be attracted to the study of the market: sociologists, psychologists, advertisers, etc. Gradually, it became clear to them and everyone else that society is a living organism, with changes following economics and politics. needs. At the same time, taste, behavior, lifestyle of millions of people can radically change even for a relatively short period of time.
The audience was affected by: the May youth revolution in Paris in 1968; "Sexual revolution"; major technical and environmental disasters; mystic onset; space exploration and the race of superpowers in space, and much more. Chaplin also checked the filmed trick on the audience. If they did not laugh, go retake.
In the 60s. The era ended when the question of what to show to the public was decided by directors, scriptwriters, artists, film studio leaders. Now, if the script is defined by the marketing service as having commercial value, then the film is being shot. Otherwise, no authority of the producer or director will be enough to start the film production. In other words, the decision is made primarily in the light of current consumer stereotypes.
Similarly, gaming product developers are wary of affecting new concepts that haven't had time to establish themselves. On the other hand, there are pleasant exceptions, for example, “Black & White” or “Max Payne” and some others. Innovative products are unique, and therefore have no competitors in the market. Thus, the emergence of new stereotypes must be monitored and sometimes even created by them.
Currently, the gaming industry itself is a hostage to the prevailing stereotypes that arose in the 80s - early 90s of the last century. The gaming industry, as a new form of entertainment, produced games, in the concepts of which technical limitations were deliberately taken into account. Game concepts and gameplay have changed little since then, there is a banal build-up of muscles. To invent something new is above all unsafe.
In Hollywood they learned with high probability to calculate the success of a product, the proof of which is the dominance of American cinema in the world.
Gameplay and causes of discomfort
The communication process includes three components: the source, the message, the addressee. In the absence of one component of communication does not occur. I would like to know more precisely how much information is acceptable and desirable for a person.
Games are intended for entertainment, a person wants to get maximum pleasure from them. Where are the boundaries that separate entertainment from work?
The problem is a person's ability to digest information. That which is remembered "by itself" can be a pleasure. What efforts should be made for is work. Ask yourself how many phone numbers does the average person remember?
Consider the situation in relation to the gameplay. The player must remember the location and purpose of the keys used, including techniques for using the mouse. The game information channel is a graphical interface. For a comfortable game, the total number of "controls" should not exceed a certain limit. Do not forget about the convenience of the location of the keys.
It is quite reasonable to wonder about the psychological state of the player during the game.
Here are some of the acute problems of gameplay related to the interaction of the player with the gaming environment that lie on the surface and are amenable to analysis, as experts see them.
I quote from the article "Structuring the main elements of design."
Eric Betke (Executive Director of Taldren): “The main concept of Diablo was in the user interface. Not in the plot, not in the volume of the game, not in the number of characters, not in the changeable appearance of the avatar, not in the rich role-playing model of the gameplay, no. All efforts were directed at the interface. That is, the fact that the left click could attack the monsters and open the chests, and the right - to create spells. It was also pleasant to look at the visual design of the user interface - they were two glass spheres filled with blue and red liquid, personifying respectively vital energy and mana (energy for spells). ”
Quote from the same article about Rainbow Six
Ray Music: “Totally agree. I remember the annoyance of the difficulty with equipping a team, recruiting soldiers, planning actions, and so on. It was impossible to learn this - instead, you were shoved by the simulator “equip your character”, and not at all the game I wanted to buy. This created problems with her perception for users who have discouraged many from playing it. ”
According to statistics, the most popular games are easy to manage; The trend is that the more complex the gameplay, the less popular the genre. Similar observations can be made with respect to the film industry. The average moviegoer prefers to watch entertainment movies where action and special effects dominate. In any case, such games and such films bring the most money. Companies such as Electronic Arts and Activision concentrate their main efforts on the action genre. In addition, we note that the market for gaming consoles is an order of magnitude superior to the PC market. Consoles are maximally simplified. The user buys the game, installs a disk in the drive, and after a moment with the help of a joystick, on which, including manipulators, is located from 7 to 18 buttons, takes control of the game process. You do not have to wait for a few minutes to load the next level, and then study the manual or go through training missions.
And here I am in solidarity with Mikhail “ZAVHOZ” Fedorov - this is one of the component reasons for the domination of consoles.
Another related area is the music industry. It’s no secret that “pop” in terms of profits is an order of magnitude better than such high art as opera. Thus, “Hands Up” from the point of view of the consumer has a higher priority than “Tchaikovsky”.
And, therefore, the best need not be more successful, and the successful is not necessarily the best.
Now consider the real situation. A school student, a student, or just a mature uncle after studying work, having acquired a long-awaited game and returning home, decides to relax and get positive emotions expected in advance (thanks to good advertising). Turns on the computer, installs the game, but it’s not possible to start the fascinating process right away. There are a lot of buttons, they are arranged in their own way, of course, you can figure it out, but this is work, and we are going to have fun ... We manage around the basic minimum, the character moves forward, comes to a cliff, and what is needed? Right, jump over! We are looking for the "Jump" key, but it is not where it always is ...
As a result, the gamer does not get any pleasure, and not only does he throw the game himself, but also informs all his acquaintances that the new game is “complete sludge”, and after a while the fruits of a well-conducted marketing campaign are reduced to nothing ...
Do I need to reinvent the wheel? The benefits of familiarity with the concerns of people who are not engaged in the gaming industry.
Just quoting Darren Laura’s Anatomy of Fear article; The author has nothing to do with the gaming industry, but works as a policeman, although not an ordinary one.
The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the behavior of a person who needs to act in a situation dangerous to life.
... The article also explains the article “The Stress of Survival” by Bruce Siddle and Hal Bridleau.
The first serious research "Stress of Survival" (hereinafter SV), and how it affects the effectiveness of fighters on the battlefield, were conducted in the 30s of the last century. One of these studies demonstrates that the quality of the radio telegraph operator (fine motor skill) is noticeably deteriorating in combat conditions. Another serious study was conducted during the Vietnam War, and concerned the location of instruments and controls in the cockpit of a fighter. According to the results of this study, the instrument boards were redesigned taking into account the influence that the SV has on the coordination between visual perception and motor activity in combat conditions.
Although early studies on NEs were conducted mainly by the military and in wartime, later, beginning in the 1960s, such studies began to be carried out in the interests of sports organizations.
SV, occurring in combat conditions, Siddle defines as: "... a state in which a stimulus perceived as a threat automatically activates the sympathetic nervous system. Consciousness does not participate in the work of the sympathetic nervous system, and therefore control over its activation is hardly possible." Why is understanding how SV works so important when it comes to combat or self-defense? The answer is this: this is important because the psychological and physiological effects of SV may make the threat assessment inadequate. Consider these effects as described in Siddle’s work:
Heart rate
SV intensity is directly related to heart rate.
* At 115 beats per minute (u / m), most people lose their fine motor skills (precise finger movements, coordination between visual perception and motor activity, it becomes difficult to solve several tasks at the same time).
* At 145 u / m, most people lose complex motor skills (three or more motor skills that must work at the same time).
Vision
We consider vision as the most important sensory organ, since it provides the brain with most of the information needed in combat and in self-defense.
* At about 175 u / m, the eyelids are moved apart, and the pupils dilate. At the same time, a narrowing of the visual field occurs, often referred to as tunnel vision (a narrowing may reach 70%). That is why it is human nature to move away from the source of danger in order to cover as much as possible with its narrowed field of view. In addition, with the same heart rate, visual perception becomes extremely stereoscopic.
* At 175 u / m, visual tracking of objects becomes difficult. This is important when there are multiple hazards. In this case, the brain requires the capture of a threat from vision, which it assesses as the most immediate. After neutralizing the danger will be found next. This unconscious sequential approach is often called the "lighthouse effect."
* At 175 u / m, it becomes difficult to focus on close objects. Under the influence of the SV, the perception of depth is one of the first to deteriorate. Fighter becomes farsighted. That is why those who are under the influence of the NE, so often incorrectly estimate the distance to the source of danger.
Hearing
* At approximately 145 u / m, the auditory cortex practically ceases to function.
Consciousness
* At approximately 145 u / m, often later it is not possible to recall what happened, as well as its actions. This condition is called stress amnesia. After the incident that caused the stress, it is often possible to remember about 30% of what happened in the first 24 hours, about 50% in the first 48 hours, and about 75-95% in the first 72-100 hours.
* At 185-220 u / m, a state of “hypervigilance” often arises, or, to put it more simply, “the condition of a hare running in front of a car in the light of headlights”. In such a state, a person may continue to engage in a deliberately useless business, or behave irrationally, for example, leave the shelter. A victim of this condition cannot move or scream. The state of “hyper-alertness” is a vicious circle from which it is difficult to break free. At the same time, information about the danger is processed exclusively by consciousness, which increases the reaction time. An increase in reaction time leads to a deepening of stress, which, in turn, deepens the state of "hypervigilance"
Is this material related to computer games? The developers, one way or another, offer the player some form of reality, and the highlight lies in the fact that the player has the ability to influence the events. Thus, the player, having joined the process of the game, involuntarily agrees with the proposed reality. Immersion in the gameplay in the future begins to affect the human psyche in the same way as reality.
Let me give you some examples of post-game side effects, so that the theory looks clearer.
An example from folklore: a player is too keen on an arcade game where, according to the rules, he should control a frog and overcome obstacles by jumping. After the game, he wanted to go to the store. Reaching the road, he began to estimate how many jumps it would take to overcome a street-obstacle.
An example from personal experience. In 1994, I got carried away with one great game, space arcade flying game. After I flew about 3-4 hours, I had to leave on business. Without thinking twice, I get in the car and press on the gas. The car is frisky, so it flew to the traffic lights in a few seconds, and then, as luck would have it, the red light came on. Naturally, I ... no, not on the brakes, I steering the wheel, but it does not take off ...
Later, I learned that this happened with the pilots.
Hence the moral: immersion in the game process is deep enough to impose an imprint on the psycho-physiological processes, and the “shift of perception” persists even after the game is stopped.
The conclusion suggests itself that in critical situations developing in the game, the very mechanism of “stress of survival” is activated, which also works in reality, and then, quite naturally, the player begins not only to be confused in controlling the keyboard or gamepad, but also loses spatial orientation ( watch the fights on the grid).
Motor skills
* When you reach about 115 y / m, complex motor skills (pistol trigger handling, possession of cold arms) begin to deteriorate, while actions that require brute force are simplified.
As the work of Siddle shows, the higher the heart rate, the more SV affects the perception of the threat. The perception of a threat, in turn, determines the reaction to it.
In the course of the research conducted by Dr. Alexis Artvoul from 1994 to 1999, 157 police officers who participated in the shootings were interviewed. The following changes in perception were observed:
* In 84% of cases - hearing dullness
* 79% - tunnel vision (deterioration of peripheral vision)
* 74% - "autopilot" (action without participation of consciousness)
* 71% - acute visual perception
* 62% - slowing down time
* 52% - partial loss of memory
* 46% - partial loss of memory about own actions
* 39% - a feeling of unreality of what is happening
* 26% - intrusive extraneous thoughts
* 21% - distortion of memories
* 17% - acceleration of time
* 7% - temporary paralysis (loss of ability to move)
Similar results were obtained by other researchers (Solomon and Horne, 1986, Hönig and Roland, 1998, Klinger, 1998).
Note that in combat conditions, the heart rate can jump from 70 y / m to 220 y / m in less than half a second. The question arises: in what interval of the heartbeat frequencies (CB intensity) does the fighting qualities reach their maximum? Siddle claims that this is the interval from 115 to 145 u / m. He also claims that the fastest reaction is observed in this range. In other words, the heart rate of 115 - 145 u / m is optimal in terms of combat skills (rough motor skills) and quick response.
It should be noted, CB is unconscious, and thus difficult to control, reaction.
Mostly familiar, isn't it?
From the above, the following conclusions can be drawn based on the Hicks law:
The Hicks law states the following: let the average reaction time of a person to a certain stimulus, provided that there is only one reaction to this stimulus, is X seconds. If there are two possible responses to the same stimulus, the response time will increase by 58%. In combat, you should have a minimum reaction time. If you give several techniques to counter a certain threat, the brain will inevitably spend some time choosing an option, and an increase in reaction time may be the difference between life and death.
For the developer, these issues are not so acute, life and death are considered from a philosophical point of view. This is some kind of convention that has no inevitable physical consequences. But even virtual death, especially in desmatch games, is often experienced very deeply. I witnessed with my own eyes the situation in which one individual broke his beloved clave ...
It is noteworthy that Siddle's works on motor skills, published before 1995, were based on research by leading experts in the field of sports physiology and psychology. In the works on motor skills written before 1995, the heart rate was almost always used as a physiological indicator, since it was extremely difficult to use other indicators.
Let's go back to the games. In the framework of one game, for example, real-time strategy, the load on the player at different moments is different. In the beginning, he builds and develops a base, and for some time does not expect active actions by the enemy. In the future, the voltage gradually increases, and in difficult moments and rolls over. In a difficult psychological situation, the player uses only the mouse and a few hot keys. He will not be able to master more (of course, this is about the average player). The task of the developer is to give the player the control that in an extreme situation will allow him to win the fight, which means the game. By the way, no one noticed how in a difficult moment for some reason they press on the buttons more than they need?
Depending on the expected voltage at different moments of the game, the developer must take care that a person in a difficult situation can use the necessary and sufficient minimum buttons to resolve the situation.
Continued: LINK
Let's try to navigate in consumer preferences, based on well-known observations made not only in the field of the gaming industry. The experience of the film industry is also interesting, especially since it is much older than the game.
Some data on games, platforms and genres:
')
Preference statistics published on "E3" in 2003:
* 57.3% gaming consoles.
* 26.7% personal computers.
* 2.6% online games.
* 13.3% all others (PDA, telephones, combo and portable devices).
Distribution of announced games by genres:
* 20.3% Action
* 15.5% Sports & Driving
* 11.7% RPG
* 8.3% Strategy
* 8% Adventure
* 5.1% Family & Child
* 4.8% Educational / Edutainment
* 2.9% Simulation
The analysis of demand in the film industry has been engaged for a long time and professionally, since its very existence depends on the box office. Let us try to determine the similarity of the average consumer of film and gaming products, and draw useful conclusions for us.
Selection criteria by which the consumer of film production is oriented
* Budget.
o In the film industry: Mega budget is one of the main criteria for consumer choice. This parameter estimates the expected level of the product and the number of special effects.
o In the gaming industry: A large budget in the gaming industry is not so clearly interpreted. This criterion may be an indicator of product quality, but often it is an attribute of a failed project.
* Producer.
o In the film industry: The director's name is often a serious criterion for selection.
o In the gaming industry: You can list several names - Carmack, Sid Meier, Peter Muline, etc. But more often they pay attention to the publisher or developer.
* Actors.
o In the film industry: At times, the viewer comes to the cinema in order to look at the unfortunate role of the famous actor “The Policeman from Kindergarten”.
o In the gaming industry: There is a trend: Duke Nyukem, Lara Croft, Max Payne. Today, however, this is the exception rather than the rule.
* Scenario or adaptation of popular works.
o In the film industry: None of the above will help a bad scenario.
o In the gaming industry: The scenario, as a game concept, has the same properties as in the movie. Adaptations of popular works, such as The Lord of the Rings of Tolkien and Harry Potter, by JK Rowling often become hits.
Genre affiliation, movies and games.
* Action: In the film and gaming industry, preferences are similar. Action and Action are the most popular genres.
* Children's films, cartoons: In the gaming industry, this category includes Family & Child, Adventure, Sports & Driving.
* Melodrama: A serious niche in the film industry; The closest analogue in the gaming industry is a quest, but, unfortunately, quests are not so profitable. Although on the other hand, the Sims are not a soap opera, and with box-office success they are fine ...
* Fantasy: A very popular genre in movies and games, but the game always has something from fiction, so talking about a separate genre of fiction in games is difficult.
* Comedy: A popular and difficult genre in the cinema, but in the gaming industry, this subject is not presented in its pure form.
Of course, not all genres are listed in the movies and games ...
Consumer preferences.
* Cinema for all: American (medium) standard, this category of films is most popular.
* Elite cinema: Films that most often receive prestigious awards, but box office success is not their indispensable attribute.
Summary
Listed about ten main criteria that affect consumer preferences.
The film industry is an art that is taught, around which a huge, self-sufficient world has formed; there are traditions there. Perhaps an excursion into the history of cinema will allow a better understanding of the gaming industry.
In the 1950s, when films began to bring losses, professionals began to be attracted to the study of the market: sociologists, psychologists, advertisers, etc. Gradually, it became clear to them and everyone else that society is a living organism, with changes following economics and politics. needs. At the same time, taste, behavior, lifestyle of millions of people can radically change even for a relatively short period of time.
The audience was affected by: the May youth revolution in Paris in 1968; "Sexual revolution"; major technical and environmental disasters; mystic onset; space exploration and the race of superpowers in space, and much more. Chaplin also checked the filmed trick on the audience. If they did not laugh, go retake.
In the 60s. The era ended when the question of what to show to the public was decided by directors, scriptwriters, artists, film studio leaders. Now, if the script is defined by the marketing service as having commercial value, then the film is being shot. Otherwise, no authority of the producer or director will be enough to start the film production. In other words, the decision is made primarily in the light of current consumer stereotypes.
Similarly, gaming product developers are wary of affecting new concepts that haven't had time to establish themselves. On the other hand, there are pleasant exceptions, for example, “Black & White” or “Max Payne” and some others. Innovative products are unique, and therefore have no competitors in the market. Thus, the emergence of new stereotypes must be monitored and sometimes even created by them.
Currently, the gaming industry itself is a hostage to the prevailing stereotypes that arose in the 80s - early 90s of the last century. The gaming industry, as a new form of entertainment, produced games, in the concepts of which technical limitations were deliberately taken into account. Game concepts and gameplay have changed little since then, there is a banal build-up of muscles. To invent something new is above all unsafe.
In Hollywood they learned with high probability to calculate the success of a product, the proof of which is the dominance of American cinema in the world.
Gameplay and causes of discomfort
The communication process includes three components: the source, the message, the addressee. In the absence of one component of communication does not occur. I would like to know more precisely how much information is acceptable and desirable for a person.
Games are intended for entertainment, a person wants to get maximum pleasure from them. Where are the boundaries that separate entertainment from work?
The problem is a person's ability to digest information. That which is remembered "by itself" can be a pleasure. What efforts should be made for is work. Ask yourself how many phone numbers does the average person remember?
Consider the situation in relation to the gameplay. The player must remember the location and purpose of the keys used, including techniques for using the mouse. The game information channel is a graphical interface. For a comfortable game, the total number of "controls" should not exceed a certain limit. Do not forget about the convenience of the location of the keys.
It is quite reasonable to wonder about the psychological state of the player during the game.
Here are some of the acute problems of gameplay related to the interaction of the player with the gaming environment that lie on the surface and are amenable to analysis, as experts see them.
I quote from the article "Structuring the main elements of design."
Eric Betke (Executive Director of Taldren): “The main concept of Diablo was in the user interface. Not in the plot, not in the volume of the game, not in the number of characters, not in the changeable appearance of the avatar, not in the rich role-playing model of the gameplay, no. All efforts were directed at the interface. That is, the fact that the left click could attack the monsters and open the chests, and the right - to create spells. It was also pleasant to look at the visual design of the user interface - they were two glass spheres filled with blue and red liquid, personifying respectively vital energy and mana (energy for spells). ”
Quote from the same article about Rainbow Six
Ray Music: “Totally agree. I remember the annoyance of the difficulty with equipping a team, recruiting soldiers, planning actions, and so on. It was impossible to learn this - instead, you were shoved by the simulator “equip your character”, and not at all the game I wanted to buy. This created problems with her perception for users who have discouraged many from playing it. ”
According to statistics, the most popular games are easy to manage; The trend is that the more complex the gameplay, the less popular the genre. Similar observations can be made with respect to the film industry. The average moviegoer prefers to watch entertainment movies where action and special effects dominate. In any case, such games and such films bring the most money. Companies such as Electronic Arts and Activision concentrate their main efforts on the action genre. In addition, we note that the market for gaming consoles is an order of magnitude superior to the PC market. Consoles are maximally simplified. The user buys the game, installs a disk in the drive, and after a moment with the help of a joystick, on which, including manipulators, is located from 7 to 18 buttons, takes control of the game process. You do not have to wait for a few minutes to load the next level, and then study the manual or go through training missions.
And here I am in solidarity with Mikhail “ZAVHOZ” Fedorov - this is one of the component reasons for the domination of consoles.
Another related area is the music industry. It’s no secret that “pop” in terms of profits is an order of magnitude better than such high art as opera. Thus, “Hands Up” from the point of view of the consumer has a higher priority than “Tchaikovsky”.
And, therefore, the best need not be more successful, and the successful is not necessarily the best.
Now consider the real situation. A school student, a student, or just a mature uncle after studying work, having acquired a long-awaited game and returning home, decides to relax and get positive emotions expected in advance (thanks to good advertising). Turns on the computer, installs the game, but it’s not possible to start the fascinating process right away. There are a lot of buttons, they are arranged in their own way, of course, you can figure it out, but this is work, and we are going to have fun ... We manage around the basic minimum, the character moves forward, comes to a cliff, and what is needed? Right, jump over! We are looking for the "Jump" key, but it is not where it always is ...
As a result, the gamer does not get any pleasure, and not only does he throw the game himself, but also informs all his acquaintances that the new game is “complete sludge”, and after a while the fruits of a well-conducted marketing campaign are reduced to nothing ...
Do I need to reinvent the wheel? The benefits of familiarity with the concerns of people who are not engaged in the gaming industry.
Just quoting Darren Laura’s Anatomy of Fear article; The author has nothing to do with the gaming industry, but works as a policeman, although not an ordinary one.
The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the behavior of a person who needs to act in a situation dangerous to life.
... The article also explains the article “The Stress of Survival” by Bruce Siddle and Hal Bridleau.
The first serious research "Stress of Survival" (hereinafter SV), and how it affects the effectiveness of fighters on the battlefield, were conducted in the 30s of the last century. One of these studies demonstrates that the quality of the radio telegraph operator (fine motor skill) is noticeably deteriorating in combat conditions. Another serious study was conducted during the Vietnam War, and concerned the location of instruments and controls in the cockpit of a fighter. According to the results of this study, the instrument boards were redesigned taking into account the influence that the SV has on the coordination between visual perception and motor activity in combat conditions.
Although early studies on NEs were conducted mainly by the military and in wartime, later, beginning in the 1960s, such studies began to be carried out in the interests of sports organizations.
SV, occurring in combat conditions, Siddle defines as: "... a state in which a stimulus perceived as a threat automatically activates the sympathetic nervous system. Consciousness does not participate in the work of the sympathetic nervous system, and therefore control over its activation is hardly possible." Why is understanding how SV works so important when it comes to combat or self-defense? The answer is this: this is important because the psychological and physiological effects of SV may make the threat assessment inadequate. Consider these effects as described in Siddle’s work:
Heart rate
SV intensity is directly related to heart rate.
* At 115 beats per minute (u / m), most people lose their fine motor skills (precise finger movements, coordination between visual perception and motor activity, it becomes difficult to solve several tasks at the same time).
* At 145 u / m, most people lose complex motor skills (three or more motor skills that must work at the same time).
Vision
We consider vision as the most important sensory organ, since it provides the brain with most of the information needed in combat and in self-defense.
* At about 175 u / m, the eyelids are moved apart, and the pupils dilate. At the same time, a narrowing of the visual field occurs, often referred to as tunnel vision (a narrowing may reach 70%). That is why it is human nature to move away from the source of danger in order to cover as much as possible with its narrowed field of view. In addition, with the same heart rate, visual perception becomes extremely stereoscopic.
* At 175 u / m, visual tracking of objects becomes difficult. This is important when there are multiple hazards. In this case, the brain requires the capture of a threat from vision, which it assesses as the most immediate. After neutralizing the danger will be found next. This unconscious sequential approach is often called the "lighthouse effect."
* At 175 u / m, it becomes difficult to focus on close objects. Under the influence of the SV, the perception of depth is one of the first to deteriorate. Fighter becomes farsighted. That is why those who are under the influence of the NE, so often incorrectly estimate the distance to the source of danger.
Hearing
* At approximately 145 u / m, the auditory cortex practically ceases to function.
Consciousness
* At approximately 145 u / m, often later it is not possible to recall what happened, as well as its actions. This condition is called stress amnesia. After the incident that caused the stress, it is often possible to remember about 30% of what happened in the first 24 hours, about 50% in the first 48 hours, and about 75-95% in the first 72-100 hours.
* At 185-220 u / m, a state of “hypervigilance” often arises, or, to put it more simply, “the condition of a hare running in front of a car in the light of headlights”. In such a state, a person may continue to engage in a deliberately useless business, or behave irrationally, for example, leave the shelter. A victim of this condition cannot move or scream. The state of “hyper-alertness” is a vicious circle from which it is difficult to break free. At the same time, information about the danger is processed exclusively by consciousness, which increases the reaction time. An increase in reaction time leads to a deepening of stress, which, in turn, deepens the state of "hypervigilance"
Is this material related to computer games? The developers, one way or another, offer the player some form of reality, and the highlight lies in the fact that the player has the ability to influence the events. Thus, the player, having joined the process of the game, involuntarily agrees with the proposed reality. Immersion in the gameplay in the future begins to affect the human psyche in the same way as reality.
Let me give you some examples of post-game side effects, so that the theory looks clearer.
An example from folklore: a player is too keen on an arcade game where, according to the rules, he should control a frog and overcome obstacles by jumping. After the game, he wanted to go to the store. Reaching the road, he began to estimate how many jumps it would take to overcome a street-obstacle.
An example from personal experience. In 1994, I got carried away with one great game, space arcade flying game. After I flew about 3-4 hours, I had to leave on business. Without thinking twice, I get in the car and press on the gas. The car is frisky, so it flew to the traffic lights in a few seconds, and then, as luck would have it, the red light came on. Naturally, I ... no, not on the brakes, I steering the wheel, but it does not take off ...
Later, I learned that this happened with the pilots.
Hence the moral: immersion in the game process is deep enough to impose an imprint on the psycho-physiological processes, and the “shift of perception” persists even after the game is stopped.
The conclusion suggests itself that in critical situations developing in the game, the very mechanism of “stress of survival” is activated, which also works in reality, and then, quite naturally, the player begins not only to be confused in controlling the keyboard or gamepad, but also loses spatial orientation ( watch the fights on the grid).
Motor skills
* When you reach about 115 y / m, complex motor skills (pistol trigger handling, possession of cold arms) begin to deteriorate, while actions that require brute force are simplified.
As the work of Siddle shows, the higher the heart rate, the more SV affects the perception of the threat. The perception of a threat, in turn, determines the reaction to it.
In the course of the research conducted by Dr. Alexis Artvoul from 1994 to 1999, 157 police officers who participated in the shootings were interviewed. The following changes in perception were observed:
* In 84% of cases - hearing dullness
* 79% - tunnel vision (deterioration of peripheral vision)
* 74% - "autopilot" (action without participation of consciousness)
* 71% - acute visual perception
* 62% - slowing down time
* 52% - partial loss of memory
* 46% - partial loss of memory about own actions
* 39% - a feeling of unreality of what is happening
* 26% - intrusive extraneous thoughts
* 21% - distortion of memories
* 17% - acceleration of time
* 7% - temporary paralysis (loss of ability to move)
Similar results were obtained by other researchers (Solomon and Horne, 1986, Hönig and Roland, 1998, Klinger, 1998).
Note that in combat conditions, the heart rate can jump from 70 y / m to 220 y / m in less than half a second. The question arises: in what interval of the heartbeat frequencies (CB intensity) does the fighting qualities reach their maximum? Siddle claims that this is the interval from 115 to 145 u / m. He also claims that the fastest reaction is observed in this range. In other words, the heart rate of 115 - 145 u / m is optimal in terms of combat skills (rough motor skills) and quick response.
It should be noted, CB is unconscious, and thus difficult to control, reaction.
Mostly familiar, isn't it?
From the above, the following conclusions can be drawn based on the Hicks law:
The Hicks law states the following: let the average reaction time of a person to a certain stimulus, provided that there is only one reaction to this stimulus, is X seconds. If there are two possible responses to the same stimulus, the response time will increase by 58%. In combat, you should have a minimum reaction time. If you give several techniques to counter a certain threat, the brain will inevitably spend some time choosing an option, and an increase in reaction time may be the difference between life and death.
For the developer, these issues are not so acute, life and death are considered from a philosophical point of view. This is some kind of convention that has no inevitable physical consequences. But even virtual death, especially in desmatch games, is often experienced very deeply. I witnessed with my own eyes the situation in which one individual broke his beloved clave ...
It is noteworthy that Siddle's works on motor skills, published before 1995, were based on research by leading experts in the field of sports physiology and psychology. In the works on motor skills written before 1995, the heart rate was almost always used as a physiological indicator, since it was extremely difficult to use other indicators.
Let's go back to the games. In the framework of one game, for example, real-time strategy, the load on the player at different moments is different. In the beginning, he builds and develops a base, and for some time does not expect active actions by the enemy. In the future, the voltage gradually increases, and in difficult moments and rolls over. In a difficult psychological situation, the player uses only the mouse and a few hot keys. He will not be able to master more (of course, this is about the average player). The task of the developer is to give the player the control that in an extreme situation will allow him to win the fight, which means the game. By the way, no one noticed how in a difficult moment for some reason they press on the buttons more than they need?
Depending on the expected voltage at different moments of the game, the developer must take care that a person in a difficult situation can use the necessary and sufficient minimum buttons to resolve the situation.
Continued: LINK
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/77619/
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