tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093379.post953389714416290450..comments2023-11-02T15:47:29.001+00:00Comments on particleblog: New Year, New DirectionsTadhghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14763670950211297013noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6093379.post-2537960632978516092007-01-04T13:51:00.000+00:002007-01-04T13:51:00.000+00:00Happy New Year!
I find the concept of reflection ...Happy New Year!<br /><br />I find the concept of reflection quite interesting, and I share your criticism of escapist fun. <br /><br />All the games you mention as examples of "serious entertainment" are either traditional boardgames, turn-based strategy games, or slow paced sandbox games. How do you think the nature of the player interaction in a game affects it's capabilities for exploring those more mature, educational topics?<br /><br />In other words, can we apply your idea of reflection to the mainstream genres like an FPS or a 3rd person action adventure? Wouldn't the type of interaction the player usually has with these games render meaningless the context, however mature and serious we make it?<br /><br />Also, how important is the context when designing the rules and mechanics for the game? <br /><br />Think about the game Oasis (http://www.oasisgame.com/).<br /><br />Imagine we replace the setting of Egypt with the Democratic Republic of Congo; the barbarians would be replaced with a rebel faction that threatens to overthrow the elected government; and the player would play the role of that government, trying to rally what few loyal troops he still has, and setting defenses for his cities, while trying to take to safety all the civilians scattered around the country, which would otherwise be easy prey for the rebels.<br /><br />We have effectively changed the context of the game, but the core interactions remain the same as the original Oasis; what about reflection and teaching, would we provoke a different emotional response from the player?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01897610864581051310noreply@blogger.com