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Mar 15

Human Senses & Games

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Awareness / Understanding, Introduction, Sense: Hearing / Ear, Senses: Seeing / Vision, Senses: Smell / Taste, Senses: Speaking / Communication, Senses: Touch / Nerves
It is documented that animals have play behavior, but it is only Humans that play games. In order for all animals to play they do so through their range of senses. There are the obvious ones such as sight, hearing, and touch but there are some that are more subtle or so powerful we tend not to think of them. Using ancient Buddhist psychology’s insight into the human condition, I thought it would be useful to evaluate how this list of senses interacts with games. What follows is a list of seven senses that most human beings have. I will describe each one and then list how it relates to games.   (I) Seeing through our Eyes     This is the primary sense used when it comes to games. A video or computer game cannot be played unless it can be seen since all games are played on some kind of screen with projected images. I can think of one rare exception, but in this case the exception does not make the rule.     (II) Hearing through our Ears     The secondary sense used when it comes to games. Some of the earliest games (played on main […]

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Jan 25

Welcome to Gamestories

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Introduction
Here is my first blog post on Gamestories, a website devoted to Game Design. Gamestories is a new general game theory written by Chris Billows. Gamestories recognizes that games may not share mechanics or themes, but they all share the need to tap the player’s senses. Games are different from cinema, literature, music, and other forms of entertainment & art because the senses they trigger are more extensive and they invite the practice of transformation. Instead of focusing on whether a game is fun, art, interactive, or challenging, Gamestories says that games are important because at their best they invite players to bring all of their senses to the medium. A player’s senses are triggered through the game’s events, become remembered, and then later shared with other players. The greatest meaning of a game is not that it tells the player a story, but that the player tells a story to others about the game. Player plays Game > Player transforms Game Events > Events resonates with Player > Player tells Stories about Game Gamestories can be summarized thus: “A game succeeds as a game when it taps the player’s full range of senses, triggering integration of game events, and […]

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Jan 22

How Discourse Needs a Course of Action

by Chris Billows in Republic of Bloggers 0 comments tags: Blogging, Introduction, Virtuous Discourse
Dear Chris Bateman, I am replying further to your reply, The Virtue of Discourse: A Clarification Thank you for informing me that the Republic of Bloggers is not a concept that you personally founded. While I do not intend to embarrass you with an undeserved title, I do believe that any good idea needs its champions and it appears I projected this onto you. Not only do good ideas need champions, they also need a good story. Perhaps this is what is missing from the Republic of Bloggers? While the Republic itself may be a valuable concept, it is only made meaningful when it becomes something we can relate to, which is best done through the form of a story. Given your extensive experience in game design, narrative, and authorship, I think that you are uniquely qualified to help author the story of the Republic of Bloggers. Yet, this does not need to be a restrictive, one-way narrative. Perhaps some of us could engage in a roleplaying game that recreates the virtual founding and beginnings of the Republic. Not only would this serve to create a imaginary and fictional history for the Republic, I anticipate it would be a source […]

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Jan 15

Rooting for a Republic of Bloggers

by Chris Billows in Republic of Bloggers 0 comments tags: Blogging, Introduction, Virtuous Discourse
Dear Chris Bateman, I am reaching out to you about your post “A Republic of Bloggers“, which I found to be a refreshing take on a medium that has become far too associated with content marketing and search engine optimization. I am putting forward my intention to join you in your venture. What I found so appealing in your concept is the invitation to engage in a exchange of ideas, thoughts, and perspectives in a format that requires a greater effort and thus the possibility of greater reward. To exchange letters via our blogs is to engage in a practice that is becoming less and less attractive in a time where people prefer to be entertained by the latest tweet or feed. But we do not need to be popular to be meaningful, and perhaps it shall become the mantle for the Republic to do that which need not be popular. It only takes two to have a conversation, so perhaps with enough examples from a few of us, we can gather others to our Republic to expand our company. So I would like to engage with you to discuss some parameters for such an experiment. You mention that the […]

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Jan 14

Trapped in the Social Media Realm

by Chris Billows in Republic of Bloggers 0 comments tags: Blogging, Introduction, Personal Resolve
So I have been very remiss to update my Doc Surge blog for the past year mostly because of Twitter. I have been engaging in discussions and the odd argument with others. I have found this both invigorating and discouraging. There is some really excellent people to follow and interact with, but there is also lots of anti-social behavior that is very off-putting. It has all been very distracting and while I will continue to use Twitter to be exposed to new ideas, I am going to go back to blogging and working on my websites and games. Twitter and other social media realms (they all have their own distinct culture) can be a wonderful method to connect with others. I also believe that it can used to help promote your business interests. But the fact is that it creates the illusion of working. You can social network but you still need to work on your own stuff. Which is why I am going to shift back to blogging on my various sites and start revving up for a soft launch of Promaginy’s latest offering – Heropath.
Feb 08

Restarting With WordPress

by Chris Billows in Business Beller, Hobby Heedings 0 comments tags: Blogging, Introduction
I’ve finally arrived to WordPress, an amazing free platform to do self-journal-ling online or what is called blogging (shortened from weblogging). I thought it would be neat to share a little bit of how I got here.     In 1995 a family member setup an Internet Service Provider and I was one of his first customers. I developed my first website back in 1995 called The Digital Tree. It was an eclectic mix of interests combining interest in politics, spirituality, video games, etc. I expanded this website to allow for some political action ventures including the Green Party of Manitoba and Canadians for Proportional Representation. In 2000 I became more involved with politics and created a book that made the striking case that Canada’s First Past the Post elections are twisting voting intentions. I wrote and self-published an ebook called Polls, Parties, and Power that measured elections across the Canadian federation. This was captured in Beacon Publishing, a personal venture that attempted to also do some affiliate marketing as a sideline. My interest in politics waned as my idealistic notions ran up against stark realities. My lack of patience ushered me out of the political arena. This lead to […]
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