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May 23

Why Games Are About Play of Measurement

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
The Play of Definitions One of the biggest areas of contention in the Video Game industry is conflict over definitions of what a game is and what it isn’t. Because Video Games is a billion dollar industry, there will be marketing terms and short-hand that helps guide players to find what to engage with. We see terms like: 4X Strategy. First Person Shooter. Real Time Strategy. Walking Simulator. Tower Defense. Side Scroller. Platformer. Match Three. Each of these terms is well known to hobbyists but looks like bizarre word scrambles to people who are not gamers. The world of Video Games has its own language. Even the term ‘Video Game’ is a marketing and cultural term. Essentially any electronic game played on a video screen belongs and since marketing and culture is dynamic, I believe we will see new terms being invented indefinitely. But is every Video Game a Game? I am going to argue that it isn’t based on my theory of Playstates. Walking Simulators have attracted lots of heat and attention. They look and operate like First Person Shooters, but contain no enemies and weaponry which totally changes the dynamic of the play experience. Because the player is […]
May 16

New Theory of Play: Playstates

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory, Republic of Bloggers 0 comments tags: Change of Mind, Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
An open letter to Chris Bateman responding to his blog-post The Liberation of Games will not be streamed on Twitch at ihobo.com. Feel welcome to provide your own input via the Comments! Hi Chris, Here is a brief summary about my new theory that is influenced by your writings. I wanted to run it past you to see if you see any validity, utility, and novelty. My overall goal is to encompass Play in its various forms and break it down in broad categories that I hope will un-jam some of the dogmatic claims we see in Video Games. It is conciliatory in intention but I expect and accept that there will be disagreements with what is being proposed. My theory is based on research, play experience, observation, pan-sector validation, and what I hope is a keen discernment to see patterns that have been glossed over. First of all, I would like to pay respect to your own writing in Imaginary Games, your blogs, plus our Twitter/Email exchanges. When I started thinking about Video Games and their aesthetics, I had some very concrete ideas that were influenced by Chris Crawford and what I read on Tadgh Kelly’s blog. Those perspectives […]
Feb 19

Refining the Defining of Games

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory, Republic of Bloggers 0 comments tags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis
I came across Oscar Barda’s Gamasutra article where he make a bold attempt to define games. The definition of games is a game in itself, havings its own traps and dangers. There are going to people who are going to vehemently disagree, and people that will simply ignore you. I fall into a third category of people that appreciates his effort, but would like to see it refined. Oscar’s definition of “Games as a formalized fiction of doing” is pretty accurate. There is nothing to fundamentally disagree with, but I think that it doesn’t provide enough depth. While Oscar’s definition can be accurate, I think it is perhaps too broad, captures too many things that makes the definition not helpful when you dig deeper. After all, in saying that human beings are living creatures is an accurate statement, it is so broad that humans are not distinguishable from other animals or even insects. A definition is most helpful when its both broad and deep enough. The problem with “Games being a formalized fiction of doing” is that there are too many other human activities that fall into that definition or neglects game activities that don’t fit his definition, such as: […]
Jan 11

Understanding Socialism in Games

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory, Political Ponderings, Republic of Bloggers 2 comments tags: Blogging, Human Condition, Political Opinion, Republic of Bloggers, Virtuous Discourse
Brian Green wrote on his Psychochild blog an interesting post about how MMO games are a means to understanding Socialism. First of all, its an interesting post to just think about games in terms of political economics. Second of all, I think Brian makes a typical mistake of associating positive qualities with something he favors, known as the Halo Effect.   Games as Socialism… I’ve run into an interesting situation with some people in FFXIV. Many times people have needed items which I have gladly been able to provide (or acquire easily), but people feel bad taking the items from me. They insist on paying for the items somehow, or they want to trade. One friend said she felt bad always asking me for stuff, even if I offer on a regular basis. I wanted to take a look at this, and look at why it really didn’t bother me to offer these items or services to others. Why I’m a big-hearted socialist in MMOs. Okay, I used “the scary S-word” in the title. Intentionally. 😉 Since many Americans have a terrible understanding of what socialism is, let me give a basic definition here. This delves into some economic theory, […]

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Oct 12

Adventure (1979) – Reply from the Easter Egg King Robinette!

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Adventure 2600
It’s Thanksgiving in Canada and I can’t think of a better way of demonstrating gratitude than getting a nice response from Warren Robinette to my email thanking him for Adventure 2600. Here is his response: Chris — Thanks for the nice letter.  I meant to give you an immediate response when I first saw it, but your email kinda slipped down the inbox. I have attached something I wrote about Adventure a few years ago, which may interest you, if you haven’t seen it.  I kept copyright, so you can post it on your website if you want. I am also working on a book about the implementation of Adventure, which I hope to have online by the end of the year.  I am calling it “The Annotated Adventure”.  The book is about the program that implemented Adventure, so the target audience is programmers (I think).  But if you know Adventure, you might get something out of it without being a nerd. Thanks again for the good words.  Back when I was creating Adventure, I had no idea what I’d be doing 35 years later, but if I had made a list, it would not have included corresponding by email […]

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Sep 22

The Curious Word ‘PLAY’

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Definitions
So what does Play mean? We all know you can play a game. But you can also play a song, play a movie, or be in a play. Its a verb “to engage in activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose”, and a noun “an activity engaged in for enjoyment and recreation, especially by children”. Yet, we use the word in more playful ways. When you play a movie, everyone knows that you are not playing it like you would a game of Minecraft. You play a song, play in a band, play a sport, or play on a person’s emotions. A person can play a Vine adventure but also play an Online Battle Arena. That’s why we need to relax when it comes to defining what ‘Play’ means. To play a game requires different skills and senses depending on the game. There are lots of ways to Play, so that’s why we have lots of different kinds of games. Play is not work, yet some games demand such a high level of effort and skill, they will demand more investment than some less demanding paid work. So go ahead and play. Just don’t forget […]
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