Well Played Video Games, Value, and Meaning Drew Davidson About - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Well Played Video Games, Value, and Meaning Drew Davidson About - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Well Played Video Games, Value, and Meaning Drew Davidson About Me ETC Press First Publication in 2008 Experimental, Academic, Open Source Entertainment Technologies Across Fields Books, Journals, Proceedings, Games


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SLIDE 1

Well Played


Video Games, Value, and Meaning Drew Davidson

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SLIDE 2

About Me

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SLIDE 3

ETC Press

  • First Publication in 2008
  • Experimental, Academic, Open Source
  • Entertainment Technologies Across Fields
  • Books, Journals, Proceedings, Games
  • http://press.etc.cmu.edu/
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SLIDE 4

Well Played

  • Well ¡Read ¡& ¡Well ¡Made ¡
  • Analysis ¡& ¡Cri2cism ¡
  • Gameplay ¡& ¡Narra2ve ¡
  • Design ¡& ¡Development ¡
  • Literacy ¡& ¡Mastery
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SLIDE 5

Well Played

  • Presenta2ons ¡
  • Books ¡
  • Conferences ¡
  • Journal
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SLIDE 6

Well Played Books
 Video Games, Value and Meaning

  • ETC Press
  • 1.0 – 2009
  • 2.0 – 2010
  • 3.0 – 2011
  • 65 Articles
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SLIDE 7

Well Played Journal

  • Started in 2011
  • To Date - 4 Volumes, 8 Issues
  • Peer Reviewed
  • Editorial Advisory Board
  • Open Submissions
  • Special Issues
  • Regular Publication
  • http://press.etc.cmu.edu/wellplayed/
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SLIDE 8

Well Played Live Sessions

  • GLS (2007 -
  • DiGRA (2011 -
  • IndieCade (2011 -
  • Games for Change (2014 -
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SLIDE 9

What is it?

  • Live Play
  • Illustrate & Analyze
  • Developer Discussion
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SLIDE 10

Two Games

  • Monument Valley
  • Crossy Road
  • Indie Games
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SLIDE 11

Monument Valley

  • An Illusory Adventure of


Impossible Architecture
 and Forgiveness

  • April 2014
  • Played @ Dozen Times
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SLIDE 12

Play!

  • I
  • (escher, clear feedback
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SLIDE 13

Crossy Road

  • An Endless Arcade Hopper
  • November 2014
  • Some Forums
  • Played A Lot (!)
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SLIDE 14

Play!

  • Original Chicken
  • Character Menu
  • (frogger homage, free gift
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SLIDE 15

Monument Valley

  • Escher Environments
  • Simple Controls
  • No Dying
  • Gentle Progression
  • Peaceful Aesthetics
  • Subtle Story
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SLIDE 16

Monument Valley

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SLIDE 17

Monument Valley

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SLIDE 18

Monument Valley

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Play!

  • II (photo, social
  • III (story
  • V (simple controls
  • VI, VIII (gentle progression
  • Forgotten Shores
  • Ida’s (Red) Dream
  • (aesthetics
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SLIDE 20

Monument Valley

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Crossy Road

  • Clever Details
  • Super Simple
  • Lots of Splat
  • Fun Aesthetics
  • Character Unlocks
  • Collect Coins
  • Good Opt-In IAP, Ads
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SLIDE 22

Crossy Road

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SLIDE 23

Crossy Road

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SLIDE 24

Crossy Road

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Play!

  • Poopy Pigeon, Doge, Swift Snail
  • (details, splat, eagle
  • Vampire, Frankenstein, Dragon
  • (aesthetics
  • Kookaburra, Xi, Disco Zoo
  • (character unlocks, good iap
  • Random (videos, photos
  • Top Score Lines, Coins (ads
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SLIDE 26

Crossy Road

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SLIDE 27

Both Successful

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SLIDE 28

Monument Valley

  • $3.99 ($1.99,.99¢)
  • April 2014
  • November 2014
  • New Levels (& Red)
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Crossy Road

  • Free (IAP, .99¢, $3.99, Ads)
  • November 2014
  • December 2014
  • Piggy Bank
  • January 2015
  • February 2015
  • New Characters
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Why?

  • Simple to Play
  • Progression
  • Subtle Social
  • Details, Aesthetics
  • Mystery, Surprise, Wonder
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SLIDE 31

Why?

  • Video Games, Value and Meaning
  • Analysis & Criticism
  • Literacy & Mastery
  • Well Read & Well Made
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SLIDE 32

Value & Meaning

  • What it Means to Play a Game
  • Why it’s Important
  • Deconstruct & Discuss
  • The Experience of Play
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SLIDE 33

Analysis & Criticism

  • Close Reading
  • “Textual” Analysis
  • Like Film and Literary Criticism
  • Various Methods
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SLIDE 34

Literacy & Mastery

  • Flow
  • Procedural
  • Articulation
  • Interactive
  • Learning is Playing
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SLIDE 35

Well Read & Well Made

  • Playing Games
  • Making Games
  • Value & Meaning
  • Good, Bad, Better
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SLIDE 36

Well Played

  • Video games are a Complex Medium

that Merits Careful Interpretation and Insightful Analysis.

  • Thanks!
  • Questions?
  • drew@andrew.cmu.edu