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? Chris Crawford, Salen, and zimmerman talk about games in a very structural, rule based system where people engage in artificial conflict, however, mary flanagan dives deeper in to the context of what games “live” in and the environment they reflect – she argues their artistic, social and activist dialogue, they are “cultural practices embedded in politics, art, and power.”
- what is an activist game? an activist game raises awareness about something bigger, whether it’s political, environmental, etc. They critique, model inequality, and purposefully create structural problems for players to experience
Chapter 3 - go and chess are examples of games that feature “perfect information”, what other games share that feature? Checkers, Cornhole, Mancala, etc
- why might chance or gambling games hold spiritual or religious importance to ancient cultures? Randomness and chance was reflected as the will of gods often times
- when was the earliest battle between government/ religious groups and games? what modern games can you think of that have been banned or demonized? gambling and dice games were battled especially – Pokémon was looked down on by a lot of people for a while, as are games with questionable moral and ethical boundaries like GTA- I’ll be honest I don’t know of any games that were straight out banned
- what is a fox game, and what would be a modern example? a fox game is where there is one player that has more power or abilities than the rest of the character. Examples of these games include Among Us and Luigi’s Ghost Mansion (amazing game as a kid),
- what was the purpose or intent of the game: Mansion of Happiness? To have a game that taught children virtues and the difference between good and bad morals and how to work hard and ethically
- Why do artists from the Fluxus and Surealist movements play games? Why did Surrealists believe games might help everyone? The both believed that games take people outside of the here and now; they connect to art and hidden creativity and reject accepted rules of thought and systems of the world – Surrealists believed games would help everyone by freeing your imagination
- Changes in what can signal profound changes in games? How were pinball games reskinned during WW2? Lots of different choices can change game: themes, players, materials, rules, representation of power, etc. Pinball games were reskinned with military propaganda and patriotic themes
- What statements did Fluxus artists make by reskinning games like monopoly and ping pong? They wanted to question things people accept on a regular basis – exposing systems and asking questions
- How are artists like Lilian Ball, Marcel Duchamp, Takako Saito, Yoko Ono, Gabriel Orozco and Ruth Catlowusing war games? they manipulate familiar games to critique power and expose absurdity of conflict
- Why is it important for players to have agency in a critical or serious game? Having free choice and the ability to do things makes it a lived experience rather than a lecture – it allows the player to fully experience the message