week 1

Defining games is a formidable challenge, if we consider all of the activities and objects, both on and off the computer. Salen and Zimmerman compare several definitions of game. Authors present Jasper Jull’s definition of game. Jasper Jull boils down different definitions into one:

‘A game is a rule-based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where
different outcomes are assigned different values, the players exerts effort in order to
influence the outcome , the player feels attached to the outcome , and the consequences
of the activity are optional and negotiable.’ (2006, p.80)

Let us have a look on Wittgenstein’s explanation of game. He states that games mirror family resemblances. How do we recognize that two people we know are related to one another? We can see similar height, eye colour, hair, nose, pattern of speech, mannerisms, etc. Here we just intuitively see the resemblances. Wittgenstein suggests that there is the same pattern of language. It is said in Wikipedia Encyclopaedia – ‘We are all familiar with enough things which are games and enough thing which are not games that we can categorize new activities as either games or not.’ Wittgenstein suggests, that games do not share the same features, but overlap similarities. For example, chess requires skills, no luck and it is competitive, while lottery requires luck but no skills and it is also competitive.
I will try to show how digital games, DOOM II and SAMORAST II apply to Wittgenstein’ theory. Both of them share certain similarities, but also have specific, ‘individualistic’ features. DOOM II is fast –paced shootem-up set in claustrophobic tunnels and hallways ,where player has to shoot down hundreds upon hundreds of monster., whereas SAMORAST II presents a simple point and click interface to control the space gnome and interact with the environment. Basically, the game involves solving puzzles on the screen. Both games require skills to play, however we can say that DOOM II is highly skilled and more competitive in compare witch SAMORAST II, which is easier to play and less competitive.

Bibliography:

1.Salen,K. and Zimmerman, E. (2006) The Game Design Reader, A Rules of Play Anthology, Massachusetts.

week 3

As stated by Brian Sutton- Smith in Salen et al(2006, p.302, 3003) the word rhetoric is ‘ persuasive discourse, or an implicit narrative, wittingly or unwittingly adopted by members of particular affiliation to persuade others of the veracity and worthwhileness of their beliefs.’. The popular rhetorics are large-scale cultural ‘ways of thought'in which most of us participate in one way or another.
The larger play rhetorics are part of the multiple broad symbolic systems- political, religious, social and educational through which we build the meaning of the cultures in which we live.
On the lecture we were concentrated on ‘excessively sadic’ game, Manhunt. This violent game has caused lot of controversy, which was called ‘Moral Panics’. Kenneth Thompson in ‘Moral Panics’ states that moral panics are often symptoms of tension and struggles over changes in cultural and moral regulation.
Games similar to language, clothing and behavior reflect or express values and beliefs.
Let’s have a look at ‘Civilization II’. ‘Civilization II’ is turn-based strategy game. According to Ted Friedman ‘Civilization II’ is’ almost meditative state in which you aren’t just interacting witch the computer, but melding witch it.’This emphasis on cognition, applies to the turn-based strategy games, underlining computer’ games ‘ attractive to immerse us in their technologically- created world.
The game’s objective is to build an empire- by means of exploration, colonization, scientific research and diplomacy. There are two paths to victory in this game: firstly, to conquer every other civilization, secondly to build a spaceship and reach Alpha Centuari. ‘Civilization II’ has own values and rhetorics. First value, is importance to develop new technology (you can hold off victory to gain more points by researching extra technologies). The second value is that amusing a fortune is good. ( The scoring system measures how well you did. It means that the the higher the population of your civilization, the higher you can expect your score to be). The third value is that conquering others is good ( the sooner players conquers every other civilization the better as far as scoring is concerned). The ‘Civilization II’s rhetoric is: Expansion and Acquisition are good. As rhetoric attempts to persuade the audience of the truth or importance of these values and beliefs, in Civilization 2 there is a belief that the expansion and acquisition are ok. In opposite to Manhunt, in the Civilization II there is not use of violence and aggression. The rhetoric of representation is positive here.

Bibliography:

1. Salen,K. and Zimmerman, E. (2006) The Game Design Reader, A Rules of Play Anthology, Massachusetts.
2.Wolf Mark,J.P and Perron,B.(2003) The Video Game Theory Reader, New York: Routledge.
3.Thompson, K. (1998) Moral Panics, Oxon: Routledge