لطفا منتظر باشید ...
Uncertainty
Uncertainty is another requisite quality of meaningful play. If a game is certain, if the outcome is known in advance, there is no reason to play in the first place. But uncertainty is also a narra-tive concept, for the element of the unknown infuses a game with dramatic tension. In Thunderstorm, the narrative of the approaching storm is only complete once the storm has destroyed every house but one. If it were known in advance which player would win, there would be no real need for a narrative device. In The Drome Racing Challenge, an online multi-player racing game, players customize racing cars and prepare a racing strategy, then select an opponent online and race. During a race, players do not directly control their cars, but instead watch their preparations play out as an Animé-style animation that depicts each moment of the race, event by event. The fact that players do not know the result of the race until the animation has played out makes viewing the race highly dramatic. Despite the fact that a player might have the utmost confidence in his or her race strategy, there is always the chance to lose. The dramatic tension of Poker, too, gains its bite from the uncertainty of outcome. Bluffing contributes to the narrativity of the experience, heightening the potential for deceit. As players enter into the psychological space of the bluff, narrative tensions mount. Does she really have the hand she says she has, or is she bluffing? What if she isn't bluffing? Can she still be beaten? He just made a large bet, so he must have a good hand. But he bluffed last round, and he wouldn't try that same trick twice in a row. But maybe that's what he wants me to think…. The mechanics of betting heighten the feeling of uncertainty. Players with strong hands wage higher bets against uncertain outcomes, whereas players may limit bets when the degree of uncertainty in a game feels too great. As players fold and the circle of active players shrinks, narrative tension grows. Although players may have good hands, the outcome remains uncertain until all bets are made and the cards are called. This moment can be quite dramatic, particularly when a hand has been well-played.
Even in role-playing games, which often lack a final game outcome, the uncertainty of each action, each encounter, and each adventure plays a crucial role in building narrative engagement. Experienced tabletop role-players will shun game masters with reputations for being too easy or too hard. In these cases, certain death or certain success removes the enjoyable uncertainty of the game. On the other hand, when role-players feel like they are truly uncovering mysteries and exploring strange new areas of their worlds, powerful narrative play can result. As with the use of conflict, successful use of uncertainty in a game story ties the narrative elements to the formal system of the game. Do you dare explore the dank dark cave, with its legends of horrible monsters and priceless treasures? Should you first consult the oracle at the top of the mountain for advice, risking starvation during the long journey? Do you spend your last few gold coins hiring a few extra guards to accompany you? Each of these choices involves not just dramatic narrative outcomes, but different uses of the role-players' limited resources. As players make a choice and its uncertain outcomes slowly unfold, new choices present themselves, each emerging option cloaked in its own narrative uncertainty.
