Fun is obviously a byproduct of games, but that’s where the usefulness of the term ends. This seminar presents the case against fun as a design goal, method of criticism, and aesthetic in gaming. Caleb Stokes (No Soul Left Behind/No Security) and Ross Payton (Base Raiders/ Zombies of the World) discuss the negative and positive uses of the word of fun in gaming, along with other critical frameworks by which the word can be understood (such as the 8 types of fun).
This panel was recorded at Gen Con 2015 and I forgot to post it until now! Better late than never, I guess.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:36 — 26.5MB)
Subscribe: RSS
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Cue GamerGater otrage in 3…2…1
I’ve been waiting for this one. I had a note on my phone so I didn’t for get it’s existence. Always informative and entertaining hearing Caleb & Ross talk about play styles.
Love the discussion. Anything that can help improve communication is a plus. I wish I could have taken a class like Caleb teaches when I was in high school.
Justin, you said it. Man, I wish my high school had offered that class.
Here’s a link to that Angry DM article that Caleb mentioned: http://angrydm.com/2014/01/gaming-for-fun-part-1-eight-kinds-of-fun/
http://imgur.com/uemPJcB I liked this one so much that I made up a simple spreadsheet where people can rank their favorite types of fun. I thought that was a great idea from the question section.
The overall skeleton is great for having more productive conversations. “I don’t like how this game feels” is hard to address, but “This new version lacks the rich immersion I liked in the old one” is much more specific.