...and Starring a Soul-Searching Self-Aware Square

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A company called Artificial Life Solutions has been experimenting with AI when an unexplained event causes some of them to become self-aware. Including Thomas-AT-23-6-12. Thomas is a curious cat and begins to explore his environment, looking for companionship and his purpose.

The catch? Thomas is a red rectangle.

"I love how such simple shapes can form such strong personalities. I found myself imagining little conversations between them as I played." - Review of Thomas Was Alone in Good Game

The thing about an "endearingly characterful game" is that it can make up for a poor plot.

“Lovable characters don’t necessarily require plot-driven in-game features to charm players. When their personality, dreams, and fears are expressed through the game’s story and narrative design, players are more likely to feel with them, making every moment of defeat and victory all the stronger. They get emotionally involved and keep on playing.” - Valentina Tamer, a senior level narrative designer for Ubisoft

In Narrative Design for Mobile & Live Games (CRC Press; 2024), Tamer explains that when players create an emotional attachment to a character, it directly influences the participant’s motivation to stay. The reason? It taps into one of our key drives dubbed Tend & Befriend. Tend & befriend is why seek out friendship, especially in uncertain spaces like games. And once you befriend someone, invest time and resources tending to the relationship.

Relationships pull us into interactive experiences. When players feel that a character is more than just a game element and has a real personality, they become invested.

“They get attached to fictional characters and care about what happens to them. Great characters can drive a game – even if they’re nothing more than a colorful bar, like in Thomas Was Alone.” - narrative designer Valentina Tamer

The takeaway for design of asynchronous learning experiences is that having a fun personality for learners to latch onto – even if it’s a red rectangle – can do a lot of the heavy lifting. The work of captivating a learner’s attention. Tapping into their drive to tend & befriend, which can then keep them engaged long enough to become intrinsically motivated. (I discussed how learner’s drives help convey them to long-term intrinsic motivation in this post.)

The takeaway: learners are no different than gamers and love befriending and tending to personalities of all persuasions, sizes and shapes. Literally.