[...] 29-Jun: Raph Koster’s Blog [...]

[...] carrying Google ads on the page, then they somehow recoup the cost of the Google ad? Puzzling…] # posted by Ben : 6:19 PM    Games for Change (G4C) [Organisers of a conference ongames, etc] # posted by Ben : 6:14 PM    Raph’s Website — MTV News – Can Social-Change Video GamesPoverty, Genocide? [Are "persuasive games" (for example, the Darfur is Dying game) just a gimmick?] # posted by Ben : 5:37 PM    Water Cooler Games – Newsgames Archives [The Zidane Flasha category called "newsgames" at Water Cooler Games. Dick Cheney hunting games are there, too...] # posted by Ben : 5:00 PM    Persuasive Gaming: Third World Farmer viagame Third World Farmer online – it’s not exactly a barrel of laughs, but it’s message is clear.” # posted by Ben : 3:11 PM    NGO Security: “Although some within the NGO community arepractitioner (just swap the word ‘information’ for ‘intelligence’ if you’re uncomfortable).” # posted by Ben : 2:19 PM   [...]

Instead of answering you directly, Allen, I’d point to a phenomenon Raph’s book makes a note of: as people grow up, some grow serious. (I paraphrase; book’s not handy.) The cartoon is of a pair of generals (or was it one?) looking at a map of the world. The more I think about it, the more it eludes me; there might be a political science thesis hidden in here.

Gene, your comment reminds me of a debate between architects Christopher Alexander and Peter Eisenman. It’s worth reading.

“Humane” because, quite uniquely among the speakers, you told a powerful and personal story about your own commitment to social change that most people in the room seemed unable to articulate. I was enthused to hear a story about PEOPLE and not just IDEAs.

Realistic because, the MTV games notwithstanding, through MUDs/MOOs/MMORPGs you have reached out to far more people and attempted to touch their lives in a meaningful way than any of the other attendees at the conference. I wouldn’t underestimate the power of propoganda, but personally I’m more interested in what you’ve espoused in your book, Raph, which is to examine what the game’s mechanisms themselves teach and not just get hung up on the skin, important as that might be. I asked you at the end of the conference what mechanisms you think are most important for today’s people to learn, but I believe you’ve already answered that question with your own work and the rules you established in your online worlds.

Your closing remarks powerfully captured both the concepts of “games” and “change.” I would hardly describe them as “cold water.”

[...] July Kim Flintoff11:05 amAdd comment Over at MTV they are commenting on Raph Koster’s talk and other speculation at the Games for Change conference last month.  Apparently all was cheery and hopeful until Raph delivere his final keynote that some felt dashed the hopes of the attendees.  Raph’s blog offers an interesting rejoinder where he advises that it isn’t thta he is opposed to the ida of creating games that are geared to bringing about positive social change, nor does he believe a futile exercise; rather he is concerned that there is too much lip service given in the form of platitudes and very little real consideration of the problem at hand.  I’ve spent enough time at themed conferences to know that pouring cold water on things is usually necessary — just as it was at the Metaverse Summit. Does it mean that I don’t believe in the possibilities? Of course not. In fact, it’s sort of odd to be painted as somehow the industry insider opposed to games for social change; after all, I’m the industry guy who was actually willing to show up at the conference in the first place. [...]

[...] (8) In response to an MTV News article about his closing address at the Games for Change conference, Raph Koster admits that Disaffected is “pretty fun.” [...]

Assuming that perception (“I can percieve of god ergo god exists” Anselm/Descartes) is reality is an old concept. And accurate insofar as our limited gelatinous monkey brains can concieve of what surrounds us and appears to be “Real”

Perception is what you believe experientially, and thus reality is in fact “different” for everyone. It is relative…but others have explained this more succinctly:

“When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, it seems like two minutes. When you sit on a hot stove for two minutes, it seems like two hours that’s relativity.” -Einstein

Is a quote thats often mistaken for a simplistic explaination of relativity. Its much more than that. Einstien understood that explaining things simply, and without burdensome verbosity is often the key to increasing understanding (and I might add fun), it just so happens its also the key to good consulting/management/business/design and every other meaningful human endeavour you’d like to plug into this sentance. Understanding begets creation and iteration. Understanding changes the world…..

That we cannot concieve of time except in the most rudimentary manner (linear) should give us pause before we begin making assumptions about how to best define games and reality.

Games can simulate our percieved reality, else Nash would not have changed our world (for further refferance http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11631.html)
no doubt by changing understanding of rulesets. This is required for humanity to advance forward.

Games are creation and iteration on a smaller scale than the larger one which surrounds us. They can teach awareness, they can teach understanding, but as I mentioned earlier cannot magically imbue people with a will to act. The will to create is reliant on the individual, nothing more nothing less. This is known as free will. What you do with it is your own business….

Creation and iteration to further creation, is its own driver, there is only the algorithim that runs the universe, neither you nor I factor into this algorithim, it runs now and 10,000 years from now when what we’ve done for our 80 years (more or less) on this dirtball floating around a large warm object wont matter. The algorithim does not care that you or I exist, or that we understand it.

Having fun and the importance of creation and iteration were not lost on greator men than me and the importance of this should not be lost on you….

“…one of the strongest motives that lead men to art and science is escape from everyday life with its painful crudity and hopeless dreariness, from the fetters of one’s own ever-shifting desires. A finely tempered nature longs to escape from the personal life into the world of objective perception and thought.”- Einstien

There are no players, there is no end goal, just an ever expanding game of creation and iteration, and an ocassional good meal and discussion in between

[...] Comments [...]

Curious definition of software.

Michael Chui wrote:

But a piece of off-topic curiosity: how would you define the term "game"?

Consider these working definitions. I reserve the right to change my mind at will.

— A game is an interactive software application that simulates a reality.

— Reality is that which is perceived.

— Interaction is that which is produced by the communication cycle (sender -> message -> recipient -> feedback -> sender) and enables the actors to effect change from within a reality to a reality.

— Software is that which enables adaptive reasoning.

— Application is the concentrated implementation of the software.