Playstates

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Playstates is a general leisure and hobby theory written by Chris Billows. Playstates recognizes that various kinds of play exists, each possessing its own aesthetic. Playstates are different from entertainment and art because they engage more human senses through tool mastery plus the development of experience and wisdom in play.

“Playstates are a range of diverse activities and tools that includes Toys, Role-Plays, Puzzles, Games, and Sports that shares a playful state of mind, tool use and mastery, and a human need for experiencing understanding.”

Playstates started its genesis as Gamestories.

Articles

Jun 12

The Immersion Accords

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Change of Mind, Comprehensive Analysis, Playstates

After posting about Playstates, a commentator on Twitter said that he wanted to see more discussion about how Playstates relates to core concepts like Interactivity, Narrative, etc. I had intentionally left out those concepts because I wanted to stay away from a dead-end debate. Many game designers and developers have argued that Games and Video Games in particular have a unique monopoly with those concepts. I admit that I thought so as well but now I see it in a new way after writing this article. The problem I think is that we have assigned those concepts to Games and Video Games because that is where they are most overtly demonstrated. When we think Game, we automatically think about how to play its rules, how we interact with it, how the rules affects our agency, and the underlying mechanics that makes the Game run. The push by some Video Game designers to see Narratives as being critical to a Game is a relatively recent occurrence. But similarly to how definitions can be broad but not deep enough, I think the same limitation has occurred here. We have captured the obvious, low-hanging fruit. While an arcade game has easy to see […]

Jun 11

Response to Defining Play, Game, and Gaming

by Chris Billows in Hobby Heedings, Playstates Theory 1 comments tags: Game Philosophy, Playstates

Over at DavidMullich.com I shared a couple of comments relating to his definitions on Games. #1 Hi David! I appreciate your definition “a playful activity with rules and goals.” but do think it does not go deep enough. A jigsaw puzzle has rules and a goal, but its not a game (which is why its called a puzzle). A role-playing game also has a rules and goals, but its not a game like chess is. I’ve come up with a definition to games that satisfies my mind and I would like to share it. “Games are about the Play of Measurement”. The measurement can be physics (3D shooters), grid (board games), tractable (CRPGs), etc. I’ve included a link to my theory blog post so would welcome your thoughts. Best regards, Chris #2 I agree with you. A Jigsaw puzzle is not a game, but could be made a game by adding a time limit (complete the puzzle in x amount of time). I believe you would say that this is an example of conflict (race vs the clock) while I would see it as a Puzzle made into a Game by the addition of the Play of Measurement (time being […]

May 23

Why Games Are About Play of Measurement

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 1 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: […]