ABSTRACT
The Base Layer is limited in what it can achieve in a service game. The importance of replayability is why narrative games struggle in the service era. A narrative game like Dear Esther, sometimes pejoratively called a walking simulator, offers an unusual and uncomfortable narrative experience that can be completed in two hours. The Total War series of games from Creative Assembly involves fighting tactical battles on 3D battle maps while vying with AI opponents for control of a strategic map. The Retention Layer gameplay has become so popular that players have demanded that Electronic Arts adds a button that lets them complete matches automatically, without having to play them. Match-based games such as first-person shooter and Multiplayer Online Battle Arenas give players respite between matches. Analyst firm Quantic Foundry has collected data from 300,000 gamers who have completed its Gamer Motivation Profile.
