[-empyre-] playing vs productivity (and what does it has to do with videogames?)

[Ian Cofino]

Hello everyone,

My name is Ian Cofino, this is also my first time on -empyre-, thank you for including me in this conversation, I'm excited to be involved!

I think that this discussion about competition and the competitive experience in association to video games directly relates to one of Gabriel's original questions:

>There are people that go to arcades to just hang around and
>button-mash their way through Tekken. Is it also possible to be a
>virtuoso, hardcore Farmville player as well?

Simply put, I believe the answer is yes. Each subculture of gaming has a hierarchical tier based upon player skill level. Anyone, can play any game casually or "hardcore" (at the games highest level). A players execution and experience level grows as they spend more time with a game. Not only do the players begin to break down the inner-workings of the game, but they start to immerse themselves with the community or subculture that surrounds it. As this happens, winning in the game becomes tied, as Rafael stated, with extending the experience. Players at tournaments enjoy the experience of competition, the social atmosphere that surrounds the game, and as Cynthia alluded to, the most difficult challenges when continuing further can only be found in the highest level of play. 

The difference between Tekken and Farmville is the interactive, player on player challenge. Mastery of both games can be achieved by the user. Winning draws the experience of play out for both games, yet, when playing, Farmville is single player in nature; competition is only (well mostly) found with oneself. I say mostly because, through the social interaction of Facebook, Farmville is a twist on most purely single-player simulation games, as it brings in friends and fosters competition between them. Between single and multi-player games though, is there more incentive to excel when pushed by a partner? Is there an overall higher level of skill within the subculture of a gaming community that is inherently competitive in nature (as Cynthia stated, war or sports games), or can "solo" gamers find enough self-motivation to master games? Brock's experience with DDR is a case study that answers this in part, as his candidate initially found motivation through a group of like-minded peers who also enjoyed the shared experience.

- Ian


From: cbr at cbrubin.net
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 2010 12:18:16 -0500
To: empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au
Subject: [-empyre-] playing vs productivity (and what does it has to do with	videogames?)



Rafael and all:
Thanks for the observation that the ultimate drive is to stay within the experience. This points to a  connection between video games and other immersive experiences.  
Think of Char Davies' early immersive VR work "Osmose" <http://www.immersence.com/osmose>, in which you had to learn the rules (special breathing techniques) in order to move through the space and have the full experience.  There was no competition - nothing to brag about (although some users found ways to brag).  This work is all about the experience itself being so alluring, so absorbing, that they wanted to move among the many non-heirarchical levels of the work just to be "in the experience".
A great example using a video gaming engine is Ruth Gibson and Bruno Martelli' s "Swan Quake" <http://www.swanquake.com>.  As in Char's work, we move through levels, with the experience itself as the goal, not competition.
Simon's observation that play is rehearsal is helpful for clarifying that games are not useless.  Rehearsal for young "learners," but perhaps we crave new experience and challenge at every stage?  
In this age of so much cultural production being tied to a supposed "market analysis," it is no wonder that mass produced games would be modeled after competitive activities, such as war and football.  After all, war (I have been told) is the ultimate challenge to be fully aware and alert - a challenge that we may need (crave) to stay fully alert as humans.
Therefore the challenge may be to produce inter-active activities that stimulate our need to be "on edge" and fully alert -- with competition as just one way to do this.
Cynthia
Cynthia B Rubinhttp://CBRubin.net


On Nov 30, 2010, at 11:08 AM, Rafael Trindade wrote: It's about winning, in order to stay within the experience; to keep the thing going on.

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