Epistemological Issues in Understanding Games Design, Play-Experience, and Reportage

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Howell Peter Stevens Brett
2019 DiGRA '19 - Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference: Game, Play and the Emerging Ludo-Mix

This paper presents a philosophically grounded argument for examining how second-order analysis can be approached with regard to epistemologies of game design and play-experience. Games are presented as multiple ‘units of being’ sharing relationships of dependency and transformation, which can be approached differently by different audiences. To demonstrate how such relationships can function between units of being, examples from game analyses are discussed with particular attention to the role of cognition and memory in reporting on the play-experience specifically. Implications for design practice, player studies, game analysis, and games criticism are discussed throughout the argument, working towards a theoretical foundation for enabling more deeply informed interpretation and analyses.

 

The Positive Negative Experience in Extreme Role-Playing

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Montola Markus
2010 DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players

Fun is often seen a necessary gratification for recreational games. This paper studies two freeform role-playing games aiming to create extremely intense experiences of tragedy, horror, disgust, powerlessness and self-loathing, in order to gratify the self-selected group of experienced role-players. Almost all of the 15 interviewed players appreciated their experiences, despite crying, experiencing physiological stress reactions and feeling generally ―bad‖ during the play.

 

Stillborn Gamers? Writing a Birth Certificate for Corporeality and Locomotion in Game Research

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Nørgaard Rikke Toft
2010 DiGRA Nordic '10: Proceedings of the 2010 International DiGRA Nordic Conference: Experiencing Games: Games, Play, and Players

The paper presents a theoretical cornerstone in my current, ongoing PhD project which overall aim is to investigate relations between gamers’ corporeal, digital, and communicative practices. The present paper explores, in a beginning way, one of the more overlooked perspectives on the gamer, namely, the gamer as a ‘tool-wielding, moving body.’ It considers the theoretical and analytical questions that might begin to be asked if we understand gamers as moving bodies rather than e.g. visual perceivers or cognitive learners. The outlined framework will constitute the foundation for the project’s future research into gamers’ practices and hopefully open the doors for a more inclusive perspective on the gamer. The paper is organized in two parts: Firstly, a compact ‘reading’ of current game research is presented, secondly, possible theoretical and analytical tools for studying gaming as a corporeal activity is introduced. The aim is to make room for and shed light on corporeality and locomotion as valid, significant, and meaningful dimensions in game research.

 

Interaction Manifestations at the Roots of Experiencing Multiplayer Computer Games

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Vallius Laura Manninen Tony Kujanpää Tomi
2007 DiGRA '07 - Proceedings of the 2007 DiGRA International Conference: Situated Play

Today’s computer games offer players stunning audiovisual environments, intense action, adventures, puzzles and crowded worlds with vast amounts of other players to play with. Consequently, play experience is a combination of numerable variables. This study focuses on understanding how interaction manifestations of games participate in the process of experiencing multiplayer game environments. Rich Interaction Model is used as a theoretical framework for analysing experiencing of interaction. Two experimental games are used in the analysis as examples. The results of this study are preliminary guidelines of how interaction manifestations affect experiencing games