Interaction Models

There are various types of interaction models, each with a different purpose. I will cover them one-by-one and evaluate their purpose. To begin, a quoted summary of an interaction model from an institute: "interactivity can be viewed as a function of input required by the learner while responding to the computer, the analysis of those responses by the computer and the nature of the action by the computer" (Sims, 1995). This essentially means that an interaction model is a method that registers how somebody interacts with a game. And as talked about by (Queen, 2006), its various parts can also be applied to games design. Games can be built around the input method a player will use to control a game, and take advantage of the hardware they recommend. So for example shooter games can take advantage of the precision of a mouse on a desk where every split-second reaction counts, whereas platformer games control much more fluidly using a gamepad gripped in a player's hands instead of awkwardly pressing keys on a huge keyboard. At the end of the day, a player needs to be able to interact with a game to even play it, and various control methods in a game affect its interaction model.

Here are a few types of interaction models which depend on the genre of game being played:

Avatar based- These are games which involve playing as an in-game character, which respond to your directions and commands (ranging from movement, jumping, using items, etc). There are numerous games out there which use controlling characters as an input method in various genres, from the 3d platformer Super Mario 64, to the RPG Undertale. The camera the player views the world from is usually viewed in either a first person, third person or isometric perspective when playing an avatar base game. This is because those three camera variations give the best angle to view a game from and get immersed in the action, all the while still being able to control their viewpoint and character at the same time with ease. Some games have movement and camera control mapped to the same buttons like the Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but others separate both of those features out into different inputs, such as Pikmin 3 with the two functions being dedicated to two different sticks on the controller. The given standard for controlling a camera in most games is to either tilt the right stick on a controller or mouse the mouse around, so it's best for a game to stick to these standard conventions to avoid confusing the player as much a possible.

Contestant- This interaction model works well within a quiz-based, choice-devoted or RPG system in a game. It involves the player answering questions through either dialogue boxes with text on the screen or pressing a certain button. A contestant type of input allows the player freedom of choice, and helps make a game feel more personal to them. A contestant input can even be implemented into an avatar-based game, such as Yoshi's Woolly World, where you have to solve puzzles and decide how to approach each task using your own knowledge and intuition. Contestant inputs work well with either a static camera (viewing the scene from a fixed point, like a general quiz show with the whole set on view), or a dynamic camera (zooming in on certain characters or objects to get a close-up look at the action.

Desktop- This input method is usually used for selection menus that hold a range of choices. They work in a very similar way to the desktop of a Windows, Mac or Linux PC giving the user freedom of choice. They are normally present as the game's main menu to select various options (such as start, continue, load, options, quit, etc), as well as a pause menu which works as a smaller main menu (but contains similar functionality like also having continue, options and quit buttons). However various dialogue windows/ selection boxes/ inventories can function very similarly to a desktop, as your organise your acquired in-game items with endogenous value for later use. Navigation of a desktop can depend on the platform, but commonly the inputs on each device are move the mouse/ left click to select on a PC, left stick to move/ button to selection on a console, and the player's hands on a mobile device.

Multipresent- This input method is included into games which allow the player to interact with more than one object at any given time. The multipresent interaction model is very useful for making the player multitask or juggle certain actions, as it requires them to think on their feet and manage a large selection of options and choices at any given moment. Games in the real-time strategy and tower-defence genres, like Plants vs Zombies, dedicate themselves to giving the player the choice to build and regulate all of their defences at once, and they can adjust the difficulty of various attacking enemies to be much harder later on, since it's harder to make good choices and proceed to victory when there are so many options in so little time. Multitasking isn't our strong point in basic human nature, as researched about by (Chow, 2013), and multipresent games take advantage of that to give the thrill of there always being something to do with very little downtime.

Party based- Lastly I will talk about the party based interaction model, which as the name implies requires more than one in-game character or actual player to function as intended. It basically requires there to be more than one in-game avatar working together towards a goal, and isn't just a solo adventure. This is a system that works especially well for turn-based RPGs (like Dragon Quest and Pokemon, for managing your team as you fight opponents together with multiple characters that you control at once) and cooperative multiplayer games (such as Team Fortress 2 and Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare, two online shooters where a different person controls each character on the map, as you team up to win against the opposing team). Party games require cooperating and strategy to win, as usually each character will bring something new and have an individual skill (such as different Pokemon having different types and strengths).