ENL 172, Metagaming Midterm Review

Huizinga coined the term "magic circle," to what does it refer?

(from Huizinga's book, Homo Ludens) "All play moves and has its being within a play-ground marked off beforehand either materially or ideally, deliberately or as a matter of course.... The arena, the card-table, the magic circle, the temple, the stage, the screen, the tennis court, the court of justice, etc., are all in form and function play-grounds, i.e., forbidden spots, isolated, hedged round, hallowed, within which special rules obtain. All are temporary worlds within the ordinary world, dedicated to the performance of an act apart"

Lusory Attitude

- "lusory attitude is the state of mind required to enter into the play of a game. To play a game, a group of players accepts the limitations of the rules because of the pleasure a game can afford." (from Salen Tekinbaş, Katie and Eric Zimmerman's "the magic circle")

WHAT EXACTLY IS A GAME? (JANE MCGONIGAL)

- We are all biased about games, sometimes there is a negative connotation about "players" and those who play games. This is often perceived as someone who manipulates others to achieve their goal. But why do we have this fear? We are afraid of losing track of where a game ends and reality begins. - Games come in many variaties but what defines a game?

What is a .DEM file and what is its significance to the history of speedrunning?

.DEM files (digital elevation model) are data files that recorded the specific history of a player's run. Because they are data, not video files, they were incredibly small in an age of dial-up connections and allowed optomized runs to be shared with communities of gamers in the 90s.

Trifler, Spoilsport, Cheat

1) A player that obeys the rules but not the goal 2) A player that does not obey rules nor follow goals 3) A player that recognizes goals, but not rules

Prelusory Goals, Lusory means, Constitutive Rules, Lusory Attitude

1) A specific achievable state of affairs 2) Means permitted according to the rules of the game 3) Rules which prohibit the use of the most efficient means to reach the lusory goal. 4)Acceptance of CR just so the activity made possible by such acceptance can occur

John Von Neumann

1) Game Theory 2) Prisoner's Dilemma

The 4 core elements defining a game:

1) Goal 2) Rules 3) Feedback system 4) Voluntary participation

Necessary and sufficient elements for an activity to be game playing.

1) Rules 2) Means to achieving the goal 3) Lusory Attitude 4) Goal (prelusory or lusory)

What is Bernard Suits definition of a game?

A Game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.

Machinima

A contraction of "Machine cinema" is filmmaking in videogame environments, using game characters and environments of games as cast and location for cinematic production.

Prisoner's Dilemma

A situation in which if both players act selfishly, both get punished moderately. If one acts selfish, this one is rewarded while the other is punished severely. If both act selflessly, they are given a small reward (usually just no punishment)

Prelusory Goal

A specific achievable state of affairs (Ex: crossing the finish line)

Why are The Ambassadors important?

A way to distinguish typical anamorphosis to the ASW. ASW and skulls show objects whose states are altered but cannot be fixed by angling. In this painting, a clear undistorted image can be made whether of the skulls or ambassadors

Why are the paradoxes of reality important?

Affects how everyone plays the game, influences strategy and allows for cooperation to ensure that the worst outcome won't happen

Perspective

Alberti's "Window" painting. Is a metaphorical frame of a painting. A conceptual method for renaissance artists to understand perspective. In the class glass example with different angles, the artist and viewer of the painting are in fixed position relative to the picture plane. CS:Go perspective video, games like FEZ, Monument Valley, Paper Mario, Echochrome

Why is the Magic Circle important?

All games have some sort of magic circle. Constitutes what it means to play a game. Critiques: Magic circle CAN be perforated Game cannot be in its own universe; people bring many things into the circle and so it becomes not so magical or distinct from the real world Video games are interesting in that people do not necessarily agree to abide by all the rules of the game, nor by the "lusory attitude"

Why are glitches important?

Allow speedrunners or superplayers to play a game better/in a different way than before. Speeds up fast runs

Explain hypermediacy.

An aesthetic practice of foregrounding the frame within which content is experienced. Focus on hetergeneity, indeterminacy, process, and fragmentation.

Glitch

An error in the code that allows a player to do something unintended

Prelusory goal (state of affairs)

Can be described independently from the game of which it may be or come to be a part of. Ex) Put the ball in the hole.

Who recognize goals but not rules?

Cheats

Gilles Deleuze

Cinematic ASW + Anamorphosis

Why is "MitM" important?

Content of medium is another medium (i.e. Braid is derived from Mario, Portal is a critique of Half-Life). Also emphasizes the decision of how a message is sent (i.e. if Portal used popup text instructions and didn't have GladOS teaching the player, it would be a very different experience.

Why are exploits important?

Creates a metagame of abusing game mechanics and glitches, optimizes runs, " " as above.

Anamorphosis

Demonstrated when an image or projection appears to be distorted/deformed but can be reconstituted when viewed from the proper angle (i.e. ambassadors)

Why is the Prisoner's Dilemma important?

Demonstrates game theory, an example on how to base decisions off of someone else's unknown decision. Significant for global politics.

Why is Speedrunning important?

Develops a community that wants to optimize a game's play and helps developers decide whether or not to fix a game.

Mark Hansen

Digital ASW

How does Nigel Howard use the word metagame to expand upon the Cold War game theory which arrives at mutually-assured self destruction?

For Howard, metagame is "the game that would exist if one of the players chose his strategy after the others, in knowledge of their choices." (Howard 1971, 23) By introducing the concept of non-rational actors who act with the knowledge that others know game theory, and are trying to figure out what their opponents actions may then be, new saddle points and decisions are possible.

Definition of a Game

Four Defining Traits of a Game: 1) Goal: Provides a player with a sense of purpose, a specific outcome that players will work to achieve 2) Rules: Place limitations on how players achieve the goal, the players unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking 3) A feedback system: Tells players how close they are to achieving the goal, take the form of points, levels, a score, progress bar, etc. 4) Voluntary participation: Requires that everyone playing willingly accepts the goal also establishes common ground, safe and pleasurable activity

What is, "the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent, rational decision-makers."? (Myerson, 1991, p1)

Game Theory

Why is TAS important?

Gives players more ways to explore a game's glitches/exploits, play the game the way they like, and changes the way the game is played in terms of speedrunning.

James Newman

Glitch, Exploit, Sequence Breaking, Machinima,

Speedrunning

Going through game as fast as possible following a specific ruleset

What book did Huizinga write? What was it about?

Homo Ludens. He defined Magic Circle. "All play moves and has its being within a play-ground marked off beforehand either materially or ideally, deliberately or as a matter of course.... The arena, the card-table, the magic circle"

Bolter and Grusin

Immediacy, Hypermediacy, Remediation

What is a saddle point?

In regards to game theory, it is the place where both logical parties will eventually end up, IE turning in your friend in the prisoner's dilemma.

Why is perspective important?

It describes the way we look at things. Linear perspective is where no matter where you stand it looks the same like the Mona Lisa. Anamorphosis can be seen in the Ambassadors, where a certain point fixes the skull. Digital ASW is where no point fixes the picture, like Lazzarini's skulls.

What do we term the smear at the bottom of Holbein's painting "The Ambassadors?"

It is an anamorphic skull, a memento mori (i.e. vanitas): a moment of horror that comes into focus reminding the viewer of their own mortality and perspectival position

Why is a utopia important?

It visualizes the motivations of why people play games in relation to their personal wants and needs Game-playing is central concept behind what motivates people Rules prohibit use of more efficient means in favor of less efficient means

Sequence Breaking

Leveraging a glitch or exploit to jump ahead in the game further than the mechanic intended to send you

Indie Game

Made by small team of developers, much more of an art style. More of a deeper meaning (i.e. Braid and the atomic bomb symbolism) Lower budget.

Richard Garfield

Magic: The Gathering

Bolter and Grusin develop the idea of remediation from this author.

Marshal McLuhan: "the content of any medium is always another medium"

Superplay

Mastery of the game

Marshall McLuhan

Medium is the message

Aristotle/Richard Garfield

Meta

Standard Metagame

Metarules: The standard metagame, the standards that seem to be in common when you play a game. The game is to be interacted with only by standard input controllers Physical integrity of harware is not to be violated Player should be directly and independently responsible for actions made in the game Players should not be disturbed outside of the game Computer should be played as released or patched by the developer

Nigel Howard

Paradoxes of Rationality

Why are the skulls important?

Perfect representation of the digital ASW. Gives a physical representation of a perspectival crisis, something we cannot perceive ourselves.

Lusory means

Permitted (legal or legit) in an attempt to achieve the prelusory goal. Ex) Use golf clubs, putting, etc...

Recognize both the game and its insititution

Players

Magic: The Gathering

Popular card game. Queen Sheherazade, based on the story where she tells the king a story every night to save her life.

Richard Suits

Prelusory Goals, Lusory Means, Constitutive Rules, Lusory Attitude

Who was the storyteller in 1001 nights?

Queen Scheherezade

Temporary storage

RAM (Random access memory)

Paradoxes of Rationality

Rational decisions in game theory can have worse outcomes than irrational decisions

Players

Recognize both the rules and the goals. - Completely engaged in the game.

Cheats

Recognize goals but not rules - These people place too great of an emphasis on achieving the prelusory goal that he will violate the rules of the game to do so.

Spoilsports

Recognize neither goals or rules - Trolls, they are not engaged in the game whatsoever.

Triflers (STILL TAKEN FROM BERNARD SUITS)

Recognize rules but not goals - These people play within the confines of the rules but have some other goal in mind than the prelusory goal. (Moving chess pieces to one side of the board to see if you can).

Why is superplay important?

Results in strategies that the casual player can use, building a community around the game, helps developers learn of ways to improve the game.

Videogames conflate the _____________ of the game with the _____________ of the equipment.

Rules; Mechanics

Why are Indie Games Important?

Shows the positive and negatives to being an independent game developer; the emerging industry of game development.

Goal

Specific outcome players will work to acheive - Focuses attention and orients their participation throughout the game. - Provides a sense of purpose

Recognize neither institutional claims or the game

Spoilsports

Who acknowledge neither rules nor goals?

Spoilsports

Chris DeLeon

Standard Metagame

Utopia

State of life where all action is voluntary and no instrumental activity is necessary One person's idea of utopia never is the same as another's

James Newman + Narcissa Wright

Superplay, Speedrunning, Tool-Assisted Speedrunning

Hans Holbein

The Ambassadors

Salen Tekinbas, Katie and Eric Zimmerman

The Magic Circle (based on Huizinga's Magic Circle)

Explain Immediacy.

The cultural logic in which the desire for direct relationship to the contents of media tend to erase medium specificty. (Transparency)

Digital ASW

The feeling/reaction one may feel when playing digital games. Digital Any Space Whatever: A genesis of an internal bodily space or spacing in response to a warped spatial regime whose realization is enabled by the accelerated symbol-shuffling capacity of the digital computer "skulls" - a scanned art installation that put skulls into a computer, used 2D perspective distortions on a 3D object. No way for a human to have proper perspective and look at skull. Requires a digital interface in your head.

Lusory attitude

The individual must have an attitude geared towards game playing in order to accept the inefficient means to an end. Definition: the acceptance of constitutive rules just so the activity made possible by such acceptance can occur

Medium is the Message

The medium (means of sending message) in and of itself also sends a message, so the medium influences the message (Ex. Handwritten thank you vs email thank you). The content of every medium is ALWAYS another medium. Any medium comes with certain baggage, or expectations that come along with it.

Whys is meta important?

The metagame is on a different level, a sublevel, from the game

Magic Circle

The realm that one enters when playing a game. Temporary world within the ordinary world (open vs. closed systems). Open: Interacts with environment (kid plays with doll, hard to determine start or finish) Closed: Game is distinct, and can easily be started or finished. Players must have lusory attitude (allows players to adopt rules which requrie one to employ worse, rather than better, means to an end.

Game Theory

The study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent, rational actors. Rational decision-making in games

Rule of Skill

These are rules within the area circumscribed by the constitutive rules. - To break a rule of skill is usually to fail at winning the game but the game was still played. - Ex) keep your eye on the ball.

Constitutive rules

These rules together with the prelusory goal constitute all of the rules necessary to be playing the game. - Breaking a constitutive rule means to fail to play the game at all. - Usually prohibit the most simple means to achieving the prelusory goal.

Who was the author to Utopia?

Thomas Moore

Goals

Three distinguishable goals of a race runner: 1) Purpose is to participate in the race - subject to trifling 2) Purpose is to win the race - subject to cheating 3) Purpose is to cross the finish line ahead of the others. - Subject to winning.

Summary of the Grasshopper's definition of game:

To play a game is to attempt to achieve a specific state of affairs [prelusory goal], using only means permitted by rules [lusory means], where the rules prohibit use of more efficient in favour of less efficient means [constitutive rules], and where the rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity [lusory attitude]. OR: Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.

Who recognize rules but not goals?

Triflers

Recognize only the institutional claims of a game

Triflers and cheats

Why is game theory important?

Used in Cold War. Had significant historical impact and can be applied to any multiplayer game today. Is its own metagame because within every multiplayer game, each player must think about what the other player will do, and influence their decijsions off of that in order to lead to a more consistent positive result (think coin flipping game)

Exploit

Uses built-in mechanics or glitches to do something that the developer did not intend for it to be used for.

Tool-Assisted Speedrunning

Using emulation and a computer to produce a perfect run without human error at a frame by frame level. TAS uses qualities and affordances of technical systems to eliminate imperfections of a Real-Time human performance, seeking to create theoretically perfect play of a game.

Thomas Moore + Richard Suits

Utopia

Beurocratic Justification

Virtually no justification at all. - A rule is simply obeyed because it exists.

The Ambassadors

Wealthy ambassadors pictured, and everything is normal besides the random smear, but when seen from another angle, it becomes a skull. A memento mori. All die regardless of wealth, and ambassadors are smeared when skull is visible.

Why is Magic: The Gathering/Richard Garfield important

What people Bring to games, what people Take from games, and what people do Between games. People always play with outside knowledge that affects the game.

Lusory goal

Winning - Can only be described in terms of the game in which it figures and therefore the lusory goal may be described as winning. Ex) Using the Golf club to hit the ball in the hole.

In Aristotle's metaphysics, what was the meaning of the word "meta"?

after, beyond

"Ludo"

means "play" in latin. Same root as Huizinga uses in "home ludens" or in lusory attitude

Lusory Means

means permitted in the attempt to achieve prelusory goals (Ex: track, start line, body)

Constitutive Rules

rules which prohibit use of the most efficient means to reach the lusory goal (Ex: wait until go, no tripping others, no steroids, etc)

Robert Lazzarini

the skulls