The mechanics of traditional games have been, through years of play, so ingrained in my consciousness that it is difficult for me to think outside of those terms. Sports (basketball and football), video games (super mario), and traditional board games (monopoly, chess) have taught me that life is governed by rules and that there is an end goal to aspire to. Additionally, competition extended beyond games into everyday life. School became analogous to all of the games that I played; it had rules, scores, and a goal. My peers were simultaneously my teammates and my competition. It is with this mindset that I examined the New Games described in the readings. These games were played in ways that challenged my preconceptions of what a game is.
Brand's Earthball urges players to push a large ball in an open area. At first glance, this seems to be the opposite of tug-of-war; two teams pitted against each other to score in some end zone. But this game is played without teams or a pre-defined goal. Players determine where they would like to push the ball, and can change their position at any time. There is no scoring and, as such, no way for the players to compete [Ludica 2].
Rock-Paper-Scissors Tag seems at first to be a traditional game. Two teams compete in group rock-paper-scissors, and the team that wins tags the losing team. Any people that are tagged, are moved to the winning team. The players are constantly switching teams, so the competition cannot flow from throw to throw. Instead, each conflict is treated as its own game, rather than as a part of a series. There isn't a definite endgame situation, so the play continues until the players decide to stop. Everyone wins and loses during the course of the game and there is no way to keep score. Because of this, there is no way to determine any winners or losers [Ludica 3].
Finally, Prui is a game in which there can be no winners or losers. The game is governed by only a few rules, which require the players to close their eyes and shake hands. The players cannot talk, unless it is to ask "Prui?" of the other players. If they come into contact with the Prui (who does not say anything when prompted) they become a Prui as well. Initially, it seems that becoming the Prui is undesirable. But it is not the goal of the player (nor is it possible) to avoid becoming Prui. The game doesn't not have goals or winners. The game simply is. [Ludica 3]
Bibliography
Brand, Stewart. 1972. Spacewar: Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums. Rolling Stone, December 7. Fron, J., Fullerton, T., Morie, J. & Pearce, C. (aka Ludica) (2005). "Sustainable Play: Towards A New Games Movement for the Digital Age." Digital Arts & Culture Conference Proceedings, Copenhagen, December 2005. Pearce, Celia. "Games as Art: The Aesthetics of Interactivity." Visible Language: Special Issue on Fluxus. January 2006.
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