Students Blog

For the first blog entry, I sat down and played the browser-based mmog Puzzle Pirates. To my surprise, I had an enjoyable time playing Puzzle Pirates, and it did a very simple yet efficient job of representing social metaphor and Lazzaro's 4 keys of "Hard fun," "Easy fun," "Altered State," and " The people factor."

From the get go, Puzzle Pirates implements an environment that represents social metaphor. The overall game reminded me of a very watered down version of "Star Wars Galaxies," a very popular persistent online RPG. After taking your information to create an account, I was able to create a player that most represented my persona with avatars, clothes, facial hair, hair, skin color, etc. While the selection was somewhat limited, I was able to effectively create a "pirate" that most resembled me. Afterwards, I quickly discovered that I was part of a certain vessel and that I had to work with my respective crew to maintain stability and profits on the vessel. This element added to, in my opinion, the most effective aspect of social metaphor in the game, the community aspect. I felt very much a part of a social community in the game as we worked together to "pillage" and gain positive status for our vessel. My crew was helpful in aiding me with the new aspects of the game that may give a beginner difficulty. This sense of a social community also eliminated any confrontations and competition was constructed between enemy ships and sword duelers. This competition element was carried out with fun and interactive puzzles. Another element that added to the social metaphor and helped it carry forward the game's mechanic was the ability to communicate with other players and NPCs. Communication is executed through a chat system. You simply type what you want to say and press enter. NPCs have automated responses according to what you say or ask. With real players though, you can engage in full conversations. For example, I threw a "party" (which did cost money) at my house and had a few people come over. I got into a conversation with one male player about the research I was doing on the game. He gave me some useful information in the game and how I could "get ahead" as a beginner. His name was "Gilby," and it was apparent he was an advanced player. We engaged in a duel, which he did handle me in. Nonetheless, it was interesting to see how advanced a player could get in the game.
This leads to how the social metaphors of the game relate to Lazzaro's 4 keys. This player I interacted with, Gilby, most closely represented the key of “hard fun.” As he explained it, the puzzles he had advanced to were much more challenging than that of the normal player. He searched for competition and the overall challenge of the game. He was able to fill me in on strategy for the games, puzzles, and in the situation with my crew.
The game can also cater to those who more closely relate to the key of “easy fun.” If you are not looking to get fully engaged in the overall competition and progression system in the game, the adventure of playing games and interacting with other players can fulfill a need for intrigue and curiosity. Though the game’s graphics are not the best, they are detailed enough to aid a player looking for “easy fun.”
For the “Altered States” players, the game offers a variety of endless mini-games and puzzles that one could potentially get “lost in” for internal sensations such as “Excitement or Relief form their thoughts and feelings.”
For someone searching for the “People Factor,” the game offers its central core around interacting with players and NPCs. The game offers competition, social bonding, and teamwork to progress further and advance socially and interactively.