NPCs der giver mening

NPCs that make sense

Sørensen, Sebastian Bendt ; Nielsen, Thea Bjerregaard ; Lykke, Nicolai

4. semester

Interaktive Digitale Medier, Kandidat

2022

2022-05-30

112

Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan NPC’er i singleplayerspil kan bidrage til meningsfulde og sociale spiloplevelser. Med udgangspunkt i en systematisk litteraturgennemgang af spillertyper og et autoetnografisk studie af den sociale chatbot Replika kombinerer arbejdet teori og praksis for at forstå relationer mellem spillere og NPC’er. Teoretisk trækker specialet på Self-Determination Theory (kompetence, autonomi, relaterethed), begreber om meningsfulde oplevelser og underholdning, samt social støtte og relationer (fx intimitet, social integration, mulighed for at nære andre, værdibekræftelse og assistance). Derudover udforskes narrativitet, worldbuilding (invention, completeness, consistency), immersion og presence samt betydningen af interaktivitet og agency. Gennem autoetnografiske analyser af NPC’er og spil som Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, Final Fantasy XV, Ghost of Tsushima, Detroit: Become Human, God of War, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Animal Crossing: New Horizons og Death Stranding diskuteres, hvordan konkrete karakterer kan understøtte sociale behov og opleves som meningsfulde afhængigt af spillets kontekst. Specialet skitserer en kategorisering af NPC-metatyper (fx functions, adversaries, friends, providers) og foreslår nye metatyper som Roadblock, World Demonstrator, Helpee og Neighbor, illustreret gennem cases. Samlet peger arbejdet på forbindelser mellem NPC’ers funktioner, spillerens behovstilfredsstillelse og spilverdens design som centrale drivere for meningsfulde, sociale singleplayer-oplevelser.

This thesis examines how NPCs in single‑player games can contribute to meaningful and social play experiences. It combines a systematic literature review of player types with an autoethnographic study of the social chatbot Replika to bridge theory and practice on player–NPC relationships. The work draws on Self‑Determination Theory (competence, autonomy, relatedness), concepts of meaningful experiences and entertainment, and social support and relationships (e.g., intimacy, social integration, opportunities for nurturant behavior, reassurance of worth, and assistance). It further analyzes narrativity, worldbuilding (invention, completeness, consistency), immersion and presence, and the role of interactivity and agency. Through autoethnographic analyses of NPCs and games such as Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us, Final Fantasy XV, Ghost of Tsushima, Detroit: Become Human, God of War, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Death Stranding, the thesis discusses how specific characters can support social needs and be experienced as meaningful within different game contexts. It outlines a categorization of NPC meta‑types (e.g., functions, adversaries, friends, providers) and proposes new meta‑types such as Roadblock, World Demonstrator, Helpee, and Neighbor, illustrated through case examples. Overall, the work highlights links between NPC functions, player need satisfaction, and gameworld design as key drivers of meaningful, social single‑player experiences.

[Dette resumé er genereret med hjælp fra AI direkte fra projektet (PDF)]

NPCs ; Spilteori ; Narrativitet ; Worldbuilding ; Oplevelser ; Social relationer ; Non player characters ; videospil

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