Running Head: THE EXPERIENCE OF PREY

Isabella Schilling

The Experience of Prey

Game Play Reflection Paper

EDUC 333

Professor Quintana

12/04/2020
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INTRODUCTION

Throughout the course of this class I have had the opportunity to take the knowledge

learned through lecture and readings and apply it to actual gameplay. As we learned about

different learning theories and game designs, I was able to update my perception of my game of

choice as I continued to play throughout the semester. The game that I chose to play provided me

with a very complex framework to transfer each topic that we focused on in class each week. In

the following paper, I will work to expand on my knowledge of education and gaming through

the game Prey. I want to both describe my experience within the game, as well as analyze the

design. To accomplish this goal, I will describe the overall gameplay, goals, win conditions and

different aspects of the game that served to teach me different skills and ideas. To back up this

information, I will draw on course readings to connect my knowledge to the game design and the

gameplay itself. Overall, I want to build a picture of Prey that dissects the different variations of

techniques at play that serve to teach the player.

GAME THEME

The game Prey follows a science fiction type of design. It is set in an alternative timeline

of the universe where the space race was accelerated to the point where humans had created

space stations far earlier than expected. Within this subset of the setting, the game is specifically

set at one space station, Talos 1. The year is 2032, and Talos 1 serves as the living quarters for a

research staff. Talos 1 includes a staff of scientists who work together to study the main

antagonists of the game, the Typhon. Typhon are a species of Alien that had previously been
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imprisoned by both the United State’s space stations and the USSR space stations. The research

staff spends their time studying the Typhon’s neurology, to further advance the capabilities of the

human brain and hopefully foster the mental capabilities of the Typhon to advance the skills of

the human race.

The game actually begins as something terrible has happened upon Talos 1. The Typhon

have escaped and have taken over the space station, leaving it broken and virtually void of any of

the original staff. This is where Morgan Yu comes in. Morgan is the main protagonist of the

game, and is who the player is within gameplay. Morgan was recruited by the research staff to

begin research on Talos 1. But, as Morgan begins his training sessions, which center around

psychological tests, the administrator of those tests is attacked by one of the Typhon and killed,

setting the scene for the game. Right after this happens, Morgan wakes up in his apartment, and

soon realizes it has been 3 years since the murder of the administrator of his tests, and he finds

out he has been passed out in a simulated version of his apartment for those 3 years, when in

reality he has been on Talos 1 the entire time. Once this simulated reality is broken, Morgan is

back on Talos 1 physically and mentally, with no knowledge on what has transpired in those 3

years. From there, the player has to explore Talos 1, defeating or avoiding Typhon while

uncovering the secrets of the space station and trying to figure out what happened and how to

come back from the rule of the Typhon within Talos 1. He explores the space station,

encountering dead staff members, Typhon and some very interesting technology.

GAMEPLAY

Before diving into the specifics of what exactly I learned throughout the semester within

the game Prey, it is important to build a picture of what this game is all about. Now that we have
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covered the conditions of this game, and the threatening environment that the player finds

themselves in from the get go, the main goal of the player becomes clear. The main goal is to

survive the Typhon. When Morgan explores the ship, it becomes evident that much of the staff

has been murdered, so Morgan is the sole survivor and must stay alive. Aside from the goal of

pure survival, the player also serves to figure out the mystery of the ship. Morgan has lost 3 years

of knowledge, and must adapt to this disadvantage. So, the player has the responsibility of

deciphering what exactly happened and how it can be solved to save humanity. Within both of

these goals, is personal goals. The player can set their own goals in terms of how they want to

achieve the two larger goals. The player builds skills and acquires different weapons and

protection throughout gameplay, and sets up which traits they want to accomplish and which

objectives they want to achieve.

In terms of the game mechanics of Prey, the game follows a first person shooter type

design. It is a bit more complex than just a shooter game, as it also follows an imaginative

narrative. I would say this game falls in between a shooter game and an RPG. The game does not

revolve around solving puzzles, rather it provides the player a dynamic environment in which

they can find their own solutions and drive their own path to victory. This will be further

exemplified within the description of the learning within this game and how free the exploration

of the environment is. The game revolves around giving the player freedom to choose how their

gameplay will transpire. The game has little structure in terms of the specific actions that the

player must take, rather it has overarching consequences and hiccups along the way. The player

is encouraged to take control of their gameplay, decide how and when they want to do certain

tasks and take action. This is exemplified within the two main options of gameplay that players

can achieve their goals through: stealth or combat. Besides the choice on how to deal with the
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Typhon, the player also develops knowledge through the clues laid throughout the ship. The

player is able to choose weapons and skills based on which tactics they choose, or if they choose

a combination of both. This allows the gameplay to be unique to each player. Besides the choice

on how to deal with the Typhon, the player also develops knowledge through the clues laid

throughout the ship. Also, the consequences of the game encourage this type of free

environment, to show the player that planning ahead is a key part of Prey.

Again, as in line with the main goal of the game, the win conditions are contingent on

survival. The real win condition of the game is to make it to the ending sequence, by exploring

the space station whilst staying alive. There are two alternate endings to this game, which the

player has control over which ending they pursue. The first win condition involves deciding to

blow up the entire ship, therefore eradicating the Typhon completely. This choice gives the

player the opportunity to either find a way to escape the ship before the explosion or die with the

station. This condition will also destroy all of the research within the station. The second option

Morgan has is to build a device that will destroy the Typhon on the ship, but keep the ship and all

of its research intact. So, the win conditions are dependent on the player’s goal once the secrets

of the station and the conflict comes to a head in terms of the morality of this scientific research

and the safety of humankind. Quite a choice to make!

LEARNING AND DESIGN: CONNECTING TO COURSE THEMES

Basic Game Mechanics

To outline what I have learned throughout this game, I think it is best to start at the

beginning. The beginning of the game provides a wonderful framework for the rest of the game.

Before the player even makes it to the main environment of the rest of the game, Talos 1, they
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begin in the simulated apartment. This first environment serves as almost a training ground for

vital game mechanics that will be necessary to master before continuing. This serves as a fish

tank. A fish tank is a place used for the player to learn vital skills without the complexity of the

challenges of the real game (Gee, 2005). The apartment is void of Typhon, therefore facing no

threat to the player, so they can hone the basic elements of controls. Also, the player can stay in

this environment for as long as they feel comfortable, the true game (with typhon) will only

begin when the player, as instructed, crashes through their glass window. Before embarking on

the real game, the first skill that I learned was how to use my character’s hands. The game

actually provided an icon that told me to put on my space suit, which showed me the controls on

how to use my hands to grab objects. The second skill I learned was how to interact with objects

and artifacts within the apartment. The apartment was scattered with papers and random objects

which caught my eye, and when you got closer to them, an option to investigate would pop onto

the screen. Directly after interacting with an object I then learned how to access my inventory. A

pop up icon states for the player to open up their bag, with the choice on whether or not to store

objects. Third, again with the help of the icon prompts given by the game, I learned the different

movements I could make. I was able to walk and run through my apartment, practicing the

sequence. As I moved, I received another prompt, which instructed me how to open my map. So,

with this training period I was able to understand the basic necessities of the game: grabbing,

investigating, walking, running, storing, and opening my map. The use of the fish tank design

helps build the practice of these basic skills. This leads to the player developing a sense of

competence within the game. Competence is a vital first step when learning a game. As

described by Rigby and Ryan (2011), competence is a natural need/want people have to master

skills. To place this aspect of practice at the start of the game helps build the intrinsic motivation
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that comes along with the feeling of being competent for the player, and makes them want to

continue playing.

Exploration

Once I felt comfortable to break containment, the next element of the game that I found

myself learning was the aspect of exploration. The unique design of this game is within how a

player is allowed to explore. There is no strict guide through the space station, rather the player

is given a lot of freedom, which adds to the mystery of the overarching plot. The player is

actually able to return to areas they have been previously. Even after the player has discovered a

new area, they are able to return to it with the added knowledge they may have obtained whilst

playing further. This exemplifies the idea of how the game uses prior knowledge to further the

player. Bransford (2000) describes the fact that experts have a large repertoire of knowledge that

they can use to apply to their domain of interest. This is exactly what Prey does through their

open world design. It teaches players the importance of thinking ahead, as the first time you

encounter an obstacle or task you may not have the ability to understand or complete it, so the

option to return is vital once you have more knowledge under your belt. Also, while the player is

exploring, they encounter a few different types of information and obstacles.

The first of these that I want to cover is artifacts. Artifacts come in the form of notes,

writing on the wall, keys to different doors, webpages open on malfunctioning computers and

written articles. Articles are a source of knowledge for the player. One of the many goals of this

game lies in uncovering the mystery, what happened in the last three years? Artifacts provide

clues to this question, and the more you store and the more you read, the more you begin to

understand this mystery. Artifacts serve to add to the constructivist design of this game.

Constructivism highlights the importance of a play creating their own meaning through their
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learning and exploration (Selwyn, 2011). As the player chooses to store, read, or place artifacts

into the well of information that they have gathered whilst exploring, they are essentially

building the meaning of the story through these clues. As the player moves through the game,

this knowledge continues to build, and the meaning is therefore expanded upon.

Within this open world design, there seems to be a light guide within the obstacles the

player encounters along the way. The first obstacle is obviously the main antagonist of the

storyline, the Typhon. As the game begins, they Typhon appear to be lightly guiding the player

through different areas of the space station. When the Typhon appears, you must choose to make

your way past them if you want to continue in whichever direction you were going. At the start,

your skills and abilities are not developed enough to get through many of the Typhon, so you

must backtrack. If your only choices are to go somewhere else or battle these aliens, you must

take a look at your strength and decipher what is the right choice. This serves to teach the player

the importance of building skills and deciding how exactly you want to play this game. This

relates to the concept of pleasant frustration. Pleasant frustration is a concept that is felt by

players when they are given a challenge that is on the cusp of their abilities. Since the Typhon is

the first encounter the player has with an object that is not inanimate, they must learn to adapt to

this brand new challenge.

The second obstacle that you encounter midway through the game is what I would

classify as broken equipment. Oftentimes, when the player is in a room, there will be

malfunctioning technology that could be of us if it were to be working. This creates a barrier for

the player, as when doors malfunction they have to either figure out how to find a key, or find a

way to break the door open. This teaches the player about the complexity of the game,

sometimes when you get somewhere, you’ll find even more obstacles ahead of you. This causes
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you to have to choose whether to go back to where you started and gain more knowledge, or try

to figure out the obstacle at hand. This makes players stop in their tracks, and actively think

about the barriers they face and the feedback they receive from the environment. Learning is best

when it is active, and has appropriate and adapted levels of challenge (Shute, 2012). This is

exactly what Prey does with broken equipment, it keeps the player actively thinking, and

re-evaluating the level of challenge they are facing.

Overall, exploration plays a large role in teaching the player the strategy of the game.

This is done through artifacts and obstacles like the Typhon and broken equipment.

Combat vs. Stealth

The ultimate goal of this game is survival, as stated earlier. As described by McGonigal

(2011) describes that a goal is an outcome the player hopes to achieve. Making this goal pure

survival causes a focus on strategy. There are two main paths to victory that Prey hints at, and

those are combat or stealth. The reason these strategies play such a vital role in this game is

because the Typhon tends to appear wherever you go, unexpectedly. So, if you want to make any

progress on the space station you need to decide how to deal with these creatures, to of course,

survive.

When first starting the game, the player does not have many skills that they have

acquired, nor do they have many weapons. So, the game really makes the choice for you in the

start, you must avoid these creatures until you have the correct weaponry or protective

equipment. This opens the door to the player, that maybe there’s multiple ways to get through

this game. For example, the first time the player encounters a Typhon is when the game prompts

them to go to the Machine Room. At this point, the player also receives information on the

Typhon’s capabilities, that they can teleport and can do transfiguration. This serves to show the
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player that the Typhon are not just any ordinary creature, rather, they are intelligent, and one

must build their skills in order to outwit them. This is where Weaponry comes in. As the player

builds their inventory of weapons, the distinction between combat and stealth becomes clear. For

example, when you pick up a weapon, the prompt will tell you its function. The weapon that

highlighted the distinction in strategy for me was the Gloo Cannon. The Gloo Cannon disables

and demobilizes your target, without damaging them. This weapon is strictly used for the stealth

strategy, as it gives you time to finish whatever task you’re doing or move to a new room. The

game does a great job of providing a variety of different weapons that can either harm or hinder

the Typhon.

Aside from weapons, Prey also provides repair kits. I learned that repair kits can be used

to both strengthen your armor or fix broken equipment. Again, this is furthering the fact that the

player has a choice, to be violent or to not be violent. You can go on the defense, or you can take

action into your own hands. Overall, Malone (1987) describes the importance of intrinsic

motivation within a game. Specifically the importance of combining the values a player holds

dear with learning new skills. This is exactly what Prey does in terms of the weaponry available.

Players are able to decide whether a more stealthy approached weapon suits their needs, then

continually build off of that objective. The environment provides them with the opportunity to

learn new skills with the values they may hold outside of the game.

Personalization

The final aspect of this game that I learned from is how it can be shaped and

personalized. Personalization is an aspect of games that helps the player build their identity.

Identity can be seen as a self definition of the individual, rather than those coming from the

outside (Shaw, 2012). The way a player can self define their own identity within the game
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became clear as I learned about the different technology available to me to customize my skills

and abilities.

The first aspect of personalization that I encountered was the Play Your Way design. This

first came to my attention as a prompt, which explained that it was my choice of how to proceed

when I could not get through a malfunctioning door. I was given the choice of whether to look

for a key/card to get through the door, or to improvise and find my own way of getting through.

This aspect of the game allows the player to build their own path, and basically shape how the

game transpires based on what they enjoy.

The second aspect of personalization I encountered was a bit more hands on, The

Favorite’s Wheel. The Favorite’s Wheel gives the player the option to have whichever weapons,

abilities, magic powers, and repair kits on their wheel, which will be easily accessible as opposed

to those objects/weapons that sit in the inventory. This gives the player quick access to their

favorite weapons or powers that they choose. This is just another way the game provides the

player customization. If you choose a specific strategy of play, you can then place the weapons

and kits you need in your favorite’s wheel, as those are the things you want to use to advance

your position. This adds to your identity.

The third aspect of personalization is probably the most interesting and most

complex, which follows you through the beginning to the end of the game, the Neuromod. The

Neuromod can be opened up as a menu, which shows where the player falls in terms of their

progress in multiple subsets of skills. The main categories that players are given are the scientist,

the explorer or the mechanic. The neuromod essentially provides a framework for the player to

see which skills they need to acquire to complete their identity of choice. As reported by Gee

(2005) a good game tends to allow several different gaming styles to be able to work within the
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game. This is exactly what Prey does through the use of the neuromod. Players are able to

choose which skills they want to hone in on, resulting in attuning their experience to their own

playing style. The neuromod provides a strict and clear framework for the player to pursue

personal goals while advancing within the game. To emphasize this, the game also provides a

series of cues and reminders to check your progress within the neuromod, to encourage honing in

on your skills of choice.

CONCLUSION

The game Prey follows the story of Morgan Yu as he explores the space station Talos 1.

The design of this game is one of much personalization, freedom and action. The game uses

obstacles, monsters and artifacts to lightly guide the player through both the storyline and the

space station itself. With the constant danger that the environment provides, the player is

constantly having to adapt to each different room and sequence of events. This design makes the

player play on their toes, construct ideas as they move along and build an identity throughout the

entirety of the game. Through the complex levels of choices and win conditions, the player

learns how to build their knowledge and apply it to different scenarios, ultimately leading to a

final decision on how to proceed with the space station and the Typhon as a whole. Overall, Prey

teaches the player adaptation at its best, and the design within the storyline, gameplay and the

environment of the station does a wonderful job of building upon skills and creating an optimal

level of challenge for a good game.

References

Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind,

experience, and school (Expanded ed.). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.

Gee, J. P. (2005). Learning by design: Good video games as learning machines. E-Learning,

2(1), 5–16.

Malone, T. W., & Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic

motivations for learning. In R. E. Snow & M. J. Farr (Eds.), Aptitude, learning, and

instruction: Cognitive and affective process analysis (Vol. 3, pp. 223–253). Hillsdale, NJ:

Erlbaum.

McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the

world. New York: Penguin.

Rigby, S., & Ryan, R. M. (2011). Glued to games: How video games draw us in and hold us

spellbound. Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.

Selwyn, N. (2011). Education and technology: Key issues and debates. London: Continuum.

Shaw, A. (2012). Do you identify as a gamer? Gender, race, sexuality, and gamer identity .

New Media & Society, 14(1), 28-44.

Shute, V. J., & Ke, F. (2012). Games, Learning, and Assessment. In D. Ifenthaler, D. Eseryel, &

X. Ge (Eds.), Assessment in Game-Based Learning (pp. 43–58). Springer New York.