The Schema is Still Mightier than the Sword - How Cognition Predicts Player Spatial Coding Systems

Explore how players navigate game environments through spatial mapping schemas, mental rotation, and feature detection in this 35-minute GDC 2019 talk. Delve into cognitive processes like accommodation, top-down processing, and endogenous thinking that influence player navigation. Examine game examples illustrating conceptual fluency, attentional blink, and schema violation. Investigate cognitive mapping, survey mapping, and mapstaligia's impact on player expectations. Learn about category judgment, template feature matching, and component schemas using examples from games like Mario, Limbo, and Overwatch. Understand the importance of configurable models and the consequences of violating schemas on player immersion. Gain valuable insights into creating intuitive and engaging game environments that align with players' cognitive processes.

Introduction
Outline
What is a Schema
Accommodation
Topdown Processing
Endogenous Thinking
DataDriven Processing
Destiny
The Question
Game Examples
Conceptual Fluency
Conceptual Fluency Example
Attentional Blink
Schema Violation
Mario
Cognitive Mapping
Navigation
Survey Mapping
Mapstalgia
Player Expectations
Category Judgment
Template Feature Matching
The Golden Cloth
Component Schemas
Example Limbo
Configurable Models
Overwatch
Key Points
Violating Schemas
Loss of Immersion
Conclusion
Cookies
Orange Juice
Questions