Sunday, April 15, 2007

Weekly Review: April 8 to April 14

Sublimation

John Kim muses upon the utility of incorporating real-life personality traits, interpersonal conflicts, and communications into the experience of gameplay. What should the function of roleplaying to these social issues be, and is it wise to combine reality and fantasy in that manner? Kim also links to several other discussions of interest.

Shared Imagined Space vs. Edwards' Big Model

Fang Landford explains why SIS is incompatible with EBM, a point he believes many have missed. Are object- and player-centered theories of gaming truly distinct? How do both models deal with player immersion? Is his reasoning correct; if so, why hasn't this point been noted before?

Right Kind of People

Elliot Wilen talks about the problems with establishing effective mechanical bases for roleplaying games, and suggests that RPGs function not because of the strength of their systems, but symbolically and socially. By attracting the "right kind of people", who think about and approach the game in similar ways, RPGs may transcend the limitations of mechanics and rules. Do the most effective roleplaying games function because they establish a shared identity among players?

No comments: