"I have no words and I must design" notes

Gameplay? Saying gameplay is pointless (holds no meaning)

The game is plastic.

Game are very adaptable to technology
Many different types of games

How are games interesting???

    Interaction 
A player can a game
                     Crawford - some game are just puzzles. Zork is more than just puzzles as locations, doing puzzles opens new places/things

Most games does have puzzles - solving regardless of genre

"A puzzle is static. A game is interactive"
All games are interactive

       Goals
Games are more than just interactive, they're interactive with a purpose (has decision making)
Examples of this: chess, D and D (dungeons and dragons)
Most games do have goals - set of win conditions

However some games don't have goals e.g. Simcity "offers many interesting behaviors"
Only had player-defined objectives - Allows the user to create their own goals, unlike SimEarth - This game had no goals

     Struggle
1. Competition is one way to create struggle - hard to beat, determined player e.g. chess as all moves needs to be thought out

2. Struggle from opposition - from mobs, NPCs and exploration of the game world + story.
part from from traps/puzzles created by gamemaster - no direct player opposition

"developers constantly grappling with the notion of struggle" page 16

Need to make players work to get to the goal
struggle = more enjoyable

     Structure

"The interaction of the game's rules, component, software, etc creates a structure within which people play"

Kids playing " lets pretend" also has some structure by creating their own rules.

Electronic game works differently from board games.
E games = invisible to the player - in software code
B games = user operate the game and plays it

Important - game structure shape player behaviors.Changing game elements leads to change in player behaviors.

Endogenous - "caused by factors inside the organism or system" means a game structure creates it's own meaning.

Example of not a game - stock market

• interactive -affects the price of other stock
• Structure - law
• struggle - hard to do well
• Goal - make money

However not endogenous as can purchase stock elsewhere, so no point in just buying at stock market

Interactive Entrainment 
"Functional definition of "game": an interactive structure of endogenous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal"

LeBlanc's Taxonomy

Marc LeBlanc's taxonomy of game pleasures

1.  Sensation - sensory pleasure - makes games feel right - supporting factor
2. Fantasy - analogous to the fictional concept of suspension of disbelief - need to think how everything you do help sustain a sense of place
3. Narrative - story is a useful element for some games (think how to increase tension and drama over time)
4. Challenge - games need struggle in them
5. Fellowship - gaming communities - Gordan Walton " They come for the game and stay for the community"
6. Discovery
7. Expression
8. Masochism - pleasure in submitting to the game structure

Artists
Start by trying to to design games from ones you like - then more to mastery of technique

They want to know what technique leads to what effect

What makes it a game?
Question EVERY part of the game and think about how to put in the mechanics you want.


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My thoughts...

 "A puzzle is static. A game is interactive"
I strongly agree with this as with puzzle you're not able to interact with them, you can't change the outcome of a puzzle. Whereas with a game you are able to, an example of this is Skyrim, if you do different quests, then the NPCs around the player may interact with the player differently.

I also agree that games need struggle, without struggle, then games will be very short. I feel without the struggle they will also be just a movie which you can move about in.

Overall i find that Greg Costikyan made an fairly accurate definition of "game", "an interactive structure of endogenous meaning that requires players to struggle towards a goal". So games like Simcity and Minecraft are just software toys as there aren't any goals to work towards meaning that you're able to do what you feel like by creating your own goals. Without being interactive with a purpose then there won't be anything to work towards. Without struggle then there won't any point getting to the goal as you can get there anytime you want.