MJSII: 'Game Play'
“Defining Play” - K. Salen and E. Zimmerman
‘Rules are merely the means for creating play’
This quote, initially gave me an ‘a ha’ moment, but then I came to realize there’s an ominous turn that this quote can take. Rules don’t only come in the form of a piece of paper within a boxed game like: Monopoly, Risk, Settler of Catan, or Cards Against Humanity. Rules can come in the form of laws and regulations. Thinking now about the various regulations like DACA, TRAP, which seem like a sick joke once reported publicly. No one wants to think that our lives are just pieces of a game but after reading that quote it leads me to think that is this system in which humans and human intelligence are at the top of the society just part of a game? ‘Play is free movement within a more rigid structure’.
Before taking that dark turn, this reading was truly enjoyable to read through. I reminisced a lot on the games I played as a kid. It was mainly a mix, I participated in a lot of ludic activities that consisted of a lot of agon, mimicry and ilinx. My family consists of highly competitive people, so these games were a chance to prove ourselves as smarter, stronger, or strategically minded. There were two games that my siblings and I would play with all of our friends. Manhunt and Bike Tag. My siblings and I created a game the ‘Bike Tag’. So the majority of out neighborhood had bikes and we lived on a school campus that had a clear grid layout. So since we loved the concept of manhunt and we loved biking, we decided to combine the two. Here’s how the game was played:
There was 1 ‘it’ person, the one who chased.
In order to tag a person, the chaser had to pass another player on their bike. But the chaser had the pass them parallel to the other biker.
Once that person was passed, then that biker would be on the ‘Chaser’s’ Team. That new ‘chaser’ doesn’t have to announce that he’s a chaser. So as a player you’re constantly on edge wondering who’s been tagged and who hasn’t been.
So in the end if there were two more people to tag, then they would be hunted down!
This game was an absolute HIT in our neighborhood and amongst our friends! Also by playing games you can see a space in a new way, you start to see more of the freedoms within a space.
Deep thoughts though, think about these kinetic games: Manhunt, Mafia, Hide and Seek, tag? These are all find, chase, and catch games. The goal of the game is to hunt another human down and catch them. This is considered to be a child friendly game, but when you think about the origination of each game it's pretty dark.
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“Street Level” - Steven Johnson
So ants are smart and intuitive. They follow patterns and are very much loyal to that pattern. Worker ants colonies are mainly made of woman, and their micro intelligence and individual movements as a pack, create a global system. Individual ants are ignorant of seeing the whole system in which they work and function under. When the Queen ant dies, the colony dies and in general the life cycle of an ant is very limited. So, it seems as though ants don’t have time to know the system, they just start working. While reading this ants started to seem like humans. A young ant colony is known for being more aggressive and persistent. They also shift their working habits in response to a change in condition. The 5 fundamental principles for building a system from the ground up are strikingly similar to 5 rules that we should remember as basic human beings:
More is Different
Diversity!! Diversity in mindset, color, economic status, etc. are key when creating something new. It brings different perspectives and input on how to change and better this new system.
Ignorance is useful
Being all knowing comes with some negative side effects. It completely takes away the many surprises that happen in life. If each individual ant knew that the intricacies of the larger system that they work within, would they continue their individual contribution?
Encourage random encounters
I am a FULL supporter of this. Don’t just put yourself in situation that you’re familiar and comfortable with. Don’t only surround yourself with the people you know. Branch out, experience new minds, personalities, cultures, and this will ultimately lead to self exploration.
Look for patterns and signs
Artificial Intelligence functions through its analysis of patterns within the data. Patterns reveal the habitual nature of living things. As a creator, this is the first step in the design process, observe these behaviors and patterns that exist all around us. To dive deeper you then ask yourself, what is the route of these habitual movements, what is at the root of these patterns?
Pay attention to you neighbors
I see this rule as being a less intrusive version of the fourth rule. ‘Pay attention’ is not as intense as analyzing but I do believe this rule encourages us to understand certain emotional, physical cues that people give off everyday. Be aware of one’s body posture and facial expression.
As a creative each of these should be present in my design process and thinking.
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