Additional Reading

COVID-19

  • FPA – COVID19 The well-being of our members is paramount to the Fair Play Alliance. We are all experiencing an unprecedented event with the current pandemic, and we felt we should acknowledge this and offer a safe space for our members to discuss concerns, share ideas and most importantly, support one another.

Webinars

  • 7/22/20 Player Dynamics 101, Weszt Hart (Head of Player Dynamics at Riot Games) This session provides an introduction to the craft of Player Dynamics. The key takeaways include a high-level understanding of the nascent field of Player Dynamics, insight into how Riot Games is onboarding people into the craft, and just enough definitions, philosophies, and concepts to get you started!

2019 FPA Summit @ GDC

  • Fair Play Alliance Keynote, Dave McCarthy (Xbox), Chris Priebe (Two Hat), Jarrod Doherty (Blizzard) When it comes to topics around player behavior, the gaming industry has changed quite a bit in the last few years. These topics are larger than any one individual company, and industry collaboration (like the Fair Play Alliance) is key. The Fair Play Alliance Summit keynote promises a lively discussion around why publishers, game developers, and gaming platforms should consider applying best practices of player behavior and content moderation/online safety approaches as a key element of their design strategies.
  • Basic Tools for Healthy Communities, Laura Warner (Niantic), Kenny Shores (Riot), Jess Hollmeier (Supercell) This session consists of a set of micro-talks where several Fair Play Alliance member companies share some of their easy-to-implement tools that can make a real and measurable difference in terms of protecting your users as well as your brand.
  • Dispelling Common Player Behaviour Myths, Natasha Miller (Blizzard) This talk is intended to dispel some common myths around player behavior and motivations to be disruptive in games and provide alternative theories as to the player motivations. The talk is comprised of learning from several of the companies involved in the FPA including: Blizzard Entertainment, Riot Games, Epic Games, Cold Furnace Studios, Intel, Ubisoft, and academic researchers.
  • Impact of Social Systems and Game Design on Player Interactions, Naomi McArthur (Riot) & Kenny Shores (Riot) Although important, punitive systems are only a small piece of how we can foster healthy player interactions. This segment examines ways to address or redress behaviour patterns and enhance player cohesion through systems and game design, and includes learnings from several companies. Wherever possible we will pull concrete examples from live games to illustrate key points. Topics include best practices for player-to-player interplay and communication (verbal and non verbal) as well as systems that foster stronger social cohesion in game and in the larger playerbase. We will also discuss known and potentially hidden factors for designers to consider when designing new games or assessing live games.
  • Player Behaviour Research Microtalks, Kimberly Voll (Riot), Jamie Sherman (Intel), Elise Lemaire (Rovio), Chris Norris (Ubisoft) In a world of “live” games, and amidst an ever-expanding number of 3rd party platforms, not only are player populations growing and becoming more diverse, but HOW people play is fundamentally changing. It is critical, then, that game developers have a better understanding of both player motivations and subsequent in-game (and online!) behaviors. This session will feature a handful of speakers from the FPA at the forefront of research in the field of player behavior, in a series of “rapid fire” micro-talks, each lasting no more than six minutes. Come join for an insightful look at how better understanding player behavior ultimately results in a more positive experience for your community.
  • Reporting Metasystem Design and Penalization Strategy Best Practices, Jiayin Wang (Tencent), Carlos Figueiredo (Two Hat), Peter Alau (Spirit AI), George Kennedy III (Intel) This talk is intended to examine result-driven penalization and user reporting designs that members of the Fair Play Alliance including Intel, Riot Games, Tencent Game Security and Two Hat Security have successfully implemented. The talk will include examples that will outline how systems were implemented as well as a look at measurable results from those projects. One underpinning point is to analyze how those best practices can be conducive to reforming player behavior by focusing on providing timely feedback to players, and how penalization practices can be leveraged to produce the desired outcome of fostering productive interactions in games.