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Gamelogs: Blogging About Gameplay Definitions of Games and Play Magic Circle

Gamelogs: Blogging About Gameplay Definitions of Games and Play Magic Circle. Foundations of Interactive Game Design Prof. Jim Whitehead January 11, 2008. Upcoming Assignments. Due Monday (Jan. 14): first Gamelog assignment Game of your choice

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Gamelogs: Blogging About Gameplay Definitions of Games and Play Magic Circle

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  1. Gamelogs: Blogging About GameplayDefinitions of Games and PlayMagic Circle • Foundations of Interactive Game Design • Prof. Jim Whitehead • January 11, 2008

  2. Upcoming Assignments • Due Monday (Jan. 14): first Gamelog assignment • Game of your choice • Details on web site (Analysis > Game session logging) • Will discuss this in class today • Course web site: • http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/classes/cmps080k/Winter08/ • Following Friday (Jan. 18): team selection • Find your partner for your game project • Pick team name, know contact info

  3. www.GameLog.cl • Online blogging tool for games • www.gamelog.cl • Multiple, parallel blogs (one per game) • Can help you: • Increase your vocabulary for discussing games • Develop skill at analysis of design elements of games • Connect game elements across multiple games • Gain insight on how the experience of playing a game changes over time

  4. Blog entry

  5. Gamelog Assignment Details • High level overview • Play a game for 45minutes to an hour • Write about this gameplay experience • Summary of game • Your gameplay experience • Play the same game for an additional 45-60min • Write about the gameplay experience some more • Your gameplay experience • Observations on the game’s design

  6. First gamelog entry Summary 1-5 sentences summarizing the game. Gameplay style, goals Gameplay 2-5 paragraphs about personal subjective gameplay experience DO NOT write a play-by-play description Boring! Thoughts on emotional state, characters, storyline, gameplay, social interactions, whether game was fun, etc. Second gamelog entry Gameplay 2-5 more paragraphs about the second round of gameplay Design 2-5 paragraphs about the design of the game Your thoughts on: Innovative aspects What makes this a good game Challenges How game creates conflict Level design, use of space Emergent complexity Reward structure, etc. Gamelog Template

  7. Creating Gamelog Username • When creating your gamelog site username • Use any username you want • Must enter correct name • Must also select which class you’re taking • If you don’t do this, we won’t be able to grade your gamelogs. • Demo of gamelog site.

  8. Gamelog Writing • Your gamelog entries must: • Use conventions for standard written English • Correct capitalization, especially “I”, first word of sentences • Use of paragraphs to organize writing • Correct punctuation (remember the period?) • N0 l337 sp33k f0r gamelog n00bs • First gamelog entries due by midnight, Monday, Jan. 14 • Game of your choice • Many games/consoles available at Science and Engineering Library

  9. Are these games? • Consider these activities: • Children playing with dolls • Jumping rope • Using a slot machine in Las Vegas • Russian roulette • Playing Monopoly • Driving Kaba Kick: Russian roulette “for kids.” Instead ofbullets, a pair of feet come out the barrel. If gun doesn’t fire, player earns points.Source: 209.180.204.251/russian-roulette/index.html

  10. Challenges in creating definitions of games • What are unique qualities that make a game a game? • How to differentiate games from play, conflict, and merely rule governed activities? • Some qualities of games • Has rules • Has a goal • Involves decision making • Safe, outside of ordinary life • Voluntary • Outcome is uncertain • Ideally, definitions of games should address these

  11. Clark Abt Definition • In Serious Games, Clark C. Abt defines games as follows: • Reduced to its formal essence, a game is an activity among two or more independent decision-makers seeking to achieve their objectives in some limiting context. A more conventional definition would say that a game is a context with rules among adversaries trying to win objectives. • Key elements of definition • Activity • Game is a series of actions taking place over time • Decision makers • People playing the game are actively making decisions • Objectives • There is a goal to the game, a desired outcome • Limiting context • Rules exist that structure and limit the activity of the game

  12. Abt Definition Applied • Reduced to its formal essence, a game is an activity among two or more independent decision-makers seeking to achieve their objectives in some limiting context. • How does this definition apply to the six activities from earlier this lecture? • Children playing with dolls • Jumping rope • Using a slot machine in Las Vegas • Russian roulette • Playing Monopoly • Driving • Which of these would Abt consider to be a game?

  13. Costikyan Definition • A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in pursuit of a goal. • Key elements • Art • Games are a form of art, hence creating culture • Decision making players • Players actively participating and making choices • Resource management • Decisions made depend on resources available, and manipulate resources • Game tokens • Representation of the state of the game, affordances for user action • Goal • Objective of the game costik.com

  14. Costikyan Definition Applied • A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in pursuit of a goal. • Apply to class list of activities • Children playing with dolls • Jumping rope • Using a slot machine in Las Vegas • Russian roulette • Playing Monopoly • Driving • Which of these would Costikyan consider to be a game?

  15. Jesper Juul’s Classic Game Defintion • From Half-Real, Jesper Juul, MIT Press, 2005, p. 36 • Rules • Games are rule-based • Variable, quantifiable outcome • Games have varying endings, with different numbers assignable to specific outcomes • Valorization of outcome • The different potential outcomes of the game are assigned different values, some positive and some negative • Player effort • The player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome • Games are challenging jesperjuul.net

  16. Juul’s Classic Game Definition (2) • Player attached to outcome • The player is emotionally attached to the outcome of the game in the sense that a player will be a “winner” and happy in case of a positive outcome, but a loser and “unhappy” in case of a negative outcome. • Negotiable consequences • The same game [set of rules] can be played with or without real-world consequences. • Examples • Poker: Can play this game without betting real money. Once money is bet, the game has real-world consequences.

  17. Application of Juul’s Classic Game Definition • Juul’s Classic Game Definition (overview): • Rules • Variable, quantifiable outcome • Valorization of outcome • Player effort • Player attached to outcome • Negotiable consequences • Apply to set of six activities • Children playing with dolls • Jumping rope • Using a slot machine in Las Vegas • Russian roulette • Playing Monopoly • Driving

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