Interaction models

Interaction models

Interaction models refer to how the gamer controls the character they are playing and how the character is presented in the game itself and how it interacts with the game world. There are two types of interaction models: Avatar interaction model and omnipresence interaction model.

Avatar interaction model

This type of interaction model is when the player is represented by a character or avatar that the player is able to control freely. This model is more focused on how the player controls the avatar and the actions that it does in the game world. A clear example of this would be GTA 5, where the player can control 3 different main avatars and freely play with them in the game world. People prefer this type of interaction model as controlling just 1 or 3 avatars allows them to be emotionally attached to their avatars and even get to know them in a way and be close with them as they will be playing that characters storyline.

Omnipresence interaction model

As you can already guess, this type of interaction model is when the player controls many more than just 1 or 3 characters or avatars, hence "omnipresence". The player often controls an "army" of characters and they could also do changes to the gamer world itself for strategic purposes. Examples of games like this would be farmville or clash of clans. In farmville the player controls everything in their farm and they can feed animals, grow crops and even create structures. In clash of clans, the player gets to build up their own army and base to protect their territory from an invasion. In both games the player is required to control many things at once which can be difficult. Some players prefer this type of interaction model as there is more skill involved and there is less luck. This means that they can actually become competitive with other players to see who is better at the game. Also, people like the feature that they can change their own game world so that it is unique to them and they can compare to others.