Games Britannia: Dicing with destiny

Dicing with destiny is the first part of a three part series called Games Britannia. In the series, presented by Benjamin Woolley, we go on a journey that explores games made in Britain throughout history. We start at the beginning, with ancient board games. These are my notes:

We start off with The Stanway Game, a board game discovered by Colchester in 1966. They found a grave, dating back to the roman invasion in 43 AD. In this grave was one of the best ancient medical kits ever discovered, leading us to believe it was some kind of doctor. But also in the grave was a board game. This turned out to be the earliest discovered game set in Britain. It was laid out like it was mid-way through play, but nobody had any ideas what the rules were. It appears to be some kind of war strategy game.

Hazard is another game that is talked about on Dicing with Destiny. It is a simple game that involves dice and gambling. Players have to gamble on the outcome of the dice, with each round you have to bet more and more to stay in the game. Irving Finkel says that ‘dice are the work of the devil’, because then everything is based on luck and Finkel brings up the point that they work well for cheats. Hazard was condemned by the church because it wasn’t just about playing for fun, passing the time or had some intellectual challenge.

The show also talks about the Hindi game of knowledge or enlightenment, this is where snake and ladders came from. There are many parts to this game, but the one that stuck out the most was the fact that you could become trapped in the eternal loop of paradise (or something close to that). This happened to players that were basically unlucky when it comes to the roll of the dice, it essential finishes the game for them. 

 

Paidea and Ludus

Paidea: Playing a game for pleasure.

This type of play is not governed by rules, meaning you do what you want to have fun. Minecraft is a paidea game because there are no rules and no real objectives, only that which you set yourself. Other sandbox games and games such as The Sims are games are also paidea games. This is because you can do whatever you, the player, wishes to do in them.

Ludus: A way to win through clear rules.

Unlike paidea, ludus has set rules that the player must do to complete an objective, Games like FIFA, Battlefield 3 and Chess. FIFA has the same rules as a normal game of football and they cannot be changed, and they must win exactly like real football. Battlefield 3 makes teams work together to capture points, attack and defend bases or blow up objectives. Chess doesn’t necessarily have rules but the pieces do. They player can move the pieces where the pieces allow them to.

Newman then goes further to say that there are four types of play;

                                           Paidea                       Ludus

Agon: Competition              Borderlands                 Battlefield 3

Alea: Chance                      Tetris                          FTL 

Ilinx: Movement                  Skate                          Mirrors edge

Mimicry: Simulation            The Sims                     Forza

(sorry about the rubbish table)

"A game is an interactive structure of endogenous meaning that requires players to struggle towards goals"

I personally like the way he says struggle instead of something like challenge. Surely it is the challenge of a game that keeps us playing, at least that's why I keep playing. I Can understand why would you play a game just for fun, but surely there is some kind of challenge within. Me personally, I like the challenge.

We all start out wanting to play/complete or be the best at a game. But the struggle must be the journey the player takes. Its like a cheesy movie where a group of friends set out to go somewhere, but then when they get there (although it could be amazing) realise that the journey means more to them. I remember completing Mass Effect 3 and the bad comments the ending received about how it should of been better, but i didn't care about how 'bad' it was. I remembered what an awesome time I had had playing the game, I remembered how the struggle of the game made me feel. It wasn't about the objectives, although I was trying to complete them, it was about how I was completing them. 

When he says they are endogenous I agree with him. He says that "games are fantasy" which I also agree with. If I went around saying I was the king in some game, people that don't play the game (or are not in that fantasy), won't care and would probably think I was crazy. But someone in the fantasy would treat me as royalty. To me this is the true understanding of a game. 

Q and A

What is the title of the book (fiction) that you are currently reading (or the last fiction book that you read)?

The last book I read was The Hobbit, right after I watched the film.

What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading (or the last non-fiction book you read)?

Probably some kind of WW2 book, I cant really remember.

What is the last live performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?

I went and saw Chase and status live about 2 years ago.

What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema / online or watched on DVD?

The last film I watched was Django Unchained.

How often do you read a newspaper? (which one? Online or physical?)

I don’t read newspapers, I usually watch the news or read articles or watch stuff online.

Which art gallery / museum / exhibition did you last visit?

The science museum.

How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?

Probably about 20 – 30 hours.

How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?

Maybe 1 – 2 hours.

Welcome

Hello, my name is Perry and this is my gaming blog.