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Essay 1

Student Name:	Abdul Kaiyum Shakil
Student Number:	S20013583
Unit Name: Tutor’s Name:	Online games, Play and Gamification Dr Gwyneth Peaty
Email Address:	[email protected]
Date Submitted:	26.09.2019
Word Count:	[1441]
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The Relationships between Play and Games

Introduction

The difference in terms of epistemological and ontological differences exists in the two types of activities which are often considered as part of leisure that is, playing and gaming. The ontological issues pertain to the formalisms and structures, while the epistemological agenda deals with the dynamics of gaming and playing. A play is often defined in literature as an open-ended territory. The play comprises of world-building and make-believe as defining elements for the open-ended territory. On the other hand, games pertain to the domain of challenging the optimization and interpretation of tactics and rules, apart from the space and time. The distinction between game-mode and play-mode is also instrumental in understanding the epistemological agenda. The technique for viewing gamming is like something which takes place at a higher level, in terms of both temporarily and structurally. The internal ordering of the play-world refers to sustaining through continuous reticulating within the play-world for formal distinction elements. The duration of play, with the focus on form installation, requires management of the distinction between non-play-world and play-world. The analysis regarding the game also included references of the game Small Worlds as an example.

Analysis

Game-Mode vs. Play-Mode

The game-mode has spatial and temporal incarceration which is presupposed within the rearticulating context for the purpose of protecting game from running off target through rule-binding structures. The game SmallWorlds had similar spatial and temporal incarceration whereby the purpose remained on protecting game from running off target. Interestingly, the games need not to be considered as play; instead, the implication refers to play as a requirement for the game. There exists a sustained balance with respect to un-structured and structured space capabilities of one's tactics which is central to the game-mode. In a similar way, the play-mode has a deep fascinating element which exists as a distinctive feature between non-play, and play within oscillation phenomenon.

The risk of falling back into reality exists within play-mode, but the want to fall back into reality does not exist which is evident in the case of SmallWorlds. The upward climbing is evident in case of game-mode, and it is only possible if the player has firm grip over the sight of the structures which will result in pushing towards next level. As per Larsen (2015) analysis, The Jasper Juul distinction between games and play is illustrated in the half-real (2005) research, and furthermore the Hans George Gadamer explanation of play (spiel) as something that has the capability to influence the participants from the 'outside,' which also indicate that the extend of subject is smaller as compared to the play itself.

Small World

The Smallworld is a social network service and virtual world with creation of Outsmart Games which is owned privately by a company which is based in the Auckland, New Zealand. The number of players peaked in the year 2012 and crossed 3.8 million global visits. The development work is in progress and currently the website is shut down due to the financial struggles, along with decrease in number of players. The content, and principles of the game will remain the same, though it will also new life offers to the players. The game was free to join and play with age limit of 13 years. The majority of the age population in the SmallWorlds is teen age and youth, with teen age friendly environment which made it less provocative and casual as well. In comparison to the game Second Life, SmallWorlds is less provocative but more casual. The game was also the tool of learning which is used for the development in the New Zealand Virtual School project (Burns, 2012). There existed total of seven skill paths which included explorer, gamer, social, farming, and artist. Furthermore, each path had different level depending on the learning capacity of the user. The leveling up is also one of the options whereby while opting for missions, sowing plants, PVP games of shooting, and items crafting. The business model of the game is based on freemium sales model whereby one player will be playing free while the other has the option to pay for membership (VIP).

Ludology and Narratology debate

There exists a significant disagreement between ludology and narratology on the scope of their respective disciplines and viewpoint. As per narratological viewpoint, games are narratives of novel forms. Henceforth, the task should be to study the subject matter with the lens of narrative theories which can better enhance the ability to understand games. On the contrary, the position of ludology refers to the games which suggest that the understanding is based on the terms of the game, and furthermore proposes that the study should only focus on the formal system described and the abstract analysis (Hollister, 2016). The abstract analysis of the game Small Worlds can be understood with respect to the ludology framework whereby the focus remained on abstract analysis. Broadly speaking, focus of the game studies should not be on the incidental elements of representational nature; instead, the focus should remain on understanding and analyzing the rules of the game.

Market Share

As per Game Market Report, the Global Game market is expanding rapidly over each passing year and generated approximately 152.1 billion US dollars which was previously 137.9 billion US dollars in the year 2018. The total amount of gamers in the world has reached 2.5 billion and the percentage increase in expenditure over games by the gamers increased with 9.6 percent. The highest growing market segment is console which is followed by mobile gaming through smartphone and tablets with revenue of 47.9 billion and 68.5 billion US dollars. Interestingly, the mobile phone gaming consists of 45% of the aggregate global expenditure. An aggregate of 54.9 billion US dollars is the market share of smartphone games, while PC gaming ranks the slowest-growing segment. Small World is working on the framework which will also hereby contribute to the online economy, though the financial constraints require change in the interface.

The interactivity and immersion are the core themes defined as the digital and online play. The fifteen minute talk of Marie-Laure is influential in the analysis of digital narratives, and have highlighted upon the four aspects pertaining to theoretical trajectory, that is, narrative properties associated with digital systems, the virtual world relationship with users within interactivity process, and cognitive concept of immersion which broadly spans over the narrative media within the semiotic systems, and has a strong dependence on the user relationship of interactives vis-a-vis narrative (Veale, 2012). Furthermore, the Ryan's Multivariant Narratives has mentioned a list of characteristics for digital systems that has the potential of creating a digital narrativity in a significant manner through programmability, operations of algorithm-driven nature, the computational media with the nature of executability within computational media (Ensslin, 2017). The aim of the Ryan lists of characteristics is for the determination of 'the behavior associated with the digital objects' vis-a-vis user input.

The distinction of Caillou's with respect to Huizinga heists at the competitive level in play having six core characteristics, that is, it is not obligatory and free, it occupies its own space and time with separation from the life routine, it involves the realities which are imagined and can be set against the 'real life,' exists in an uncertain manner with the aim of not pre-determining, but still be able to involve the player's initiative, governing rules which has the ability to suspend ordinary behaviors and laws which are must for the players to follow, and unproductivity with respect to the creation of zero wealth while economically ends as it initiates.

Conclusion

This paper illustrated the ontological and epistemological analysis of Game vs. Play through different perspectives. Ludology and Narratology debate is further explored using a game Small Worlds. The paper explored different dimensions and characteristics presented in most cited literature within the research and practitioner community. For example, The Caillou's definition has received criticism from the thinkers in subsequent generations which ensured that the play definition is negotiable. Additionally, Caillou's has distinguished games into four categories, that is, Agony, Mimicry, Alea, and Vertigo. Ago refers to the competition that forms play with players competition with each on their respective set of skills, like strength, memory, intelligence, etc. Mimicry on the other hand is role playing with formal definition associated with Caillou's, that is, the attitude which distinguishes oneself or others from their respective selves, the llinx which has the sense of altering perception with the assistance of strong emotions like fear, ecstasy, or panic, and finally the Alea which is opposite to Agon with formal explanation of the will resignation and abandonment of destiny.

References

Burns, M. (2012). Immersive learning for teacher professional development. eLearn, 2012(4), 1.

Ensslin, A. (2017). The Digital According to Ryan: Immersion–Interactivity–Ludonarrativity.

Hollister, J. M. (2016). In-and Out-of-Character: The Digital Literacy Practices and Emergent Information Worlds of Active Role-Players in a New Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game. ProQuest LLC.

Larsen, L. J. (2015). Play and space–towards a formal definition of play. International Journal of Play, 4(2), 175-189.

Juul, J. (2011). Half-real: Video games between real rules and fictional worlds. MIT press.

Veale, K. (2012). ‘Interactive Cinema’Is an Oxymoron, but May Not Always Be. Game Studies, 12(1).