1. I Lose, Therefore I Think A Search for Contemplation amid Wars of Push-Button Glare by Shuen-shing Lee
2. Shuen-ShingLee Associate Professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at the National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan. Created one of the first Taiwanese websites aimed toward the Chinese hypertext literature in 1998
3. Article Overview The win-lose logic of games Binary win-lose logic of games induces players to wield means of any kind in order to win and thus easily corrupts any seriousness implicit in their content. Successful game design encourages players to motivate themselves towards a goal of their own "I lose, therefore I think", so as to figure out a strategy toward the win state: a player response overtly desired by game design mandated by the trail-and-error notion. In order to stop the player from advancing through the game too quickly & to get him to think, the difficulty level's raised. Morphing the player from an in-gaming loser into an off-game thinker.
7. Trial-and-Error Breakout Trying to beat a high score Replacing generic enemy (aliens) with representations of issues such as drug dealers and police Eugene Jarvis---Form of making a social statement without saying “drugs are bad” People have an interactive experience with the statement.
16. Time and Pleasure in Twisted Spaces Computer games – congested spaces – embrace rigid design and gaming conventions trial-and-error encourage players’ desire to win/conquer Critical games – twisted spaces – change design and gaming conventions for purposes beyond entertainment Time: event time, negotiation time and progression time Pleasure: immersion and engagement
17. The Unregretful, Objective Player Computer games – use partial reinforcement and regret to encourage players to continue playing “Player becomes les and less of me, and more and more a part of the game.” Player is concerned with design strategy Critical gaming – creates an “unregretful” player instead “Player becomes less and less of the game, and more and more of me.” (hermeneutic objectivity) After realizing the “un-winning” gaming strategies, player will then be concerned with design strategy “critical games provoke one to quit and continue gaming paradoxically at the same time.”
18. The Rise of Art Games "the videogame experience has to be thrilling, but not necessarily fun" (Frasca, 2001a). “Artists have become increasingly agitated about equating games and pleasure. Jarvis's declaration of the need for "something more" in games planted a seed of metamorphosis. Its recent embodiments include a series of content-provocative "newsgames" at Newgrounds and the newly launched Newsgaming, a website claimed to be wholly devoted to pristine game design that responds to immediate socio-political issues and happenings.” (www.newgaming.com)
19. Key Terms “a functional definition of 'game' [as] an interactive structure of endogenous meaning that requires players to struggle toward a goal” MUD’s and MOD’s First and second model players First- winning the game, overcoming hurdles Second- trying to figure out why the game is designed the way it is and what is expected of them as a player
26. “Mindless” Addiction Myth Non-game players – compare them to tv, drugs Game players – compare them to sports, sex, or meditation “Video games are interactive computer microworlds.” Beyond thinking – automatic movements to be successful Deciphering game logic Understand game designer’s intent
37. Future of Games Current model - character who lives in piece of literature Future – more complex games worlds and/or player as designer of his own game. Players as users of someone’s program vs. being the programmer ability to change the rules of the game
38. Computer Culture “rule-governed worlds” “world where everything is possible but where nothing is arbitrary.” Infatuation with the challenge of simulated worlds – affects relationships with the real world. Concentration is part of the holding power; blink and you can lose. Video games to relax Sense of achievement “Unconscious self” Continuity of mind and body “relationship with the game”
39. Metaphysical Machines potentially infinite Perfect Mirrors; Perfect Contests program is perfect and is perfect measure of players abilities desire to control inside through outside action (improve oneself) can get out of control when used to measure oneself hard to walk away from perfect test woman have the most difficulty with this perfect mirror
