Silkroad Online Forum

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The other kind of playing


There’s two kinds of playing. There’s the competitive kind and there’s the whimsical kind.

Competitive play sets up certain boundaries and a
goal to achieve. It can be done against other people or against
oneself. The point of competitive play is to attempt to win, i.e. to
reach the predefined goal. Sports is an example of competitive play.

Whimsical play is free-form. It involves
non-productive activities that we do merely to amuse ourselves.
Sometimes whimsical play is done with other people, sometimes alone.
But the form of playing can change at any moment. Any rules that might
occur are temporary or optional. Sex is an example of whimsical play.

Competitive play in essence is also non-productive. But through
rules and goals, it creates a sensation of purpose. Whimsical play is
always pointless. It is purely recreational and makes no excuses for
itself.

Why is it that we see so much competitive play in video games and so little whimsical play?

Is it because rulesets are so compatible with the way in which a
computer works? Is it because we want the illusion of productivity
since computers are supposed to be machines for work, not play? Or is
it simply because we have lost the ability to enjoy the moment, to play
for playing’s sake?

Competitive computer games are often used for whimsical play. When
players start hacking or modifying the game, when they start testing
the game’s limits, when they do things in the game that are irrelevant
to achieving the pre-defined goal. While many contemporary games allow
this kind of activity and some even encourage it, very few games are
actually built around this form of play. And since they are not, whimsical play in competitive games is almost always disruptive. It destroys the intent of the designer, the narrative of the game and the overall atmosphere.

The only computer game designed for whimsical play that I can think of at the moment is The Endless Forest. Can anyone think of any others?




Michaël Samyn on August 4, 2008

Zitat von »Fl4k3«

ja aber wenn es echt leute gibt die auf solche spiele stehen dann müssen das ja richtige schlafmützen sein^^ ich brauche bei allem in meinem leben was ich mache action xD ohne action läuft bei mir nix^^ also ist das zu 100000000% nix für mich
Es macht echt kein Spiel einen Sinn aber es ist einfach ein Zeitvertreib und da finde ich es ganz bestimmt besser sich jede Woche vor den PC zu setzen und 1-2 Stunden Silkroad zu spiele ( ich habe früher auch immer so um die 8-10 Stunden pro Tag gezockt^^ ) als die ganze Zeit als ein Reh durch die Welt zu hüpfen und andere anzublöcken xD Also ich habe ja nichtmal rausgefunden wie man da schreiben kann.... sonst hätte das Spiel wenigstens noch ein bisschen Sinn weil man da neue Kontakte kennen lernt^^ Ich habe durch Silkroad auch sehr nette Menschen kennengelernt.

Zitat von »Chribe«

außerdem fang ich gleich als hirsch an, check das nid