College 1: Play and game introductie_______________________________________________
Games:
- Fortnite,
Dance on
touchpads,
Simscity?
Juul’s classic model of games
Various definitions, various properties of games: Dingen die games moeten hebben:
• Rules
• Outcome
• Goals (and conflict) (zonder conflicten, is een game niks aan)
• Interaction
• Different from “normal” life (not productive, artificial conflicts,…) (tegenwoordig is dit niet meer
zo)
• Not work, voluntary, relaxation
• Social (also oudside of the game (e.g. communities)
• Fiction (isn’t based on a true story.)
borderline games: chance-based gambling: no strategy, no brain power
Autotelic
Games are autotelic: you play for the sake of playing, not to reach external goals. (the reward of
playing is playing)
Games
We can do and experience things we can’t do in person.
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,Games:
• variable outcome: not atways the same, win or lose
• valorization of outcome: positive/negative
• negotiable consequences: esports (bets?)
Four types of games (Caillois) (based on how they let the user feel)
1. Agon (competition) how good you are determines whether you reach the goals
2. Alea (chance) luck and randomness determine (partly) whether you reach the goals (spin the
rat)
3. Mimicry (imitation) you can take on the role of something/someone else (roleplay games)
4. Ilinx (vertigo) emphasis on movement/speed, the goal being to get an enjoyable feeling (e.g.
formule 1 simulation, mario)
Games versus ‘play’ (Caillois, a.o.)
- roles in play are more flexible, its improvised.
- Niet persee belangerijk, maar speedrunning zit ertussen in
GTA: there is a story and a end, but people have hacked it and made it a fiction (roleplay) city.
Summary
• Games can be played with a ludus and a paidia attitude (more structured)
• Play (paidia) can also take place without a game
Stenros (2017)
- Overviews (such as Juul’s) help, but are still not clear enough to define games
- However, especially if the research is qualitative, it is not a big deal if there is no concrete
definition (Potter, 1996)
- 63 definitions of games examined, “what is the current status quo?”
- 10 comments to existing definitions
o Rules, relationship with the real world, (un)productivity
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,Studying games
Perspectives (3):
1. Game: structure and technology, how these determine the player experience
2. Players: how games are used in the real world, effects on players (more from UE approach)
3. Culture: how culture affects games and vice versa, subcultures related to games (how culture
has formed the design and how subcultures are formed)
Groups of researchers (2)
1. Formalists: focus on the games themselves or related philosophical questions (film studies) –
categorization, reasoning
2. Situationalists: focus on the players and culture (context and variation, ‘real’ experiences) (more
on players and cultures, more on a labsetting)
Further subgroups within formalists (2)
1. Narratology: games as a way to tell stories
2. Ludology: games as a collection of rules (gameplay)
College 2 game elements and the MDA framework________________________________________
Serious games
- “(digital) games used for purposes other than mere entertainment.”
- “A serious game is usually a simulation which has the look and feel of a game, but is actually
a simulation of real-world events or processes.”
➔ Can also be applied to existing entertainment games! (more in lecture 4
Groups of researchers
- Formalists: focus on the games themselves or related philosophical questions (film studies) –
categorization, reasoning (this lecture is about)
- Situationalists: focus on the players and culture (context and variation, ‘real’ experiences)
Rules, goals, challenges
Rules
• Define the space, objects, passage of time, consequences of actions
o Consequances: GTA politie komt, hoe abstracter de game hoe duidelijker de
consequenties moeten zijn
• Facilitate goals, progress/development, challenge
Space:
• The space itself , 2d, 3d, continuous, or
• Passage of time: passes of time functions is related to the goal of your game
Rules:
1. Operational rules: required to be able to play the game
2. Basic, “constituative” rules: underlying,
often logical/mathematical rules on which
the operational rules are based
3. Rules of conduct: e.g., sportsmanship, often
unwritten
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, Real rules = :When the game simulates the real world and rules in the game are similar to the “rules”
in real life (e.g. assassin’s creed). For example, when you fall you get hurt.
Artificial rules: in order to play that game. For example, game rules that include cards and dices.
Goals
• The reason for players to play the game
• Achievable but challenging
• Can be determined by the game (e.g., with support from the story), or by the player
themselves (mind graft)
Goals
➢ Conquering , Defeating Chasing Racing
➢ Building Exploring Solving (puzzle) …
Challenges/conflicts
• Stand in the way of the goal
• Often based on rules that limit the player’s actions
• It takes effort to overcome them
1. Obstacles
a. Physical e.g. robots that are standing in the way
b. Mental e.g. when you have to calculate the number in sudoku
2. Enemies - Either other players or bots
3. Dilemmas (choices) strategische beslissingen
Question Should all (serious) games be engaging*?
In other words: Should we always provide engaging* obstacles, enemies and dilemmas?-
➔ Nee, omdat het in en de echte wereld ook niet altijd even engaged is. sommige dingen zijn
gewoon saai als iets in een simulatie als leuk wordt voorgedaan kan het in de echte wereld
snel tegenvallen.
Mechanics
- “A game mechanic is the action invoked by an agent to interact with the game world, as
constrained by the game rules
- Mechanics = interactions!
The “verbs” of the game — what can the player do?
➔ Walk, shoot, run, throw, build, switch weapon, indicate (ememies)
Mechanics = interaction
“Game mechanics are concerned with the actual interaction with the game state, while rules provide
the possibility space where that interaction is possible, regulating as well the transition between
states.”
➔ A agent (the player) executes an action. That action has an effect within the game. The effect
is communicated back to the player who thinks about it and executes a new action.
Example
- The player can make their avatar jump by pressing A, mario jump
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