Category: reading response

From chapter 1:

• How does mary flanagan’s definition of game differ from chris crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by katie salen and eric zimmerman? 
  • Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman’s approach to defining the word “game” is characterized by the acceptance that there are multiple different definitions. Crawford defines games by contrasting it to puzzles. The text says that Crawford believes that, “Puzzles are static; they present the player with a logical puzzle to be solved with the assistance of clues. Games, however, can evolve, and rules may shift at certain points in a game and can change with the player’s actions” (p. 6). Mary Flanagan’s definition, on the other hand, is a little more similar to Salen and Zimmerman’s in that she doesn’t believe in one strict definition of “game”. She says, “Games can be thought of more productively as situations with guidelines and procedures” (p. 7). She also adds that they can be thought of as technology as well. 
• what is an activist game? 
  • According to Flanagan, “Activist games can be characterized by their emphasis on social issues, education, and, occasionally, intervention. In other words, they are not purely conceptual exercises, but rather, games that engage in a social issue through, most commonly, themes, narratives, roles, settings, goals, and characters; and less commonly, through game mechanics, play paradigms, interactions, or win states to benefit an intended outcome beyond a game’s entertainment or experiential value alone” (p. 13). Activist games can still be fun and enjoyable to play, but their messaging and genre remains geared towards social issues (generally). 

From chapter 3 –

• go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?  Perfect information in a game is “…all the information constituting the system of the game is visible on the game board at all times” (p. 63). Some other games that I believe would be considered this include Mancala, Connect 4, Tic Tac Toe, and Sudoku. 
• why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures? Flanagan writes, “Games of chance and divination were closely aligned for many thousands of years, for humans have long sought guidance from the changeable, powerful forces they believed may rule over one’s destiny and control the probable outcomes for hunting, war, and successful harvests” (p. 67-68). Chance games also had their parallels to fate, with the Egyptian board game Senet in particular representing a race against fate to the afterlife. Scholars believe that games like this helped connect the living to the afterlife and those beyond. 
• when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? One of the earliest was in the middle ages in Europe, with a game that used dice on a backgammon board. The church tried to forbid this game. 
• what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized? I feel like there was a period of time a while ago especially when shooting games such as Call of Duty were being really demontized because people believed that it would make kids violent.
• what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example? 36 In a category called According to Flanagan, ““fox games,” [are] a group of board games featuring unequal opponents, one player is the fox, or aggressor. Other players control or play the numerous geese, sheep, or prey the fox tries to eat while the fox attempts to avoid the traps his opponents set all around him” (p. 73). Essentially, fox games are when there is an unbalance in the rules. I feel like Bang! Could potentially be considered one of these as well as the Intergroup version of Monopoly that we played. 
• What was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness? Players want to be the first to reach “happiness” or “heaven”. This game depicted the struggle between good and evil; good deeds would move you closer to heaven and there are evil distractions to heaven along the way. This was supposed to be somewhat of a moral guide to living life, encouraging children to do good deeds to get to heaven. 
• Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surealists believe games might help everyone? They do it for recreation and research purposes, specifically they like to see how games are tied to social movements. According to Flanagan, “Surrealists believed that games might help everyone—artists, scientists, politician, even farmers, tap into the spiritual realm and the human unconscious” (p. 90). 
• Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2? The text says, “Therefore, changes in any larger social situation, such as a severe economic depression, may signal profound changes in games” (p. 94). For instance, games like Monopoly did great during the Great Depression in the United States. Pinball games were repainted with graphics that represented wartime themes. It was essentially propaganda, and one example was about taking down the Japanese. 
• What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong? The reskinning of games creates “situations”, as they call it. The reskinning of Monopoly helped represent capitalism better, and dealt with world issues as well. The “Ping Pond Table” created a ping pong game that opened up the room to play with more people and more tables, all to play in one large game, and explored the dimensionality of the space;. 
• How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games? Wargames are based on conflict and the taking of pieces and all of these artists explore this in their work particularly as it refers to chess the symbolism of everything. 
• Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game? The text reads, “Janet Murray defines agency as “the satisfying power to take meaningful action and see the results of our decisions and choices.”” (p. 116). In a critical or serious game that is speaking about relevant social issues and causes, it is important to take agency because it is not just a game, it is ultimately the state and quality of humanity. If you know you can do something about an issue and choose to do nothing about it, the game is pointless. 

How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of a game differ from Chris Crawford’s, as well as the definition crafted by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman?

Mary Flanagan sees games as more than just fun or competition. For her, games can be tools for activism or making a statement, not just about winning or losing. Chris Crawford focuses on how games are different from puzzles. He says games are dynamic—they change as players make decisions, while puzzles stay the same until you solve them. Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman define games more strictly. They see games as systems with rules, where players face artificial challenges and work toward a clear outcome, like winning or losing.

What is an activist games

Activist games teach about social issues. They try to make players think about problems like fairness and equality. They’re more than just fun.

What other games feature “perfect information” like Go and Chess?

Checkers, Shogi, Othello, and Mancala are games where everyone sees everything. No secrets or luck.

Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?

Long ago, people thought luck and chance came from the gods. Gambling was seen as fate or the gods’ power. It was both fun and spiritual.

When was the earliest battle between governments/religious groups and games? What modern games have been banned or demonized?

Some people have always thought games were bad. Like in Egypt and Mesopotamia, they thought gambling was a bad influence. Today, some video games are criticized for violence like GTA and Doom, and some board games for promoting capitalism.

What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?

Fox games have one player (fox) against many (geese). The fox tries to win. Dead by Daylight is a modern example with a killer (fox) hunting survivors (geese).

What was the purpose or intent of the game Mansion of Happiness?

Mansion of Happiness was a game to teach good Christian behavior. Good actions helped you, bad actions set you back

Why did artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone?

Artists like Fluxus and Surrealists used games to be creative and different. They wanted to challenge old ideas. Surrealists thought games helped people think creatively and avoid strict rules.

Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WWII?

Games can change with what people believe. Like during WWII, pinball machines were changed to support the war instead of gambling.

What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong?

Fluxus artists changed Monopoly and Ping Pong to show problems with capitalism. They made them silly, cooperative, or critical, not about winning or losing.

How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow using war games?

Artists change war games to show war is bad and to talk about peace. They sometimes make war games abstract or symbolic to challenge how we usually think about war.

Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?

Agency means players can actively take part and think about a game’s ideas. Without agency, players just passively receive messages, without really thinking about them.

Chapter 1 Reading – Critical Play Radical Game

• How does Mary Flanagan’s definition of “Game” differ from Chris Crawford’s as well as the definition crafted by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman? 
• While Mary Flanagan feels that games function more as cultural products, shaped by the designer and players to create a specific experience, stating that games are about how players interact with a system, being deeply influenced by cultural context and personal interpretation. Chris Crawford’s definition of games is vastly different, distinguishing between games and puzzles, emphasizing that games evolve and are shaped by the player’s actions, while puzzles are static and have fixed solutions, leading to the idea that games are dynamic, and rules can change based on the player’s decisions. However, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman stated that a game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome. outlining six key components; system, artificial, players, conflict, rules, and outcome, presenting a more formal and structured approach to understanding games.

• What is an Activist Game?
• Mary Flanagan states that Activist games are characterized by their emphasis on social issues, education, and, occasionally, intervention. More so that the concept is a challenge on real issues, through the themes, narratives, roles, settings, goals, and characters; and less commonly, through game mechanics, play paradigms, interactions, or even the concept of winning to benefit an intended outcome beyond a game’s entertainment or experiential value alone.

Chapter 3 Reading – Critical Play Radical Game

• Go and Chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature?

• More examples of games that feature “Perfect information” are Tic-Tac-Toe, checkers, and Mancala.

• Why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures?

• Chance or Gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance in ancient cultures, due to the factor of the game sharing the principles of “fate and divine will.” Anthropologists and play scholars Csikszentmihalyi and Bennett noted that games of chance “seem to have emerged from the divinatory aspect of religious ceremonials.

• When was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? What modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized?

• The earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games can be traced back to Ancient Rome with gambling, though gambling was initially allowed in Rome, concerns about its social and moral effects grew, with leaders like Emperor Augustus who tried to stop excessive gambling by imposing restrictions and laws.

• What is a fox game, and what would be a modern example?

• A fox game is “a group of board games featuring unequal opponents, one player is the fox, or aggressor. Other players control or play the numerous geese, sheep, or prey the fox tries to eat while the fox attempts to avoid the traps his opponents set all around him.” A modern-day example of this (Sorry this is so funny) is Among Us, where one player is an imposter, and the others are normal crewmates. The idea of the game is to find the imposter before too many crewmates are murdered.

• What was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness?

• In the game: “Mansion of Happiness” “players compete to be the first to reach “happiness,” or heaven, a large square in the center of the board. Progress is attained through good moral conduct in the context of the home. Here, good deeds lead children and their play pieces down the path to “eternal happiness” and players must beware of landing on spaces that interject, albeit through chance, the setbacks of “vices” such as cruelty and ingratitude.”

• Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surrealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone?

• Surrealists emphasized the playfulness of Dada using chance and juxtaposition, but they were also concerned with the internal workings of the mind and encouraged a deep focus on the subconscious. Relying on the work of Sigmund Freud, and the importance of perceptions. This understanding pushed Surrealists to believe that games might help everyone by challenging the mind and how players perceive the world. However, Fluxus artists saw that games lay between the rational and the absurd, between mobility and fixed trajectories, and between logic and chance. And sought a new art practice, one that was open to humor, intimacy, player agency, and various aspects of performance.

• Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2?

• Changes in game mechanics, themes, technology, or social contexts can often signal profound shifts in games, whether they are physical, digital, or social. These changes may arise from new technological advancements, shifts in cultural attitudes, or responses to external circumstances, such as war.  With this, during WW2 pinball games were reskinned due to a shortage of metals, often, the machines would become completely non-electric, depending on plastics and wooden components. Artistically, during the war pinball machines contained patriotic art, rather than pop culture.

• What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like Monopoly and Ping Pong?

• By distorting the structure of Monopoly or removing its focus on profit, Fluxus artists sought to expose the artificiality and destructiveness of capitalist structures, pushing for a more playful and egalitarian approach to human interaction and creativity. Furthermore, Fluxus artists were not necessarily interested in the outcome of games but rather in the process of playing itself. This approach to Ping Pong de-emphasized competition and embraced the idea that art and play should be about exploration, interaction, and openness rather than winning or following traditional rules.

• How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco, and Ruth Catlow using war games?

• Lilian Ball often uses participatory art to engage audiences in reflecting on power and conflict through game-like interactions.

• Marcel Duchamp uses chess as a metaphor for strategy, power dynamics, and competition, exploring the intellectual and aesthetic aspects of games.

• Takako Saito creates interactive, unpredictable game-like situations that question traditional roles and the arbitrary nature of conflict.

• Yoko Ono uses games to envision peace and cooperation over violence, with works like Play It by Trust promoting pacifist ideals.

• Gabriel Orozco reimagines chess with expanded possibilities, symbolizing freedom and creativity in resolving conflict rather than being bound by fixed rules.

• Ruth Catlow creates a reworked chess game called Rethinking Wargames that introduces pawns as resistors to violence, emphasizing the importance of negotiation and nonviolent resolution.

• Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game?

• Player agency is crucial because it allows players to feel that their choices and actions have a meaningful impact within the game world. By creating a space (the magic circle) players can feel that what they say and do matters in terms of the outcome of the game. Agency also allows players to better reflect on serious matters that can promote learning.

What advergames have you played? Did they influence a purchase?

Played Pepsi Man While fun, they felt gimmicky rather than persuasive.

Why do the advergames Tooth Protector and Escape work?

Tooth Protector (Johnson & Johnson): Embedded educational content into gameplay (protecting teeth from cavities by dodging harmful food).

Escape (Kellogg’s Nutrigrain): Action-packed, simple controls, and tied into the brand’s theme of having “energy” from a healthy breakfast

Why do Chase the Chuckwagon and Shark Bait fail?

Chase the Chuckwagon (Purina Dog Food): Boring gameplay Felt more like a forced promotional gimmick than a game.

Shark Bait (Quaker Oats): Poor controls and gameplay that lacked engagement.

What does Volvo’s Drive for Life accomplish? The game simulates realistic road hazards and responsible driving, indirectly promoting Volvo’s reliability and advanced safety features.

What company used in-advergame advertising : Nike, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s used in-game billboards and branded items within sports and racing games.

What was one of the first home console advergames, and what beverage was it for?

kool aid man

What makes the toilet training game sophisticated, and do you agree?

Yes, since it makes an educational experience more dynamic and fulfilling while also transforming a routine task (potty training) into an interesting challenge.

What do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share?

Both sway player perception through persuasive game mechanics.

• what advergames have you played? did they influence a purchase?
  •  I’m not sure if I actually played the games but Bazooka candy brands (they make push-pops, ring pops, juicy drop pops, etc) has a site where you can play numerous games featuring their products. I remembered hearing about this as a kid. Back then, it probably wouldn’t have influenced a purchased but I might have asked someone else to buy it for me.
  •  Similarly, I’ve also played the M&M Kart Racing on the Wii, which probably made me want to eat M&Ms as a small child; however, I’m not sure if that tactic would work on me now. I also played Minion Rush, the Temple Run like game, but I’m not sure that convinced me to want to watch the movies, I likely played because of the movie. 
  • Another game I’m not sure counts is Bring Me the Horizon’s Scream Star. This game is a generic rhythm game but it connects to Spotify to stream their newest album. The game essentially just tries to get you to listen to their new album more than anything. I wouldn’t say that this influenced a purchase but probably made me stream the album a little bit more. 
  • A few years back, the Olympics also had their own games on Google and you could go around and play a lot of the different Olympic sports and compete with others across the world. I think that this was encouraging people to watch and support the Olympics. I loved the game but I don’t think I ended up watching the Olympics. 
• why do the advergames tooth protector and escape work? What makes chase the chuckwagon and shark bait fail?
  • Tooth Protector and Escape have deeper meaning embedded into the game rather than just creating a game to try to sell more of a product. In Tooth Protector, it actually taught children the importance and process of maintaining good oral health and it even made it seem that having sweets or junkfood at one time is not the end of the world. You used Johnson & Johnson products to protect and take care of the teeth. This also made the game better because it situated the products in a manner where it provides a solution to a problem, one that can be applied to real life at the same time. Escape’s deeper meaning is that the game is found only by pressing the escape button on Google, which people are likely to only do if they are in a stressful situation and bored out of their minds. The mountain bike brand that the game is by offers an escape from daily troubles, very much like the game. 
  • On the other hand, Chase the Chuckwagon was just trying to get kids to convince their parents to buy the Purina dog food so they could get the game and there was really no reason other than that. It didn’t really seem like it had much of a purpose other than to sell more dog food. Like Chase the Chuckwagon, McDonald’s Shark Bait game also has nothing to do with the product that is being advertised, Fish Filet sandwiches, and it was merely trying to get people to know that McDonald’s has them all year round, but the gameplay was not related. 
• what does volvo’s drive for life accomplish? Volvo’s Drive for Life demonstrates one of the key features of Volvo cars—their safety—and turns it into a game. The game allows you to drive three different Volvo cars and you can test them out with and without the safety features. This demonstrates what Volvo’s safety actually does in a way that is more understandable, interactive, and fun than statistics and test videos. It also allows users to drive the cars in somewhat realistic scenarios unlike standard racing games and it helps demonstrate Volvo’s traffic safety as well. 
• what company used in-advergame advertising? Bed Bath and Beyond was advertised in the Dodge Stow n’ Go Challenge game. 
• what was one if the first home-console advergames and what beverage was it for? Kool-Aid Man on the Atari by General Foods. 
• what makes the toilet training game sophisticated and do you agree? Ian Boogost argues that the toilet training game is sophisticated not just because of its mechanics, but because of its ability to portray drunkenness in one manner—that is having to relieve yourself. It takes one product feature of J2O and amplifies it. It almost offers a realistic experience. I suppose I would agree with this statement. The game directly relates to the product and the product is seen as a “hero” or “solution” that makes this game effective. 

what do advergames and anti-advergames have in common, and what principles do they share? They both are trying to persuade people, but in different ways. One is to persuade people not to support a company or product and the other is the exact opposite. Bogost says “Even though such games seem to contradict the goals of advergames that promote rather than depose, both types actually share fundamental principles: they demonstrate claims about the function (or dysfunction) of products and services, giving the player a first-person account of how the features and functions of those products and services intersect with his wants and needs” (p. 230).

1. Ian Bogost shows that social games such as Cow Clicker, are usually boring and overall repetitive. In this game, you click a cow every few hours which just relies on the players addictive tendencies.
2. Games like Farm Ville use friends as resources, which can make friendships sort of more like a transaction / sale rather than a real connection or bond.
3. Social games force players to check in once in a while or watch advertisements in order to skip timers. By doing this, you feeled tied up in the game since you are waiting for a timer to run out.

What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?

Ian Bogost critiques social games like Cow Clicker for several issues:

Enframing: Social games reduce friends and social interactions to mere resources to be exploited for in-game progress, rather than fostering genuine connections.

Compulsion: These games create addictive, repetitive behavior, drawing players back through manipulative design that exploits human psychology, much like slot machines. (boo gambling)

Optionalism: Social games often make gameplay optional and shallow, with actions that can be skipped by spending money, removing meaningful player effort.

Destroyed Time: Social games invade players’ time even when they’re not playing, creating anxiety about missed rewards and fostering a sense of constant obligation.

How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Enframing refers to how the game treats friends not as people but as resources that players can use to advance in the game. (Don’t worry, I also had to look it up.) One example of this is as follows:

Externalizing Social Value: Rather than interacting with friends in ways that build genuine relationships, the game turns these interactions into transactions—asking friends for in-game help, sending virtual gifts, or recruiting them to join the game.

How do social games destroy time outside of the game?

Social games like FarmVille destroy time outside the game by creating a sense of obligation that lingers even when players aren’t actively playing. Some examples of this include:

Obligation to Return: Since social games are built around timers and rewards, players feel like they have unfinished business, leading them to think about the game when they should be focusing on other activities. It’s not just about the time spent playing but the time spent thinking about or planning when to play.

Interrupting Daily Life: The game’s mechanics make players feel like they need to constantly check in, and this can take away from time spent on more meaningful or productive tasks as they prioritize the game to avoid feeling guilty about missing out.

Ian Bogost points out that social games, like Cow Clicker, are often boring and repetitive. In Cow Clicker, all you do is click a cow every few hours, which highlights how these games rely on simple, addictive mechanics instead of meaningful gameplay.

Games like FarmVille treat friends as resources. , which can turn friendships into something more like a transaction than a real connection.

Social games often force players to check in frequently or wait for timers to run out. This can make people feel tied to the game.

What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?

The creator of “Cow Clicker,” Ian Bogost, raises multiple issues about social games. First, he states that they are “enframing,” as he states, “friends aren’t really friends; they are mere resources. And not just resources for the player, but also for the game developer, who relies on insipid, “viral” aspects of a design to make a system replicate.” Bogost also states that social games are built on compulsion, as players “obsess for more and more.”  Furthermore, he states these games are seeping with optionalism, allowing players to play a lot, or a little with little effort. Of course, the main issue Bogost ends his statement with is that players who partake in social games experience a substantial amount of destroyed time. Players will obsess over tens of hours of playtime to complete simple tasks.

How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?

Like Ian Bogost’s statement, social games enframe friends as a means of gaining resources for games. Farmville is a perfect example of such as you can “invite” your friends to help you tend to your crops and livestock on your farm, while also helping them in exchange. I have never played Farmville, but from my understanding of the mechanics of the game, a lot of time and effort from your friends is extremely important to help you move forward into the game.

How do social games destroy time outside of the game?

               Social games destroy time outside of the game by being consistently prevalent in one’s day. If you play a game on Facebook and have notifications enabled, you will get update notifications from the game telling you that “something is ready!” and will feel enticed to come back to the game. However, there is also the factor of some games depend on time to unlock and “build” things. You may have to wait a day or two, etc. But many games also combat this by having a “pay to play” feature that now ruins the factor of spending time in the game, now your real money is being implemented too.

Game Thoughts: Painstation

I think it is interesting to see how artists and creators (manufacturers) can create such a unique game that can create such a unique experience. The game, Painstation compels its players to decide if playing a simple game of pong is worth getting whipped, burned, and electrocuted. I feel like I would be up to the challenge to play just to be able to say I tried it. (Though I feel like I wouldn’t last very long.)

Game Thoughts: Getting Over It

I have seen this game, and own this game on multiple platforms. It is such a silly but also aggravating game to play. But it is surely one you really can’t ever put down. You keep coming back telling yourself “I can do it this time!” but surely you never really do. Being able to say you have completed the game is for sure a bragging right.

Game Thoughts: Townscaper

I have played games similar to this one, such as “The Block” on Steam. I don’t personally enjoy neverending mindless games such as these. But I can appreciate the art style, sounds, visuals, and calming factor of the game.

1. What are the issues Ian Bogost raises about social games with Cow Clicker?
   • He riases the idea about how social games can be rather addictive. Basically the game gives you a cow, that you can click on it and when you click it provides you with more clicks so that you can upgrade your cow. Many find it as a challenge to beat the time delay thus making it highly addictive.
2. How do social games like FarmVille enframe friends?
   • FarmVille enframes friends because you may be pressured by a friend or family tobplay the game so they can recieve an extra bonus. Farmville skillfully manages Social Pressure by giving players bonuses whenever they invite friends to the game.
3. How do social games destroy time outside of the game?
   • Many social games can destory time outside of the game bu consuming a lot of a person’s time. This can often lead to neglect in my other responsibilties and priorities.