May 05

Playstates Theory Definition – Version 1.0 (Apr/18)

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Game Analysis, Playstates
I’ve updated and enhanced my Playstates Definition below. My plan is to continue to develop this theory and eventually establish a website dedicated to demonstrating how the theory works.   Playstates is a theory that explains how different types of play coexist, combine together, and are recursive. The different types of play are each defined by a singular core trait that acts as a both a distinguishing and complementing characteristic. At present there are five different kinds or states of play.   Toygrounds Role-Plays Puzzles Games Sports   Each of the five Playstates can be defined as “The Play of …” which represents the core characteristic. These are as follows: Toygrounds – The Play of Exploration. Toys – objects that are played with freely and with transient rules Playgrounds – spaces that are played with freely and with transient rules   Role-Plays – The Play of Behavior. Conventional – behavior that comes naturally Subtle – behavior that contains hidden meaning Subversive – behavior that challenges conventions Fresh – a mix of characteristics that acts in harmony Campy – exaggeration of characteristics for effect Mirroring – mimicking behaviors of others   Puzzles – The Play of Matching. Symbols – letters or […]
Nov 11

Video Games to Track, Watch, and Play

by Chris Billows in Hobby Heedings, Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Emergence, Game Analysis
I have an interest in the overall-scope of Video Games; but limited time to play all of the things that are of interest. I think I have come up with a solution, to help define in my own mind what are the games I need to restrain myself to. Video Games have at times been called Possibility Spaces; I think its a very great name since it is about exploring new places, tools, and concepts. Since there is not enough hours in our lives to play every possibility, I have come to accept that others can do the exploring is just as good. Twitch is a good example of the fun of witnessing games. Lots of narrative based games like RPGs and FPSs we see the game’s setting telling a story about the world. Following the narrative-linear format, these games are like books and movies. When you finish the game, you finish the story. The story is not going to advance unless you play. History waits for the player. It these kinds of games where we are acting as the page turner. Successfully overcoming obstacles advances the story. Witnessing these, spoilers and all, means that I don’t need to play […]
Nov 04

Buried by Video Game Abundance

by Chris Billows in Hobby Heedings 0 comments tags: Games Analysis
Like most enthusiasts who have a hobby, I tend to over do things with my enthusiasm. I over-collect Music and Video Games. I’ve developed (link to my itunes) a system on how to organize my music and enjoy it. My iTunes practice is a form of O.C.D. trapping. The level of detail I go to is pretty absurd, but I find it scratches an itch. Its almost like a ‘controlled burn’. Allowing it to run rampant in this one contained area of my life, but learning to let things go in other areas. Anyways, enough self psychoanalysis! The biggest difference between Music and Video Games is that Music is so much easier to ‘consume’. A typical song is about 3 minutes and the amount of brain power required to appreciate a song is about 1/100th of what an intense, intricate game requires. So I’ve come to the conclusion that Video Games will remain something that I will enjoy with much less frequency than Music. I simply do not have the time to play Video Games, while I can play Music when even at work. There are websites (The Backloggery) that help encourage people to play their backlog of games. I’ve […]
Oct 21

Toys/Playgrounds, Simulations, and Emergence

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Emergence, Playstates, Software Toys
The Playstates theory is defined primarily as as trait system. The five different Playstates are distinguished by their kind of Play so Puzzles differ from Sports, Role-Plays differ from Games, etc. But being distinct does not mean they are exclusive. Playstates can mix with each other to create new Play experiences. When somebody is completing a crossword puzzle, they are participating in the Puzzle Playstate. It is the Play of Matching and crosswords share that essential core trait with Soduko, Find a Word, and Match-3 Video Games. Whether it is done electronically or with a pencil and paper, the core trait of Matching is unchanged. The core trait of each Playstate is as follows:   Puzzles is the Play of Matching Role-Play is the Play of Behavior Toys/Playgrounds is the Play of Exploration Games is the Play of Measurement Sports is the Play of Competition   Each Playstate demonstrates a distinct type of play. When I test the model anecdotally, I find that so far it stands up to the testing. There is an inherent logic and wisdom that feels right. To demonstrate, let’s take a distinct Video Game genre, the Simulation, and see where it fits in the Playstates. […]
Oct 14

Pretend & Pinball: Playstates Roots in the Midwest

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Playstates
Being born in the Canadian Midwest (Winnipeg) I assumed that critical milestones in recreation and play took place in larger East and West coast metropolitan centres. It was the development of the computer industry that created this assumption. East-coast university hackers helped create the earliest game prototypes on mainframes while the West-coast hobbyist hackers helped create Arcades/Consoles/PCs. I thought that the middle of the continent was about farming and tornadoes. As I did research on Playstates and their origins, I discovered for myself an unexpected revelation. The Midwest (USA) played a huge role in the development of new kinds of play and recreation. Here is a list of important Playstate developments that took place in the Midwest:   Year Location Details 1866 Macomb, IL Lizzie Maggie is born and would later create the Landlord Game in 1904, the predecessor to Monopoly. (Games) 1927 Chicago, IL Gottlieb is formed and begins manufacturing pinball machines (Games) 1931 Chicago, IL Bally is formed and begins manufacturing pinball machines (Games) 1938 Chicago, IL Gary Gygax is born and would later help create D&D in 1974 (Role-Play & Games) 1943 Detroit, MI Diana Paxson is born and would later help create the SCA in 1966; […]
Oct 07

Imaginary Performance in Playstates

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Playstates, Republic of Bloggers, Virtuous Discourse
An open letter to Chris Bateman responding to his blog-letter The Language of Games at Only A Game as part of the Republic of Bloggers. Feel welcome to provide your own input via the Comments!   Dear Chris, I agree with you that language is important and is part of the reason we have some of the turf wars taking place in Game Development. By not agreeing on terms, limiting if you will, we end up arguing over things that should have been settled. In the music industry, we see accepted practices like pitch; keys, and time signatures. Yet despite a common language and tool set, we see new music being created all of the time. Limits help creativity. How else can we explain that with 26 letters we can write so much? I think that placing limits can paradoxically lead to a kind of liberation. Below I respond to specific points in your blog-letter:   You wrote: ” I personally find this a fascinating perspective, particularly because I have not encountered this before.” I find this to be surprising since I consider my point that games are about the play of measurement to be a elucidation on your definition […]
Sep 27

Response to Are Videogames Made of Rules?

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory, Republic of Bloggers 0 comments tags: Game Philosophy, Games Analysis, Playstates
Over at Chris Bateman’s ihobo blog a great discussion was had relating to Video Games. Are Videogames Made of Rules? I inserted my two cents as you can see below.   Hi Chris, I believe you have teased out a continuum of how humans interface with each other or solitarily with play. There is little doubt in my mind that Rules are required, but the fidelity they hold depends on what people want to get out of their play experience! Which is exactly your point. I believe that Rules are just one part of what I call the Imnersion Accords. I think you will find the following blog post validates your perspective: https://journals.billo.ws/the-immersion-accords/ As many have said in the comments, Rules are more tightly bound to when competition is a focus of play. What I would argue is that Rules exist to track measurement, which is what is unique to Games. You roll two dice, not three, or one when you play Monopoly. Forcing one player to roll a different amount of dice is unfair. But why is it unfair? Because the measurement of movement is so critical to the game space of a board game and all participants should […]
Sep 16

Playstate Firsts in Video Games / Video Plays

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Playstates
I’ve made arguments in previous posts (Why Games are about Play of Measurement and Measurement as Power) that Games join naturally with computers (which are about measurement and calculation). It is this alignment that has resulted in the assumption and innocent misnomer that all Video Games are Games. Because Games are about Measurement, they are only one of the five Playstates; the others being Toys/Playgrounds, Role-Play, Puzzles, and Sports. The fact is that Video Games are much broader than Games. It is an innocent mistake though. The first Video Games were primarily were about Play of Measurement and Competition. They were not Video Role-Plays, Video Toys-Playgrounds, or Video Puzzles. Tic-Tac-Toe from 1950 was the first ever Computer Game, with its play of measurement being about staking out territory on a nine-square grid. Space War! from 1962 was a competitive Game/Sport that played a huge influence on the industry. The very first Arcade games were inspired by Space War! Yet it is important to not neglect the other Playstates that are playable on computers: Toys/Playgrounds, Role-Plays, and Puzzles are all part of the history but did not have the fame that the Games/Sports Playstates did. Cheekily, I would say these other […]
Sep 09

Finding the Playstates in Books

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Marshall McLuhan, Playstates
I stated before that books are a passive media. When you think of how we typically interact with books, it requires a different set of skills and abilities than what skills we use when we play an instrument or engage with a board game. Books are a passive media primarily, but there are exceptions! Marshall McLuchlan said that the medium (the singular of media) is the message. His insight was revolutionary at the time, and I believe I found a new demonstration of this insight. It occurred when I applied the Playstates model as a lens to evaluate how we interact with media, and in this post’s focus, books in particular. The five different Playstates are found in the medium of books. Below I have listed examples of all five and this has forced me to rethink my stated position that books are inherently passive. It is quite possible that there is a continuum of activeness to passivity found in all media. I will need to take some time to explore that further!   Toys/Playgrounds: The Play of Toys and Playgrounds which encompasses free-form engagement, temporary rules, and exploration can be found in Whiteman Press-Out books. Coming in the form […]
Sep 02

When Play Leads to Games and Sports

by Chris Billows in Playstates Theory 0 comments tags: Playstates
One of the unique aspects about Playstates is the distinction between what a Game is and what a Sport is. I have discovered that not all Games are Sports, but all Sports are Games. Games are the Play of Measurement, while Sports are the Play of Competition. The rules that determine how that competition is structured is based around a meta-system play of measurement. So let’s take a look at Soccer/Football. You win the game by kicking a ball into a goal. This is a play of measurement and is what I call a Game. The sport aspect of soccer is that a competing player is trying to take that ball away from you and score the ball into a different goal. Overlay that competition with a larger meta-game and meta-sport of win/loss/tie record, leader-boards, scoring leaders, playoff elimination, and championships it becomes evident that Sport is more than just a Game. Another distinction is that Sports have Win and Loss states while Games do not need to have one. Old-time arcade games like Space Invaders, Pac-man could not be won. You kept playing until you ran out of lives or money. Games also do not need to have a […]
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