Why do we lose? Because of bad luck, or because we weren’t good enough? Trackmania and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout are two games we recommend, but also two ways of exploring this question and linking it to one of the most important elements in learning: managing frustration.
Available on PC and PS4
Fall Guys has the good taste to leave firearms aside and offer a battle royale in an ultra-sugary but merciless universe. Imagine sixty chubby, colourful little characters jostling as best they can in a bouncy castle to be among the first to reach the finish line. The game’s success is currently meteoric! Funny and original, it offers short games, but ones in which chance (bad luck?) pokes its nose in fairly regularly and can spoil your final efforts. This is, incidentally, an aspect that some players criticise.
Of course, the shop is teeming with costumes… as dazzling as they are dispensable. All the more so as the game is paid for.
Fall Guys trailer: https://youtu.be/z6UrdUAZ7wM
To discover the game by watching other players on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Fall%20Guys
Available on PS4, Xbox One and PC
By contrast, Trackmania leaves no room for randomness. In this surreal car racing game, you compete on courses combining skids, loops and gigantic jumps. Only mastery of your speed and trajectory lets you hope for a place among the best. You run the same circuit again and again within a set time, aiming for an unbeatable time. You try by every means to shave off a few hundredths of a second by driving the perfect line. Unlike Fall Guys, only persistence and determination allow you to progress. Failure can then be attributed solely to your own lack of skill compared with the dominant opponents.
Trackmania is available for free (starter), but it is quite reasonable to part with 10 euros for an annual subscription (standard) and so gain access to the tracks created by the community (more whimsical and exhilarating). The “Club” subscription, however, is entirely dispensable, as it is intended for players who want to take part in customised competitions.
Trackmania trailer: https://youtu.be/yjmzsOOrEnQ
To discover the game by watching other players on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Trackmania
So here we have two models of competitive online games, both easy to access. In both cases, defeat can prove frustrating and lead to emotional outbursts. From the outside, such a reaction always seems disproportionate. And when you try to understand why a player gets angry, it is easier to grasp what was at stake before the disappointment.
The impact on the player in the two cases is not necessarily the same, depending on each person’s character and sensitivities. In order to supervise young players as well as possible (and not have to endure the tantrums and swearing…), it can be useful to assess what triggers frustration the most, and to see where one must be able to “accept bad luck” or acknowledge failure in order to see how to progress. Putting the emphasis on more or less chance is a mechanic to be dosed in the creation of a game design. It has to be well proportioned, otherwise players drop out (“I don’t feel like I can improve” or “I improve without any effort”).
As in any other play or competitive activity, losing is part of the necessary learning, if only to be able to go on enjoying the activity in the best conditions.
For parents looking to understand their children’s reactions when they play:
– Try to make the link with other activities (board games, sport, treasure hunts, etc.) in which your child has shown frustration when losing. This will help you better grasp what is happening for them. Video games do not work any differently.
– Ask your child to explain (once they have caught their breath…) what happened just before they got angry, so that you can identify what is frustrating.
– Accept that video games provoke emotions and that these must be heard and managed as in other situations.
– This does not mean, however, that you tolerate outbursts (of noise, for example). As in a football match, when a player oversteps verbal or physical limits, they get a yellow or red card.
– Trust yourself to support your child through these emotions they are learning to manage. You may not know their game, but emotions, you certainly know a thing or two about those!
He works in Switzerland on the subject of excessive screen use, notably with families. He uses the video game as a therapeutic tool and keeps a watchful eye on news about the medium (new releases, trends, impacts, etc.). Alongside his professional activities, he volunteers to run a game review site (www.semperludo.com), as well as a national association of gamers (www.gamingfederation.ch), through which they aim for responsible video game practice.
Twitter: @niels_weber, @semperludo, @GamingFed
