Continuing with the 2nd semester of the Mario Maker Workshop, the next four weeks will focus on understanding player skill. We use the DKART system (dexterity, knowledge, adaptation, reflex) for evaluating the skill players can exert through their gameplay. This week is all about Dexterity skills.

I don't think as a creator that I could create an experience that truly feels interactive if you don't have something to hold in your hand, if you don't have something... that you can feel from the controller. ~ Miyamoto

DEXTERITY is the skill of execution. No matter how much KNOWLEDGE skill we gain, utilizing such skill requires action. We have to speak with our voices, bubble in answers with our pencils, and move our bodies to get past the finish line. How we execute is intimately tied into how we think and what knowledge we have stored. This is why we said KNOWLEDGE is the foundation skill. Still, there's a lot about DEXTERITY execution to consider.

Sub-Facets of DEXTERITY

• Speed - measures how rapidly one can repeat and action.
• Control - measures how precisely one can execute an action. This generally involves executing degrees of force between one's maximum and minimum. It also involves accurately hitting targets.
• Harmony - measures the consistency and accuracy of execution when performing multiple actions. The body is a complex connected system. Doing even two simple actions at once can become very difficult if the physical systems aren't coordinated.
• Stamina - measures how long one can execute a repeated action.
• Power - measure raw strength. This skill is largely untapped with video games.
• Efficiency - measures of how few muscles or energy one can exert to accomplish a task.

The DKART system and the sub-facets of these skills give us a framework to compare effortful activity. Due to the popularity of sports and other physical activities, there is already a rich vocabulary of terms and phrases to describe the how people move. Check out ESPN's sports science for a great example. The human body has about 200 bones and 640 muscles. It's a beautiful and complex machine that we can spend our entire lives studying and exercising. (see video above for more details on DKART Dexterity).

I think there’s a lot of potential for creative methods of game control, especially when combined with the Wii Remote. ~Nagareda

The DKART system is handy because it is simple. Each sub-facet of DEXTERITY skill is easy to measure without medical or scientific equipment. As designers we are interested in the expression of player skill. We consider player actions; not player biology. For example, while there may be many ways to increase one's stamina and though it may be dependent on one's daily diet, we're only concerned with how long did the person last.

For Mario platforms we express our DEXTERITY skill thusly...

• Speed - players can exert speed skill with rapid jumps in tight spaces, shooting fire balls as Fire Mario, flying as Raccoon Mario, Spinning as Cape Mario, or spamming other advanced techniques.
• Control - Typically control is most stressed in games with more complex controllers (e.g. controllers that have analog sticks, touch screens, or motion controls). Still, using the D-pad to control Mario's position is a good test of control because of Mario's momentum and the complexity of pixel perfect placement.
• Harmony - Holding the DASH button while performing other inputs with the right hand stresses harmony skills. Being able to effectively hold and release various buttons with a single hand is challenging. This is probably why so many players play with the DASH button down all the time or not at all.
• Stamina - Because speedy inputs are rarely required, stamina is rarely tested in Mario platformers. This doesn't mean the player won't voluntarily play in a way that stresses their stamina. In some cases repeating difficult sections that require specific inputs increases how much stamina is stressed.

To learn more about DEXTERITY skills, the Workshop took on the next assignment.

Assignment#6: DKART - Dexterity

The challenge is to find examples in existing courses that stress a particular sub-facet of DEXTERITY skills. For the DKART Bingo, we had to scan through 2D Super Mario Bros. platformers in search of gameplay challenges (big or small) that stressed a particular sub-facet. And like the previous assignment, we had to create a triple-spread of examples while increasing the stress of the skill.

Recap Stream for Week 8

An extemporaneous stream in which KirbyKid recaps the week in detail. Content includes a walk through the DKART: Dexterity submissions for Assignment #6.