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‘Critical Play’, ‘Flow’, and ‘The Magic Circle’

Critical Play There are many types of play not only in the modern world but in the world over time. Not exempt from this is play designed to break down and restructure ideas in the real world. Mary Flanagan discusses this ‘Critical Play’, in which play can be used to help people think critically about the world around them. ‘Critical Play’ let’s the hands on and immersive experience that is play be used to expose and explore ideas for people in ways that may go unnoticed, or in new ways entirely based on the experience. When Prof. Flanagan uses the term ‘Critical’ she seems to be referring to how the play is analysing the world around us and bringing that into a new medium to challenge and realise these issues, but also that this kind of play comes in a time when it could have a strong and decisive impact on our future as it could be a defining aspect of what brings about crucial changes. Flow ‘Flow’ is how Csikszentmihalyi articulated the whole immersion in an experience. However it so clearly drives forth this image that it is not just doing something, it is this marriage of your consciousness and your actions. For such a union to occur however it goes beyond just thinking hard about it, it is a tentative and liquid state that requires a significant set of factors to achieve. You have to be enjoying what you are doing to begin with. You can do something but how are you supposed to become one with it if you constantly have your mind drift off out of boredom, or think about how much you aren’t enjoying yourself. You have to be aware of what you are doing, and how you are doing it. It’s not enough to absent-mindedly act, but to actively engage and know you are doing that, be it knowing that you are moving your chess piece into an advantageous position or picking the right plant to deal with the zombie wearing a bucket invading your lawn. You have to intrinsically get something out of it. Sure a pat on the back or a cash prize would be nice out the end of a race, but if your mind is in a constant drift to the external reward then how are going to become wholly one with the task in front of you, the task you are supposed to be melding with. ‘Flow’ appears to be something that is easier to be taken out of than to get into, but it is a rewarding experience when you are able to meet the requirements. The Magic Circle Where ‘Flow’ is what happens when you become immersed in an experience, ‘The Magic Circle’ is where it can happen. Around most games is this metaphorical circle that is the arena in which the game can take place. It is a world of it’s own wherein different rules apply than that of the normal world. While the circle varies depending on what you are playing it very much is fundamentally the same in that what you can do inside can be in most ways, shapes, and forms, be very different to your day-to-day life. Take the game musical chairs for example. While in normal social circumstances, it is conceived as ludicrous to physically scramble for a seat and to do your best to steal one from your peers in a survival of the fittest type simulation, the magic circle around the game permits it. However ‘The Magic Circle’ doesn’t defy all normal societal behaviour. Even in Musical Chairs it’s against the rules to knock the other players out and drag them off to the side to get your seat. Games aren’t the only places with magic circles, and some magic circles are much clearer examples. Libraries and Theatres, for example, have a magic circle that dictates that you should be much quieter, whispering at most, as opposed to the normal permission to speak at most volumes you choose when out in public. Boxing rings have a very clearly marked magic circle, where once inside you can assault your opponent until they fall down unconscious but once you outside a single punch could land you in jail. Life becomes much different in ‘The Magic Circle’ since, depending on the rules inside it, your decisions, actions, and relationships can differ greatly. Playing a role playing game, a happy couple might decide to play rivals or enemies. A person who follows every rule to the letter might steal, cheat, and kill, contrary to their nature outside of the circle. Depending on the game you might become an evil murderous dictator upon stepping into the circle. What ‘The Magic Circle’ allows means that many options are open, and they in theory shouldn’t have an impact on life outside of the circle. So should you then see it fit to deceive and back-stab your fellow players. This is really quite subjective. Even inside ‘The Magic Circle’ you aren’t immune to your actions bleeding into your normal life. The happy couples go at being enemies could easily bring up arguments that they take home with them. The law abiding citizen might see the thrill of crime and go torrent a movie. We at the heart of it are only human. So keeping this in mind it’s a dangerous game to go around lying and deceiving. Of course there are games where it’s a core mechanic or a necessary evil in order to effectively take part. Plus you have to think about the people you play with. Some people could get a real kick out of a little deceit, where as other could find it an affront. While it’s easy to say to anyone, “it’s just a game”, thinking ‘The Magic Circle’ protects against consequences, it is very much up to the circumstances you find yourself as to whether you want to test the boundaries of the circle.

#ardn611 #critical play #flow #the magic circle

Contexts of Game and Play - Class Reflection: Week 1

Honestly, i don’t have much to say about this session, we really didn’t do much. The class was just introductory, where we were given details as to how the paper will be conducted. i am very excited for the mid-semester game jam. Nevertheless, the class was early in the morning; to be frank i am struggling to remember what we had discussed.

#ContextsOfGameAndPlay #ardn611 #reflection

Game + Play Prototypes

Prototype 1 - Shader pack version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CCJ7f0NXUIeW340H5jz-QhYMDZVCH4pd

Prototype 2 - Resource pack version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sEQbsCcZf1mPeqYKjo7e4jwykoJDxZGm

#ardn611

Dropping Eaves

My Idea One day I was sitting on the train on my commute and as per usual people watching and listening. This provoked me to think about what causes this kind of thing and is it something that interests people outside of just filling time on the train? Is the curiosity of what goes on in other people’s lives basis enough for a game? And furthermore, what are the repercussions for people noticing you listening to them or paying attention to them, as this stranger, considered to be a rude, nosey thing to do. From here I started dreaming up my prototype for a game based around eavesdropping on peoples conversations and the reactions they may have. I started looking around and was surprised by how little I could actually find on this phenomena. There was an article about a woman who shared as much interest as me in listening to strangers, but nothing about why or what causes it. However, I came across a couple of related videos that talked about conversations and a quote from Dr. Jordan Peterson was what clarified for me the basis for this interest in random peoples lives. “...people are ridiculously interesting, and everyone has their own characteristic experience that is actually unique, and so if you have a real conversation with someone and they tell you what is unique about their experience the probability that you can learn something from that, well its certain that you can.” (Peterson, 2018). This helped me to articulate this sensation that I was trying to invoke. Everyone lives their own life with their own values and experiences and it means that the amount that can be gleaned or the worlds that can be explored even just listening in to the day to day of random strangers is a relevant and interesting topic I wanted to explore. I personally find curiosity to be one of the most potent and defining traits of humanity. We have so many questions that we seek to answer every single day. As a species, we will seek these questions far and wide as well, which leads to amazing discoveries, fantastical development, and gorgeous art. My dad has told me from a young age that he believes that as long as we have dreamt it, we will do it. For people it is not a matter of if we will do something, it is a matter of when we will do it. This is described by our imagination, but it is driven by our curiosity. I think no more strange then, is to be curious of each other, and curious about our own mentalities. The strangest part of being human is that we have more than 7 billion different people, and we will likely never know even up to a single percent of them all. This means that it almost makes perfect sense to want to listen in to as many different strangers conversations when you have nothing else to do. Try and interact with as many alien lives in this short and sweet time we have to meet them.

In Context of Play There is a large discrepancy between listening in to the musings and conversations of strangers and using gameplay mechanics to listen to what dialogue has been written. The purpose of testing out this prototype was to begin seeing how something like eavesdropping can be gamified. Once it is a video game then it is an accessible way to look at both how people interact with it in a safe, contained way where they won’t be worried about being rude. Furthermore, I think it can contribute to game making, especially in world building. One of the greatest assets in building a city is that you can put hundreds of people in it. People that are capable of telling the player hundreds of things about the world they are entering. I think that eavesdropping and ambient dialogue is a criminally under-realised method of delivering information in a natural and potentially quite enticing way. Games have started exploring this, and I think with more and more technically powerful systems, more and more systemic dialogue options will be able to create fascinating and potent experiences thanks to the dialogue between two random stranger AIs. Play is such an engaging method of exploration and experimentation, that it would be fantastic to find ever bigger and better ways to explore society and the human condition through play.

#ardn611

Context Of Games & Play Week 3 - Composition

This week we explored the concepts of emergence and depth within games and play. Canvas (2013) describes emergence as a game with simple mechanics but with complex dynamics. To get a clearer understanding of this some examples of emergent gameplay can be seen in fighting games like Street Fighter and Tekken in the form of combos. Combos create emergence by mashing a set amount of buttons in certain formations to stun opponents increase attack speeds or create instances that unlock the ability to use complex moves after the initial encounter. An example in a sports game basketball the initial rules intended was to pass the ball between players in order to get a clear shot to score but there was nothing in the rules to say that players could not pass the ball to themselves hence where the concept of dribbling was conceived. In easier terms emergence is when players exploit new ways to play within the confines of the set of rules explicit to each player.

Depth within video games can range from a wide variety of different concepts like alternate paths, different dialogue choices, an extensive range of weaponry or even multiple mechanics in which to expand and strengthen the length or replayability a game has. Depth in the context of play offers the user choices for which direction the player wants to experience a game. Having depth causes players to think about things like in first person shooter games players have a large variety of weaponry to choose from but it is up to them to decide whether using a machine gun to spray down their opponent or using something like a shotgun for a more powerful kick.

#ardn611

Creation

Pillars Awareness: People have to be aware of something to be able to start thinking about it. Something has to be brought to the attention of the players and users that makes them realise that something is uncanny. Things like very clearly defined teams that don’t normally exist in public spaces or things like water guns and other props that would be otherwise out of place make people realise something is offbeat. Ludic Recognition: Then people have to be made aware that whatever is out of the ordinary, it is out of the ordinary to induce play. It is an activity that is fun, it is an activity that is lighthearted. In a public space, this is a very relevant aspect because the awareness can bring attention to something out of the ordinary, which might unsettle or turn away people, as the unknown or uncanny can be daunting and dangerous especially in public. Invitation: Finally, people have to be invited in to play. Just the existence of rules and conventions that break the mold is not enough to have people engage, people have to be enticed, or brought into it. It has to be an invitation so that people know that they are wanted within this space. Most importantly they have to be wanted in the play and they have to want to be in it. Play is a fun activity and the absolute polarising counter to fun is compulsory activity. You can never be made to play because to be in a state of play is to be engaging in an activity with an express purpose to have fun.

Practice Creativity Cleese and Price put together some very different lists of things to consider when trying to be creative and output work, however, they boil down to some fairly similar core ideas. First up, allocating time regularly to work on your creative projects. Whether it be to come up with them, or progress with them, if they aren’t given time of day, they will not come around. Secondly, to be social with your creation and creativity. Staying within your own bubble will only ever lead to circles of diminishing productiveness, and you will likely never improve very much. Instead, opting to work alongside others to come up with creative solutions, and to get creative criticism from others that can take a removed look at your work will let you get the wide and wonderful scopes of all the different people that can have all ranges of inputs. Next, give yourself breaks and moments. You will likely never come up with perfection straight away, and to sit there and whittle away at something endlessly is hopeless. You are far better off creating, then giving yourself a moment and a breather to step away, assess, rest, and then come back with fresh eyes and mind. Finally, don’t do things dull. Cleese pitched this as humour, where Price pitched it as creating what you love. Either way, I think these come across as doing things in an environment where you aren’t letting your soul gets sucked away by the grind. Rather, creating should be about letting humour, fun, and productivity take over into doing in order to really create things that are worthwhile.

Prototyping I think one of the most relevant things that show up from Blow and Gray et al. is that prototyping needs to be a quick and iterative process. While it can be frustrating to keep shooting darlings, if something is not working out after a week, then it is time to move on. Even then if something is working after a week, then not necessarily to keep working on it, so much as take it to the next step. Prototyping rapidly also needs to focus on what the game does not how it looks. No polishing turds, and no letting good ideas become bogged down in aesthetics and themes before they can really come to fruition

#ardn611

Experiential

Passage Passage came across to me as an interesting minimalist tale of life on my first playthrough. I found it to be a really interesting way to look at life in a very simple way. I did not find my way down into the maze below, thanks to Rohrer’s very intelligent way of designing the hallway look the game starts with. The points in the corner gave me a small amount of paranoia or anxiety as to how best to accumulate them, and as my character got old, what they would be worth when my character eventually died. However, I got to the end and very little happened so I decided to try and maximise my points by making sure I went directly across, so my second playthrough was played by plugging a controller, tilting a stick to the right, jamming it there and leaving the game for a second so that the character and his partner could make their way to the end. This, of course, distanced me from the character and the experience and when I got to the end little happened to differentiate this time from previously, but it gave me the sense that I had seen all there was to see. When I found out that I had missed a whole mechanic and section to explore I felt pretty stupid. However, I then looked through what that that I had missed involved, and I felt that I got more out of the game by not even knowing about the maze below, and experiencing a linear transition through life, even two times over. I think I got a more impactful message, about the inevitability of mortality, and the sensation of traversing the different chapters that will make up your life, and while you may share that with someone, you are very much the focus of your chapters of existence.

Slave of God I have little more description for Slave of God than to say that it is a wonderful way of describing an assault on the senses. Playing Slave of God felt completely alien to me in almost every single way and that feeling of stepping into a world that I wouldn’t even know how to traverse if I could see well, and trying to navigate it with a cacophony of colour and smothering sound was surreal in all the right ways. It gave me no desire to leave my house, take hallucinogenics, and go to a loud club, but it gave me such an interest in the representation of that world.

my father’s long, long legs One of the best parts about games is that they can take storytelling and make it an active and engaging experience in such a massive array of ways. You actively engage with a book in order to flip the pages, and in a very similar way, you interact with my father’s long, long legs in order to keep going. However, my father’s long, long legs does something that is very hard for a book to do and to do so in such an accessible way, and that is to use sound, as well as changing visuals to incite emotion in a reader. However, the discussion is an interesting one when looking at it in the other direction. my father’s long, long legs takes the idea of a game, an interactive piece of media, and says “what if the interaction is brought to a minimum?”. This question immediately gives me a series of thoughts and feelings. For starters, part of me immediately thinks that it would be a ridiculous thing to do, to take something like a game and to reduce the interactivity seems counterproductive. At the same time though, the rest of me thinks that one of the most amazing things about games is the sheer flexibility of the medium. This I think is what is fantastic about my father’s long, long legs, is that it shows how close the medium can get to being a book, and yet is still unmistakably a game. Using this amount of storytelling and narrative construction it, to me, a really strong and really fascinating way of immersing and engaging a player, since it takes one of the best parts of humans, our storytelling, and brings it into such a rich and powerful medium. There is, of course, a lack of mechanics and deep gameplay options as far as actually having agency over what happens, however, in this context this seems like such a futile thing, seeing as having the ability to crouch, or grow a farm, or having driveable vehicles, or systemic gameplay could likely only detract from telling the story as it is trying to be told.

#ardn611

Political Statements + Gender and LGBTQA+

Cannon Fodder Review - Amiga (Kimble Justice, 2013) 15 mins www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNkTNTePbQw

My Uncomfortable Evening Playing ‘Secret Hitler’ (Stauffer, 2018) 10 mins https://medium.com/s/power-moves/non-cooperational-theory-13c5f1986c95

Is Secret Hitler Disrespectful? (Insights Magazine, 2019) 10 mins https://www.insights.uca.org.au/features/is-secret-hitler-disrespectful

Play: Molleindustria [Probable Content Warning?] 45 mins http://www.molleindustria.org

When should games be banned or censored, if at all? Empathise with the different perspectives that people have of these two games and their promotion. [Cannon Fodder and Secret Hitler]

Censorship will limit perspectives

Depends how you look at it

Who should make the decision of banning or censoring it

Depends on the country or relation between the person and the events of WWII

Using Hitler in a game can be considered inappropriate, but is it more inappropriate to ignore the issue and pretend that the events of WWII didn’t happen?

Choose one of molleindustria’s games to play. Describe your experience and how the designers have used the game mechanics to get their point across

Dogness

About dogs becoming ‘dogier’

Dog inbreeding

The gameplay is the player selecting dogs to breed with each other to become more doggy

The more you breed certain groups of dogs, the more disfigured they become

The message is that intentionally breeding dogs with certain traits is bad

Pugs have a deformed skull caused by excessive inbreeding

Reflects how humans strive for cuter dogs, which causes problems

Interesting video on the subject of dog breeds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQTwvbWAx8A

Play: Problem Attic (Ryerson, 2013) [ Content Warning - Shaky Cam] 1 hour + https://lizryerson.itch.io/problem-attic

Attempt to understand what the game designer is trying to communicate with the symbolism and mechanics.