Module 7. The video game: Gems of War

Gems of War is a video game developed by Infinity Plus Two, Infinite Interactive Pty. Ltd., published in 2014 on Steam for Windows (also available on Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Play Station 4). 

This game resents to the player a context of turn-based battles, but with the main mechanics of match 3. A revolutionary role-playing system of turn-based battles but adding one of the most famous mechanics on the market since the launch of Candy Crush (King, 2012).

But Gems of War has so much more to offer. Without entering the battlefield yet, the game presents a unit collection mechanic, which can be obtained as we enjoy the different game modes available. These upgradeable units have their own characteristics, such as attack and health stats, as well as a unique ability. These units are the ones that will make up the team that will fight in combat. Counting on the player’s own avatar (which acts as a unit in all its effects), up to 3 more units can be added to the team. Now, each unit has an association to an element (or piece within the board), easily recognizable by the colour of the piece. It is the accumulation of these pieces when they are matched that allow us to execute the unique abilities. 

On the other hand, within combat, the turns are divided between the opponent and the player, so that each character will move only 1 piece of the board per turn, unless 4 or more pieces are matched and an extra turn is generated. In this way, each turn, pieces of different colours will be obtained, also called mana, to be able to execute the offensive strategy linked to the units present in the battle. With which we can already observe the complexity of this system.

And this is where, in a very specific way, the soft skill Judgment and Decision Making comes into play. It may seem that the decision-making process is transversal to the structure of the video game, since it is in a context where a person interacts with a dynamic system and decisions are made to advance in the game, but it is more complex than what It seems. In fact, the relationship between decision-making and the use of video games and how the latter favour the soft skill has already been demonstrated on several occasions (Eichenbaum et al., 2014; Toh, 2021; Reynaldo et al., 2021). 

In Gems of War, we can see different scenarios where decision making is relevant. From deciding which units make up the battle team, improving them or not, making combos between them and having synergies, to micro-decisions during battle that influence which pieces we match and therefore how we perform in battle. In addition to obviously the decisions that imply an adaptation to changes during battle, directly influencing our defensive and offensive strategies. 

If you want more information about the relationship between Gems of War and more soft skills, click here. 

Bibliographic references 

• Eichenbaum, A. E., Bavelier, D., & Green, C. S. (2014).  Video games: Play that can do serious good.  American Journal of Play, 7, 50-72. 
• Reynaldo, C., Christian, R., Hosea, H., & Gunawan, A. A. (2021). Using Video Games to Improve Capabilities in Decision Making and Cognitive Skill: A Literature Review. Procedia Computer Science, 179, 211-221. 
• Toh, W. (2021). The Economics of Decision-Making in Video Games. Game Studies, 21(3).