| { |
| "pattern_name": "Betrayal", |
| "description": "One or several players that have an agreement with other players either intentionally fail to do as agreed or otherwise hinder the fulfillment of the agreement.", |
| "content": [ |
| "Players can be put in situations where promises or the expectations of other players may be broken. These acts of [[Betrayal]] often cause friction between players, and therefore players betraying other players usually have an incentive to do so. This may be due to individual gains received by the [[Betrayal]], differences in player positions in the game, revenge for previous injustices, or situations where the game forces players to choose which players they will betray." |
| ], |
| "using_the_pattern": [ |
| "[[Betrayal]] requires that one player in the game has some [[Committed Goals]] whose completion is dependent on other players' actions, even if the commitment may only be a promise and the goals may be [[Player Defined Goals]]. Thus, [[Betrayal]] can happen in almost any situation where the players are cooperating in some way, usually towards [[Mutual Goals]]. Less severe cases of [[Betrayal]] can happen in [[Collaborative Actions]] and in situations of [[Delayed Reciprocity]] such as Player Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties or [[Trading]] with [[Delayed Effects]]. One way, and perhaps the best, to enhance the possibility of [[Betrayal]] is to give the players at least a perceived chance of reaping [[Individual Rewards]] for betraying the other players. This form of [[Betrayal]] is the basis for some [[Social Dilemmas]]. An example is where [[Tied Results]] can be perceived and [[Rewards]] are distributed evenly: in these cases, players may negotiate to have a [[Tied Result]] in order to use their [[Resources]] and efforts in other parts of the game but have the possibility of [[Betrayal]] to gain the whole [[Reward]] for themselves.", |
| "[[Betrayal]] is one of the classic themes that can be used to create [[Narrative Structures]] and [[Role Reversal]] events. The interplay of trust and deceit is a way to achieve [[Emotional Immersion]] as [[Betrayal]] will almost inevitably create strong emotions in both parties involved. [[Betrayal]] has to come as a [[Surprise]] for those who are betrayed, or it loses much of its emotional impact. This can be achieved, for example, by having a [[Delayed Effect]] for [[Collaborative Actions]] and using [[Asymmetric Information]] about the actions the players have performed, which also raises the levels of [[Anticipation]]. In most cases, [[Betrayal]] is used together with [[Bluffing]]. The players who are about to betray other players have to conceal their true intentions and in some games, for example Diplomacy, [[Bluffing]] to conceal [[Betrayal]] is the basis for much of the enjoyment of the game." |
| ], |
| "consequences": [ |
| "The possibility of [[Betrayal]] in games gives players a form of [[Player Decided Results]], and the power this gives most likely increases [[Tension]] between players and has a negative effect on [[Team Play]] and possible [[Cooperation]]. As is the case with [[Bluffing]], even the perceived possibility of [[Betrayal]] can increase [[Social Interaction]] between players. In these cases, the heightened [[Tension]] is due to the players trying to find out what the other players' true intentions are. [[Betrayal]], in any case, is much more common in [[Uncommitted Alliances]] than in stable [[Alliances]] such as teams. The effect of [[Betrayal]] is more drastic when the other players feel that the [[Alliance]] is stable. For example, a Soccer player perceived as betraying his team in the World Cup finals will probably be treated as a real-world betrayer and suffer the consequences.", |
| "For players to put themselves in positions where [[Betrayal]] of their trust can occur requires them to make [[Risk/Reward]] calculations and heavily influences how [[Negotiation]] is conducted. The actual action of putting oneself in the position where one can be betrayed is a Leap of Faith and if the [[Betrayal]] takes place, it is usually the source for [[Conflict]]." |
| ], |
| "relations": { |
| "Instantiates": [ |
| "Conflict", |
| "Surprises", |
| "Leaps of Faith", |
| "Emotional Immersion", |
| "Social Dilemmas", |
| "Role Reversal", |
| "Tension", |
| "Uncommitted Alliances", |
| "Risk/Reward" |
| ], |
| "Modulates": [ |
| "Trading", |
| "Alliances", |
| "Anticipation", |
| "Tied Results", |
| "Social Interaction", |
| "Negotiation", |
| "Narrative Structures" |
| ], |
| "Instantiated by": [ |
| "Collaborative Actions", |
| "Player Decided Results", |
| "Committed Goals", |
| "Cooperation", |
| "Player-Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties", |
| "Mutual Goals", |
| "Individual Rewards", |
| "Asymmetric Information", |
| "Bluffing" |
| ], |
| "Modulated by": [ |
| "Indirect Information", |
| "Penalties", |
| "Rewards", |
| "Delayed Reciprocity", |
| "Delayed Effects" |
| ], |
| "Potentially conflicting with": [ |
| "Cooperation" |
| ] |
| }, |
| "examples": [ |
| "Much of the enjoyment and tension of Diplomacy is in the possibility to betray and backstab other players. This sometimes leads to very intense diplomacy phases where the players try to get more information about what other players really try to achieve in the game.", |
| "The negotiation game Intrigue forces players into situations where they sometimes must betray another player due to having made certain promises to several different players that appeared to be unrelated when they were given but later became related." |
| ], |
| "label": "10. Game Design Patterns for Social Interaction", |
| "pattern_links": [ |
| { |
| "name": "Player Decided Results", |
| "file": "PlayerDecidedResults" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Tension", |
| "file": "Tension" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Risk/Reward", |
| "file": "RiskReward" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Delayed Effects", |
| "file": "DelayedEffects" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Committed Goals", |
| "file": "CommittedGoals" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Anticipation", |
| "file": "Anticipation" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Role Reversal", |
| "file": "RoleReversal" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Leaps of Faith", |
| "file": "LeapsofFaith" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Player-Decided Distribution of Rewards & Penalties", |
| "file": "Player-DecidedDistributionofRewards&Penalties" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Asymmetric Information", |
| "file": "AsymmetricInformation" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Cooperation", |
| "file": "Cooperation" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Emotional Immersion", |
| "file": "EmotionalImmersion" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Individual Rewards", |
| "file": "IndividualRewards" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Uncommitted Alliances", |
| "file": "UncommittedAlliances" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Mutual Goals", |
| "file": "MutualGoals" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Trading", |
| "file": "Trading" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Indirect Information", |
| "file": "IndirectInformation" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Delayed Reciprocity", |
| "file": "DelayedReciprocity" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Alliances", |
| "file": "Alliances" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Penalties", |
| "file": "Penalties" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Social Interaction", |
| "file": "SocialInteraction" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Tied Results", |
| "file": "TiedResults" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Surprises", |
| "file": "Surprises" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Rewards", |
| "file": "Rewards" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Negotiation", |
| "file": "Negotiation" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Narrative Structures", |
| "file": "NarrativeStructures" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Collaborative Actions", |
| "file": "CollaborativeActions" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Bluffing", |
| "file": "Bluffing" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Social Dilemmas", |
| "file": "SocialDilemmas" |
| }, |
| { |
| "name": "Conflict", |
| "file": "Conflict" |
| } |
| ], |
| "pattern_id": "Betrayal", |
| "playable_concept": "Not available yet", |
| "metadata": { |
| "version": "1.2.2.2", |
| "date_processed": "2025-04-26", |
| "source_file": "Betrayal.htm", |
| "converter_version": "1.2.2.2" |
| } |
| } |
