RE: [-empyre-] play versus gameplay

["Troy Innocent" <troy@iconica.org>]

Andy, Helen,
Thought is worth following up on the idea of play in the sense of free play,
exploration and experimentation by the player. This kind of play is perhaps
important to the development of new forms of digital games that may provide
an alternative to the dominance of action based game dynamics (shooters
etc.)

The work of Toshio Iwai - http://www.iamas.ac.jp/~iwai/iwai_main.html and
John Maeda - http://www.maedastudio.com/ could perhaps be looked at in this
context. Works that enable play with computational processes and explore
the permutations of simple rule systems in and of themselves.

lifeSigns works in this way - it is not goal orientated or score-based but
is intended to invited exploration and experimentation with its space, logic
and rules. The entities in the game space are played much like musical instruments
- the interface is touch sensitive to allow a range of different styles
of play. This interaction also links into the dynamics of the simulation
- described as follows:
'Using a bank of four touch-sensitive buttons, each lifeSign may be performed
by the player resulting in the generation of synaesthetic sound and animation.
Player input increases the energy of the lifeSign and therefore it?s chance
of survival as low energy icons will eventually die in the world. Furthermore,
lifeSigns with excess energy may reproduce and generate offspring that combine
features of their parent lifeSigns.'

Although this has some difficulties in a gallery context. Many people are
intimidated by the fear of 'getting it wrong' or playing the 'wrong way'.
This anxiety drives a need to master the interface and functionality of
an interactive artwork rather than simply experience and experiment. (ie.
relax and play)

Again, as was pointed out, the act of play itself is not taken very seriously.
I would hope that with the increase in games experimentation, the critical
analysis of games, and art games / game art that this is perhaps changing.
Furthermore, that these new forms of interactive culture feature play (in
all its forms) as an integral element of the experience.

Troy.
>>> Troy Innocent : troy@iconica.org : iconica.org