6/8/2020 Gamasutra - Using emotion to drive social play in Sky: Children of the Light

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August 6, 2020 | By Chris Kerr

PROGRAMMING Journey developer thatgamecompany has almost August 6, 2020 | By Chris Kerr
become synonymous with the word 'emotion.' Almost
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ART every title in the studio's oeuvre has succeeded in
making players feel something -- whether it's a
More: Console/PC, Smartphone/Tablet, Design,
AUDIO twinge of sadness for an ancient civilization buried in Production, GDC
dust or the spark of joy when you spot another cloak-
DESIGN clad wanderer chirping away in the distance.

Speaking at GDC Summer, one of the studio's 'feel

PRODUCTION
engineers,' John Hughes, offered some insight into
how that propensity for 'feeling' helped refine the
BIZ/MARKETING
social play that drives its latest release, Sky: Children of the Light.

Latest Jobs Like Journey before it, Sky allows players to interact and forge connections with strangers. Although
View All RSS players can complete the main story arc themselves, Sky leans heavily on social mechanics, pushing its
airborne wanderers to connect with each other.
August 6, 2020

Getting players to actually connect, however, wasn't straightforward. Initially, the development team
Square Enix Co., Ltd.
found that giving players clear goals and putting them into a relatively linear structure actually dissuaded
Experienced Game
Developer them from forming relationships. The more compelling the goal in front of players, the more likely they
were to completely ignore each other.
Plarium Michigan Studio
LP
UX Designer "Multiplayer gameplay that inspires social play should provide a careful balance of open-ended and goal
oriented play," explains Hughes. "We switched to more of a tree structure and created alternate paths and
added secrets and activities. These acted as ice breakers for deeper relationships to form. Anything in the
Latest Blogs world that slows players down can create the boredom necessary to inspire creative usage of the
mechanics they've gained access to."
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August 6, 2020
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One of those mechanics was 'hand holding.' The feature allows players to link hands and guide each other,
and ultimately serves to encourage unique shared experiences within the game world.
"We knew that some of the best experiences you can have in Sky are off the main path, being guided by
an other player or just stumbling around together. To reinforce this, we introduced hand holding between
players, which has proven to be one of the most iconic features of Sky. One player can give control to
another, and then be guided around the world. A really attentive guide will create experience for other
players."
Hughes explains how those exemplary guides will create experiences for other players, leading them to
hidden locations and collectibles. Those moments, where one player decides to place their trust in another
and is rewarded, create intimate connections.

Expression-Bodied
Members to Reduce Your
Code Verbosity
"We define social play as 'any activity performed near other players, which encourages simulating the
thoughts and feelings of others,'" continues Hughes, outlining how the mere act of guiding another player
to a hidden vista qualifies as social play. "Basically, we're talking about empathy."

To help players solidify those nascent bonds, thatgamecompany added a gifting mechanic that allows
Press Releases
players to reward their newfound friends. On a surface level, it's a way of saying 'thank you.' But it's also
August 6, 2020 a mechanic that elicits a genuine emotional response for both the giver and receiver.

Games Press

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6/8/2020
Farm-life RPG Fantasy
Farming: Orange Season
...
Farm-life RPG Fantasy
Farming: Orange Season
begr�...
Gamasutra - Using emotion to drive social play in Sky: Children of the Light
The studio also implemented 'social rituals' that provide a sense of growth and investment, adding to the
sense that those friendships and experiences within Sky are genuine. "At first when you interact with a
new player in Sky their identity is hidden and you can only see their silhouette. To reveal the other player
you touch your candle flames together, and once they're revealed you can perform other actions and see
their outfit," continues Hughes.

El RPG de vida en la As those in-game relationships grow, new abilities are also unlocked. It's a looping system that reminds
granja Fantasy
players that the more they invest in a friendship, the more both parties will get out of it, which in turn
Farming:...
mitigates the potential toxicity that can some from "short, low investment interactions."
Le jeu de rôle et de
simulation de ferme
That said, Hughes notes that its important for some interactions to fall short. As in life, not everyone
Fantasy...
players meet will stick around for the long haul, and that okay. It means those relationships that do
Fantasy Farming:
blossom feel organic.
Orange
Season, l'RPG sulla
vita... "This is important because as soon as you start thinking someone is doing something with you because
the designer has forced them to, even if the designer hasn't, you lose a bit of trust in the other player that
View All RSS they're being genuine," he adds. "You need the lows to really appreciate the highs."

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Square Enix Co., Ltd. Plarium Michigan

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