The Effect of Time Limits on Player Willingness to Explore Non-Critical Areas

By: Shane Slama
Supervisor: Michael McCoy
Masters of Interactive Technology degree conferred December 15, 2009
Thesis / Project completed: December 15, 2009

Time is a constant factor in human life. Every person makes decisions based on how much time is needed to complete a task. The calculation of these decisions varies depending on a person’s familiarity with the topic, awareness of the remaining time, individual personality or profile, experience with risk assessment, and even the like or dislike of being in a time-sensitive scenario. These considerations exist in a game with a timed objective and contribute to how a player chooses to tackle the timed test.    

The concept of using a time limit to challenge a person’s skill is not uncommon. When used in the world of video games, how should game developers sculpt a level with the player’s tendencies in mind? A massive play-space may go largely unexplored should players feel rushed to complete the main objective within the given time limit. Perhaps it’s better to focus solely on a critical path, with a linear progression in mind.    

Game development is typically on a tight schedule with an even tighter budget. Making the most of developer time is crucial to getting a product finished. If the creators of a game have insight into how players tend to react in a situation, the experience becomes easier to craft and this maximizes development time. A timed objective needs careful attention and thinking ahead to decisions players make under pressure is helpful.    

This study looked at two groups of testers. One group played a level with a time limit, while the other group played the same level without a time limit. The ultimate goal was to uncover theories about how time limits impact player choice. The results suggested that the genre and play style of the game impacted decisions more than the time limit. Players that were natural explorers tended to explore regardless of a time restraint. The remaining time served to simply speed up the exploring that took place. This data acts as a foundation for future research into the effects of time limits on gamers’ psyches.

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