by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 commentstags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
I keep coming up with different interpretations of my play theory to analyze game design and development. It has evolved from GameStories to Playstates to Play Motifs to Video Game Elements. My Mechanics post on my Heropath blog inspired me to think further about what it takes to develop a player. So I’ve created the Axiom of Player Development, which is based on The Axiom of Maria, a precept in alchemy. I love the concept of alchemy being related to player development since what occurs is almost magical given the passion that players commit to learning to play video games. The Axiom of Maria is: “One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth.” The fundamental concept is that by using alchemy, it is possible to transform elements into new states, which are different aspects of the original element. I see the process of player development being the same thing. Following that format I would write: THE AXIOM OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT The player encounters the video game(The One)The video game reveals symmetrical and asymmetrical mechanics(The Two)These mechanics challenge and develop the player’s skills(The Three)The player’s skills span across breadth discovery and depth […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 commentstags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
Play Motifs (used to be Playstates) has been a series of blog posts attempting to map play and video games but it never touched on the whole cycle of game development, release, and player adoption. So I have created a new concept called Play Accords to capture this. Play Accords got its genesis through two earlier blogs I wrote: Layered Dissonance and Immersion Accords. Those two blogs teased out some ideas that were interesting and as I thought about, could be combined to create a model that captured the game dev cycle. The Play Accords consists of five steps as follows: Inspiration – These are the genres, Play Motifs, mechanics, and more that capture the imagination of developers. Developers – These are the people who a drawn to respond to what inspires them. They take that inspiration and engineer it to fit into a brand new video game. This new video game in turn attracts players. Players – These are the people who play the developer’s video game. They are diverse and include fans, fandoms, critics, scholars, and theorists. Players represent the critical ingredient to the video game reaching its most complete state for when a video game is put in […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory1 commentstags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
I am re-calibrating my definitions as I evolve in my understanding of Play and Video Games. I am introducing the definition of Play Motifs as a replacement for the Playstates term. For the past four plus years I’ve worked on elaborating on my Playstates theory and as it evolved out of Gamestories I have found the need to evolve out of Playstates. Because it is really a continuation and renaming, I am carrying on the Version Numbering to Version 3.0 from previous Versions 2.0 and 1.0. I was originally going to produce a number of free guides called Playstates and analyze the different aspects of making a video game. My plan is still do that but do it in a new project that I plan to launch next year. I will be writing down my thoughts in a diary-themed analysis that will look at Video Game graphics, animation, music, and alchemy (the changeable nature of video games). It was during this rethinking that I realized that Playstates is too narrow when it comes to discussing video games. So Playstates will be redefined to be all aspects about video game development while the five specific Playstates that I’ve identified will now […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 commentstags: Components of Human Nature, Game Philosophy, Playstates
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” You might have heard this proverb or some variation on it. We know that play is important and in many ways we live to play. Play takes many different forms and I captured these through my theory on Playstates. Getting back to the proverb, we are told that play is something that needs to complement work. If you work all of the time and have no play in your life then you are considered to be dull or living a sub-optimal life. Play adds delight to life. Yet play is not the only activity that is meant to complement work. Some academics and professions have defined distinctions as we see in the following table: The Park and Recreation Professional’s Handbook defines Leisure as an overarching umbrella that has three aspects: Time, Activity, and State of Mind. All three are Leisure since you are doing things you want to do and have no obligation to do. Leisure is perceived true free time and manifests in things like vacation, retirement, holidays, and being totally free to pursue whatever activities that you want to. Recreation is defined as a Leisure activity that possesses socially […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 commentstags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
Video games are a young media, establishing a foothold in early 1970s and really taking off in the the 1980s. Video games were initially focused on games proper or as I like to say the play of measurement but evolved to include puzzles, sport, toys, and sign-play. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts I see video games as being the digital child of play and play is fundamental to humans and other species. I am not embarrassed to love video games. Yet there are quite a few enthusiasts and creators are so desperate for legitimacy they need to equate video games with art or as I will discuss in the post, with literature. We see some of these suppositions below: ‘When is a game going to win a Pulitzer Prize? Are we ready and deserving of such an honor? Can we at least TRY to be worthy of that? Please.’ ~ Warren Spector ‘However, early NES titles were yet too primitive in scope to tackle political themes. Games were childish diversions rather than interactive art.’ ~ Ben Sailer Some are desperate for video games to possess the same qualities of literature as defined by Rick Gekoski: “Nevertheless, what you find […]
by Chris Billowsin Playstates Theory0 commentstags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
I came across this compelling Youtube by the Game Overanalyser that challenged my perspective about games and art. It is a well-done video that argues why video games are to be considered art. Why Games Are Art attempts to convince the viewer that (video) games are art. It is unfortunate that Game Overanalyser conflates all games to be video games but that’s another matter. The video is produced in a quick-fire method where he argues that video games are art for a multitude of reasons. These reasons are listed below are a confusing mess when evaluated. I respond to these points in the brackets: The Hero’s Path is a staple in most video games and exists in most art. (He confuses art with literature). Stories are art. (Stories and art are not the same thing). Emotions are art. (Life is full of emotion but that does not make life art). Art exists for its own state. (This is debatable whether this is true). Is Michael Jordan not a artist with his unique style of basketball? (He confuses player performance with game rules). Art is disinterested pleasure. (Some video games induce this but the vast majority of video games […]
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