Think about this question. What happens to me when I am playing a game? Hard question, yes? But In a way, no. I play games because they are fun. I like DOING the things that the game tells me to do. In a word I like the EXPERIENCE of playing games. so the question could be more accurate If It read... "What EXPERIENCE do you have when playing a game?" Still a hard question. But again I do have some ideas. like to play interesting games not boring ones. what is boring for me may not be for you, but I realise within the first minutes if I am not going to like the experience of playing the game. So now I know a number of things about the experience of playing games ... 1. The act of playing a game is an experience in life (just as eating and sleeping are - and no less valid than they are) 2. The experience of playing games is not one experience but is rather many types of experiences. 3. Whither or not I find a game fun depends on what type of experience I like to have. "So what,." you say, "how is this going to help my games?" And the answer is very simple. Once I know what EXPERIENCES I like to have in a game, I can gear my game to give me more of that "fun". So you see how asking some questions and becoming more aware of what is going on inside my game can help. This is probably not a new idea to most of you. In fact you have been doing it for years. That is what "Gaming Philosophy" is all about. So far in EGG I've written two articles on this. The first looks at how information is used in games. The second points out how games are like machines (with machine like problems). Both are looking at the experience of play in a second hand manner. Now I will look at it full on. Why not measure experiences by two questions. Namely, "What am I DOING?" and "How do I feel about what I'm doing?" They are simple enough and they break down the question into the things I can see and the feelings that I can't. The machine model of games tells a lot about what we actually do in games. Basically we are just communicating Information changes in a more or less strict manner. At the same time games are also social events that involve a lot of bantering out side of the rules. Assuming we play the "perfect" game which has no static, overload, friction, or waste. what happens? We start at point A we go through a number of changes And we end a point B Along the way from A to B, there was uncertainty as to how it would come out. That tension is "solved" by the actions of the players. The players are ... Solving problems Exploring the unknown or creating something new When games work well, I have the uncertainty of "winning" but I eventually get to some favorable resolution. (Mind you I don't have to win since exploring the unknown and creating the new often times exceed the win loose mentality of problem solving.) If I reach a favorable resolution I am likely to have some of the following experiences ... I feel confident and in control I feel listened to and validated I feel satisfaction at solving the problem I feel pleased with what I have discovered I feel delighted by what I have created I feel a sense of group accomplishment and friendship I feel the thrill of novelty I feel comfortable and safe because of the games structure I feel the anticipation of the uncertain In games where there is one winner, and I'm him I might also experience ... I feel superior to my opponents I feel invulnerable (if my pride goes haywire) Assume for a now that we are back In the present and that all games have some static, overload, friction, and waste. If any of these elements exceeds my tolerance I am going to have a more negative experience. it is not all or nothing, of course. If there is only a little too much of a problem I can usually compensate for it by ignoring it (maybe a slow fight gives me time to talk to a friend or go to the bathroom). With more problems though, I can't ignore them and I am likely to have more negative experiences than positive ones. I might experience... I feel treated unfairly I feel ignored and abused I feel my manhood threatened by the jerk who is crowing over me I feel the situation is hopeless I feel powerless I feel bored by all the waiting I feel overwhelmed by information I feel afraid to mess up and so look foolish I feel like cheating to even the odds I feel angry that my day is being wasted I feel the let down of not being able to solve the situatiun The experiences I end up with (and I will have several within the space of one game) will depend on my ability to deal with the mechanical problems at hand. For instance... I find that monster board games overload me and move too slow because of friction to hold my interest... BUT A board gamer looks at the very fact that there is overload and friction as the PROBLEM he is interested in solving. Obviously, different types of game give different "what do I do" experiences which lead to varying subjective experiences. How may times have you seen labor intensive boardgamers complain that RPGs are too simple? It is indeed true that you can not please all the people all the time. How does this apply to our games? Well first you must consider that your game will be played in a certain context (i.e. with certain people who have certain interests and abilities, at a certain place and time, with certain rules with built in mechanical limits). Knowing you context, what kind of experience do you want today? If you want a lot of player banter, play a game that gives time for this. If you want to have a feeling of intense problem solving, play a game that is geared for that. I like games in general and am willing to try most systems at least once. But I have my mental limits so I tend to avoid games that tend to overload the uninitiated. Actually I like games that let me be creative, the most. I get my greatest kick out of the new. That shines out most fully my games and most especially in Matrix Games. So I urge you, look at the games you play, and the experiences you get when playing them and go after more of those experience. But keep an open mind, some games give experiences you don't know are there until you've tried them. Back to Experimental Games Group # 6 Table of Contents Back to Experimental Games Group List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1990 by Chris Engle This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com