A player fantasy is not just about dragons or spaceships.
It’s about identity, agency, and emotion — the sense of who you get to be in the game world and how your actions support that feeling.
It’s what turns bare mechanics into meaning.
Game Map Linkage
Player Fantasy is a part of Emotional Experience Constructs. They are determined by Presentation Layer:
→→ Emotional Experience Constructs
Emotional Experience Constructs determine:
→→ Experience: immersive, memorable & meaningful
→ Goal / Challenge / Reward: How do the intended fantasy influence what goals feel worth pursuing, how challenges are framed to evoke tension or excitement, and how rewards feel satisfying or hollow.
Emotional Experience Constructs are affected by:
Feedback → Emotional Experience Constructs
Emotion Arc and Player Fantasy influence each other:
Player Fantasy → Emotion Arc
Emotion Arc → Player Fantasy
📍Player fantasy is part of the Emotional Experience Constructs, shaping how the player interprets every loop and how they imagine themselves within the game.
1️⃣ Definition
Player Fantasy is the imagined identity or role a player inhabits and expresses through gameplay.
Component | Description | Example |
Role | Who am I becoming? | A brilliant tactician in Into the Breach |
Power | What can I do here? | God of War: throwing an axe that feels godlike |
Responsibility | What am I in charge of? | A city in Frostpunk |
Emotion | What internal state does this evoke? | Awe in Outer Wilds, guilt in Papers, Please |
Fantasy is not genre — it’s emotional identity with agency.
It grows when mechanics, feedback, and narrative align so tightly with the player’s fantasy that the boundary between action and identity starts to blur.
2️⃣ Why Player Fantasy Matters
Impact | What It Enables | Example |
Expectation | Sets tone and draws players in | Mass Effect: you’re a decisive Commander |
Engagement | Player identifies with their role | Animal Crossing: gentle life simulation |
Retention | They want to return to that identity | Hades: you grow as Zagreus over time |
📍A fantasy isn’t what you write; it’s what the player feels every time they act.
3️⃣ Types of Fantasy
Type | Description | Game Examples |
Power | Mastery, dominance, control | DOOM, XCOM, League of Legends |
Nurture | Care, growth, protection | Spiritfarer, Stardew Valley |
Escape | Exploration, detachment | Skyrim, Subnautica |
Identity | Expressing or discovering self | Disco Elysium, Dream Daddy |
Survival | Endure, adapt, overcome | The Long Dark, This War of Mine |
Mystery | Unravel secrets, connect clues | Return of the Obra Dinn, Outer Wilds |
📍Strong games often blend fantasies, but one should dominate and be reinforced everywhere.
4️⃣ How to Reinforce Fantasy
Tool | Role in Supporting Fantasy | Example |
Mechanics | Actions express identity | Stealth tools in Hitman support being a mastermind |
Feedback | Reinforces feeling | Sniper headshot sound sells precision fantasy |
Animation & SFX | Make action feel right | Heavy axe swings in God of War sell power |
Narrative Context | Framing actions | Being called “Captain” throughout FTL |
Constraints | What you can’t do strengthens what you can | No guns in Firewatch keeps you in a vulnerable role |
Design Tip
- Fantasy isn’t a layer you add — it’s a lens you apply to every element.
- When something feels “off,” ask: is the system contradicting the fantasy?
5️⃣ Good vs Bad Player Fantasy
Aspect | Good Player Fantasy (Examples) | Bad Player Fantasy (Examples) |
Identity Alignment | Disco Elysium: your choices shape who you are | Final Fantasy XIII: strong lore but little personal expression |
Mechanic Support | Hitman: tools and feedback make you feel like an assassin | Aliens: Colonial Marines: generic shooting, no unique identity |
Consistency | God of War: every action reinforces godlike power | Rage 2: chaotic gameplay with no clear identity fantasy |
Emotional Resonance | Spiritfarer: mechanics of care match emotional tone | Too Human: unclear role and tone, no emotional hook |
Replay Value | XCOM: being a commander drives varied runs | Generic shooters: interchangeable roles, no lasting identity |
Key takeaway
Good fantasy lets players become someone and feel it.
Bad fantasy feels hollow or contradictory.
✅ Player Fantasy Checklist
Summary
Concept | Role |
Player Fantasy | The identity players inhabit |
Player fantasy:
- Lives in Emotional Experience Constructs within the Presentation Layer,
- Ties directly to Emotion Arcs
- Turns actions into personal meaning.
A great player fantasy makes players say: “This is who I am here.”
Mini-Challenge
Fantasy Alignment Test
- Pick one core mechanic (e.g., build, shoot, investigate).
- Ask:
- What fantasy does this mechanic currently express?
- If you changed fantasy (e.g., from stealth to power), what would you need to change?
- Adjust:
- Feedback (sound, animation),
- Narrative framing,
- Constraints.
💡 Bonus constraint: Test with players: “Who did you feel like in this game?”