Devlog

After reading through Critical Play: Radical Game Design, it made me realize how games surround us. The first chapter explained how we play games for numerous reasons. People may play games “for entertainment, for passing time, [or] for fun” (Critical Play: Radical Game Design, ch. 1). Games are on TVs, computers, phones, tablets, and many other devices which allow easy access to play. “Play is an integral and vital part of mental development and learning, and playful activities are essential aspects of learning and creative acts” (Critical Play: Radical Game Design, ch. 1). Both I and my family love games, so when we are all together for holidays we usually end up playing card games or board games. Playing games with my family allows us to bond and have a great time together making memories. Similar to creating a game design with my classmates on Villains. Creating this game together allows us to collaborate with each other and put out our own ideas. Creating games makes us think abstractly and decide what ways the player will win or lose the game. “Critical play is characterized by a careful examination of social, cultural, political, or even personal themes…” (Critical Play: Radical Game Design, ch. 1). To effectively design a game, a lot has to be taken into consideration. The numbers of players, if dice or cards are used, the meaning of the dice or cards, the rules, outcome or goal or the game, and how to “win” or “lose” the game, etc., has to be decided. In addition, the book discussed various game genres that are to be chosen from. For example, there are many formats that a game can be on such as a board game, card game, computer games, and video games. 

I found it interesting when reading Part 3: Meaningful Decisions in Zach Hiwiller’s reading that video games do not usually offer choices in the game because they are not meant to be played more than once. “Many video games offer the illusion of choice, which is a way to avoid having to make a real decision” (Players Making Decisions, ch. 10). Instead of making decisions, the player focuses on the narrative and what it has to say and offer. Maybe this is why I enjoy video games over card and board games.  

Chapter 11 discusses how games are random because a dice roll or card drawn is how a player ultimately wins or loses. In the game my group and I are creating, I do not think it is skill-based because the player simply rolls the dice, which is not a skill because you can not pick and choose the number it lands on. In a completely random game “...a combination of die rolls, card draws, or other random processes determine the games’ events and winners” (Players Making Decisions, ch. 11). In my opinion, I think games that are based on randomness are more fun to play because you can not predict who the winner will be in the group. The winner of games that are based on randomness won the game out of luck, not skills. 

Flanagan, Mary. Critical Play: Radical Game Design. Accessed 30 October 2021.

Hiwiller, Zach. Players Making Decisions. Accessed 30 October 2021.