Paidea and Ludus are two words coined by Frasca in 2001, used to describe two specific gaming styles.
Ludus refers to a play style that most people probably think of first when told about video games, simply, you play to accomplish a goal. This could refer to any number of goals, from an ultimate goal, such as "Escape from Black Mesa" to smaller in-game goals such as "find a switch to open the door". These are examples of Ludus, but a game with these things in them is not necessarily a "Ludus game". Let me explain this in a sec.
Paidea is a style of gameplay closer resembling a toy than a game, it's a style which basically gives you the game's elements and lets you mess around with it, such as Garry's Mod, a mod for Half-Life 2 that allows you to play with the game engine. The fact you can edit it freely without having to unlock anything is what makes it paidea; Any goals in Garry's Mod are ones you set yourself, such as pitting yourself in a massive fight and seeing if you can come out winning. Games like Creatures and The Sims are also Paidea, and they can go on potentially forever, but the amount of editing you can do is slightly more limited by the game, as it's supposed to take skill to keep it running.
The afformentioned Creatures is essentially a freeform game, but the rules in place make it so much fun to explore. As well as setting your own goals, you can gradually learn how the game works in order to get better, for instance, getting creatures to live longer, discovering more areas around the game world by getting your creatures to look around... It creates a game with a lot of diversity and secrets that keeps you playing it. Discovering these secrets, however, is optional, since you can play with the game any way you want. That's what makes it Paidea.
But, can't you play any game the way you want? Could you essentially play Crash Bandicoot, and see how many times you can die creatively? Instead of trying to beat it? Yeah, good luck with that. You'll see a lot of the game that way.
Could you essentially play, say, Lego Star Wars, and instead of working your way through the game, just fight your teammates instead and steal all thier studs? You can indeed. That's because Lego Star Wars operates on a weird hybrid level between the two. There is Ludus there, there are levels built into the game which you can find tokens in, mess around in, or complete to unlock more levels. Most people will play this way, but I find the real fun when playing it is to try and be creative and have fun with your friends in the sandbox. For example; in Lego Star Wars II, If you are a Gonk Droid, enemies will ignore you. Unfortunatley you also move very slowly. This lead to some very tense, and humourous moments, as me and my Brother strolled very slowly past Darth Vader during a tense battle.
Another game that works somewhere between the two extremes is Worms, the strategy game. In multiplayer mode, it can be fun to behave unexpectedly instead of trying to win the game. Just dig a big hole and make a house for your Worms. Then have the other team get sick of you and nuke it. At the same time, there's plenty of Ludus in there, since the objective is to win, but the game doesn't force this objective on you. You can also edit what sort of weapons and game scheme you use before you begin, showing the game is not too concerned about what you get up to once it kicks off.
These are two examples I'm familiar with, but there are a lot more.
Good examples of games that heavily rely on Ludus
Super Mario Brothers, Crash Bandicoot, Mario Kart, Final Fantasy
None of these games allow you to just run off and do as you please. Some, in the case of Final Fantasy, even punish you for it (You need to level up before you can explore in some areas. This is the same for most RPGs) However it's worth noting these games are not necessarily restrictive. There is still room for you to explore the gameplay and be creative. (If there wasn't it would basically be a film)
Good examples of games that heavily rely on Paidea
The afformentioned Creatures, Garry's Mod, and the Sims.
The Sims' creator, Will Wright, works almost exclusively on this form of game, and once said, in reference to Spore, "I didn't want to make players feel like Luke Skywalker or Frodo Baggins. I wanted them to be like George Lucas or J.R.R. Tolkien."
Good examples of games that fall between the two
Grand theft auto, which gives players a free-roaming world to tear up how they please, the afformentioned Lego Star Wars (swinging further toward Ludus) and Scribblenauts (swinging further toward Paidea).
Personally, I find both important. it's appreciated when a Ludus game allows for Paidea, as it's irritating getting stuck and having nothing else to do, no way to practice or not feel like you've wasted your money on a "getting stuck" simulator. Likewise it's good when a Paidea game includes Ludus elements, to give you something to do and achieve with meaning.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Friday, 8 October 2010
Game Lab
Key stage 1 games are games designed for children at "key stage 1" of learning. They are very simple, and educational, to teach kids the skills they need. Since it's simple, it'd be a good thing to start taking apart before we move on to more complex games. Ah! This will be relaxing.
The game we've been given to review is "Shape lab", you figure it out easily, as there are instructions read to you as you play. We've been asked by a professor named Pablo, to hand him the shape he needs. I don't want to dissappoint the man, so I'd better get right on it.
The shapes appear under the player character in this box. They glow to indicate thier importance. I can immeadiatley tell what I have to do. I click help anyway, just in case.
It repeats the same message from the beginning. Usually this would be bad practice, but in such a simple game you can't really elaborate on it that much.
A couple extra notes I'll make before I move on. Playing in medium difficulty (strangely there is no easy mode) asks you questions relating to the number of sides on a shape. Hard difficulty has questions about shape names and ratios of shapes (1/2, 1/4) , and really hard mode just symmetry. The questions are randomised, and each round asks you five questions, however, there are more than five possible questions.
If you get a question wrong, there is no penalty except for watching the professor get an electric shock, and listening to Molly (the girl you are playing as) say she doesn't think that's the right answer (so, a time penalty? Might have an impact if you're in a hurry to complete it, but in the game, not so much. There is no time limit)
Once I had completed all five questions, the curtain pulled back and I got to see the proffessor's invention. It didn't actually do anything, and the game didn't remember my progress at all, so I felt a little disappointed my efforts had produced nothing.
At first I actually forgot to hit print screen on this one, because I was in a rush
The next part of this analysis will reference Greg Costikyan's Critical vocabulary for games-Which is written to provide a better definition for the elements of what we describe as "Gameplay". He splits it into five important segments, which I will demonstrate using this game as my ginuea pig.
(under the headline is my definition of the featured segment)
Interaction:
The player's actions affect the game
This game has interaction. You can interact with the shapes. By extension, you can interact with Pablo. It is basically just a quiz, however, little interaction is a huge way away from no interaction.
Goals:
Players make meaningful decisions to achieve a win state
The goal of this game is to get all five questions right, and build the robot you see at the end. There isn't much meaning to it, since there's no "reward", essentially. After winning one difficulty, you can move onto the next one. (If there is one)
Struggle:
Players have competition or challenge to overcome
Figuring out the correct object is the challenge of this game, however, if you don't know the answer, you can get it through trial and error, and it won't say what you got wrong, or right, so you can only put information into it, but not get any out of it. Actually that's not strictly true... I think it's possible you can learn from each question, even if you were using trial and error, you just have to know what you were doing.
Game Structure:
Shapes player behaviour, they have to obey the rules of the game
The game is completely linear, in that you answer every question in turn. It doesn't shape the behaviour much beyond simple things like how fast you can click, Or maybe the skills you've learned in the space of four or less questions.
Endogenous Meaning:
The objects in the game carry a meaning within the game
the main thing that carries meaning (and possibly the only "thing" in the game) is the shapes- their meaning is important otherwise the game would just be trial and error.
Conclusion
All in all the game is actually pretty memorable. It made me realise just how much visuals and animation contribute to an experience. If the game was just a quiz where you had to click on the correct shape, it wouldn't have felt the same, despite playing exactly the same.
Afterwards, I had a go at some of the other games to see if they went any deeper. It seemed they were all just quizzes, really. I tried the game "clock works". I only learned how to tell the time about three years ago, no joke.
Strangely, time moved slower back in those days
I felt a genuine sense of accomplishment after getting no answers wrong, despite not getting a reward for it. So I guess completing it was it's own reward after all
The game we've been given to review is "Shape lab", you figure it out easily, as there are instructions read to you as you play. We've been asked by a professor named Pablo, to hand him the shape he needs. I don't want to dissappoint the man, so I'd better get right on it.
The shapes appear under the player character in this box. They glow to indicate thier importance. I can immeadiatley tell what I have to do. I click help anyway, just in case.
It repeats the same message from the beginning. Usually this would be bad practice, but in such a simple game you can't really elaborate on it that much.
A couple extra notes I'll make before I move on. Playing in medium difficulty (strangely there is no easy mode) asks you questions relating to the number of sides on a shape. Hard difficulty has questions about shape names and ratios of shapes (1/2, 1/4) , and really hard mode just symmetry. The questions are randomised, and each round asks you five questions, however, there are more than five possible questions.
If you get a question wrong, there is no penalty except for watching the professor get an electric shock, and listening to Molly (the girl you are playing as) say she doesn't think that's the right answer (so, a time penalty? Might have an impact if you're in a hurry to complete it, but in the game, not so much. There is no time limit)
Once I had completed all five questions, the curtain pulled back and I got to see the proffessor's invention. It didn't actually do anything, and the game didn't remember my progress at all, so I felt a little disappointed my efforts had produced nothing.
At first I actually forgot to hit print screen on this one, because I was in a rush
The next part of this analysis will reference Greg Costikyan's Critical vocabulary for games-Which is written to provide a better definition for the elements of what we describe as "Gameplay". He splits it into five important segments, which I will demonstrate using this game as my ginuea pig.
(under the headline is my definition of the featured segment)
Interaction:
The player's actions affect the game
This game has interaction. You can interact with the shapes. By extension, you can interact with Pablo. It is basically just a quiz, however, little interaction is a huge way away from no interaction.
Goals:
Players make meaningful decisions to achieve a win state
The goal of this game is to get all five questions right, and build the robot you see at the end. There isn't much meaning to it, since there's no "reward", essentially. After winning one difficulty, you can move onto the next one. (If there is one)
Struggle:
Players have competition or challenge to overcome
Figuring out the correct object is the challenge of this game, however, if you don't know the answer, you can get it through trial and error, and it won't say what you got wrong, or right, so you can only put information into it, but not get any out of it. Actually that's not strictly true... I think it's possible you can learn from each question, even if you were using trial and error, you just have to know what you were doing.
Game Structure:
Shapes player behaviour, they have to obey the rules of the game
The game is completely linear, in that you answer every question in turn. It doesn't shape the behaviour much beyond simple things like how fast you can click, Or maybe the skills you've learned in the space of four or less questions.
Endogenous Meaning:
The objects in the game carry a meaning within the game
the main thing that carries meaning (and possibly the only "thing" in the game) is the shapes- their meaning is important otherwise the game would just be trial and error.
Conclusion
All in all the game is actually pretty memorable. It made me realise just how much visuals and animation contribute to an experience. If the game was just a quiz where you had to click on the correct shape, it wouldn't have felt the same, despite playing exactly the same.
Afterwards, I had a go at some of the other games to see if they went any deeper. It seemed they were all just quizzes, really. I tried the game "clock works". I only learned how to tell the time about three years ago, no joke.
Strangely, time moved slower back in those days
I felt a genuine sense of accomplishment after getting no answers wrong, despite not getting a reward for it. So I guess completing it was it's own reward after all
Friday, 1 October 2010
First lesson
For this class, we had to pick a partner, and then interview eachother. Then, we'd swap answers, so we'd end up with out own interview. Then, we had to put it on this promising new blog. Let's get started.
What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading (or the last fiction book you read?)
ah
I just realised I don't read very much at all. I usually don't have the time... Or I end up not having the motivation. It's appalling really. I did try reading Brave new world and Catch 22, I still want to finish them. I spend too much time reading things posted on internet forums. Not good.
What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading (or the last non-fiction book you read)?
I know I read more non-fiction than fiction, although I can't put my finger on any names in particular right now... I suppose... Wikipedia? Maybe that doesn't count. Mostly everything I read is on the internet. That's probably shocking to people these days, but in the future it may be the norm.
What is the last live performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?
I saw the Producers in 2008. I think that was the last live performance I attended. My family goes to the theatre quite a lot. I haven't seen a live band in ages, I really want to.
What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema / online or watched on dvd?
Must've been Toy Story 3. Great film.
How often do you read a newspaper? (which one?)
I read the Times because it's lying around. I don't like any tabloids. I sometimes read the Big Issue.
which art gallery/museum/exhibition did you last visit?
I went to Oxford's Ashmoleon museum. It's damn huge, and was apparently Britain's first museum, which made it... Almost A PIECE OF HISTORY ITSELF
how many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
Not nearly as much as I used to. I used to spend almost all the time playing anything I wanted back in the past, but now I only get games that really look interesting, and it's rare I'll find the time to complete them. I've got loads on Steam I've never completed, and my interest in gaming has reduced down, hopefully only temporarily.
how many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?
I don't understand.
What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading (or the last fiction book you read?)
ah
I just realised I don't read very much at all. I usually don't have the time... Or I end up not having the motivation. It's appalling really. I did try reading Brave new world and Catch 22, I still want to finish them. I spend too much time reading things posted on internet forums. Not good.
What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading (or the last non-fiction book you read)?
I know I read more non-fiction than fiction, although I can't put my finger on any names in particular right now... I suppose... Wikipedia? Maybe that doesn't count. Mostly everything I read is on the internet. That's probably shocking to people these days, but in the future it may be the norm.
What is the last live performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?
I saw the Producers in 2008. I think that was the last live performance I attended. My family goes to the theatre quite a lot. I haven't seen a live band in ages, I really want to.
What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema / online or watched on dvd?
Must've been Toy Story 3. Great film.
How often do you read a newspaper? (which one?)
I read the Times because it's lying around. I don't like any tabloids. I sometimes read the Big Issue.
which art gallery/museum/exhibition did you last visit?
I went to Oxford's Ashmoleon museum. It's damn huge, and was apparently Britain's first museum, which made it... Almost A PIECE OF HISTORY ITSELF
how many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
Not nearly as much as I used to. I used to spend almost all the time playing anything I wanted back in the past, but now I only get games that really look interesting, and it's rare I'll find the time to complete them. I've got loads on Steam I've never completed, and my interest in gaming has reduced down, hopefully only temporarily.
how many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?
I don't understand.
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