Game Mechanic #6: Time

Do you use time enough?

I never realized the value of time in games until much recently. In this post, I'll talk a bit about the contexts in which time, as a mechanic, can add value to your design. And I'll also highlight some instances in which time takes away from the user experience.

Before we get into it, let's first understand time a bit more. The passage of time is real and occurs naturally while the measurement of time is man-made and occurs only through technology. For example, if all the clocks in the world were taken away, there would be no way for anyone to say "It's 3:07 in the afternoon" or "...34 minutes before submission deadline"

What does this mean?

Time is on your side!

When was the last time you heard that? I promise it's not a shot at your age, but really! Take a look at the world we live in: busier than we'd like, it feels like there's always more to do and so little time. It's a game we're already playing and you're able to extend that into your learning design. In the next few minutes, I'll use some examples to give you ideas on how to go about using the time mechanic right so you can introduce it into your learning design.

Time as an overarching mechanic

There are games that use time as a critical overarching mechanic to create engagement. Escape rooms are a great example of this: you have 30 minutes to crack the code. If you do it, you may leave. If you don't... bwahahahaha! (evil laugh)

Essentially, what this is doing is taking the concept of time and aligning it to the ultimate objective of the game. The problem statement sounds like: You must do 'x' before the time runs out or all is lost! And while it's simple enough to comprehend how a mechanic like this can engage, it's important to also understand the cases in which something like this works and fails miserably.

1. Why should it matter?

You can place a timer and get it to tick down till the it runs out and still not have engaged the player. The presence of a timer is simply the measurement of time. For time as an overarching mechanic to work, you need make learners aware of the passage of time and what it means to them in the game environment. This is directly related to Game Mechanic #2: Purpose because in creating purpose for the player, you're able to give meaning to the passage of time. When a player buys into that meaning, you can expect the player to have an instinctive response to this mechanic.

2. What can I do about it?

This is Mechanic #15: Control or Autonomy (at the time of writing this post, I haven't written this one yet). Before we place time-based pressure on the player we must equip the player to feel like their in control. They must know what to do in the game environment to 'win' against the time pressure. This is crucial and often overlooked by designers. We get so engrossed with creating these 'wonderful' mechanics and player interactions that we forget to ensure that the player knows what they're doing in the game. So take a look at your design as ask two question:

1. "How quickly does the player feel autonomous in my game/learning world?" Does it take 2, 3, 5, 10 minutes?
2. "How easily does the player understand what they need to do in my game/learning world?"

The longer it takes for the player to understand the game rules and feel autonomous, the greater the chance of you losing them.

Time as a progression mechanic

Another way to use time is to link it to progression in the game. Unlike 'time as an overarching mechanic', this one uses time in a different way. The problem statement here might sound like: you can choose to do this mission (to earn extra points and move you ahead) but it has to be done in 'x' (time). This is different from the overarching mechanic and it's important to distinguish it because they have different purposes. In the case of the overarching mechanic, we're using time as a means to end the 'game'. Here however, we're giving players an opportunity to progress in the game in the confines of the time provided. Interestingly, the same two elements (as above) will also be at play here but for other reasons.

1. Why should it matter?

Because the time factor isn't overarching, it has a shelf-life. Its influence starts and ends without directly affecting your players' win/lose state in the game. Which also means: it's not directly driven by their purpose of taking every action in the game. This mechanic is driven by a player's need for progress in the game - Game Mechanic #3: Progress.

2. What can I do about it?

Again, here control is very important. But the control here is isolated to the localized activity and not the entire game. For instance, you could have a mini-game or an activity that you want your players to do. Knowing how to perform that activity is crucial for learners to sufficiently feel challenged by the timer. This then aligns with how intuitive it is for players to take action in this ecosystem.

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Bringing it to life

Now that you know the two ways in which time can be used, let's take a look at some examples of how you would integrate it into a learning program to gamify it. All of the three simple examples below can be used as both overarching and progression mechanics.

Deadlines:

1. For a limited time only...
2. Complete the program before...
3. Answer this quiz question in...

Best Times:

1. Fastest (correct) completion of...
2. Quickest application of < a learned skill >...
3. Best team time (average/cumulative)

Trading Time:

1. Answer a question and gain xx seconds more
2. Complete this assignment and delay (end game)
3. Reduce the time (make activity harder) but increase payoff

Needless to say, none of this will work if you don't first address the two fundamental questions: "Why should it matter?" and "What can I do about it?". When learners/players have a confident response to both questions they are more likely to be influenced by the time mechanic you introduce in your design.

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Over the next few months, I'll be defining a range of game mechanics and how they can be used to enable learning. Please follow #21GameMechanics to stay in the loop.

1. Challenge
2. Purpose
3. Progress
4. Feedback
5. Uncertainty
6. Time (this)
7. Reward
8. Belief
9. Points
10. Virtual goods
11. Group quests
12. Availability
13. Exclusivity
14. Scaffolding
15. Control
16. Mini quests
17. Boss fights
18. Leaderboard
19. Peer pressure
20. Water cooler
21. Loss aversion

#21GameMechanics #learning #gamification