[I am working on my book manuscript. To prevent myself from simply writing like I always do, I am going to do a series of experimental game writings. In these, it is not strictly “me” speaking – they are rather explorations of possible directions in which to work.]
4 Japanese children are playing. As far as I can see, these are the rules: One child (“the guesser”) walks away and closes his/her eyes. The remaining three perform a clapping sequences and chooses between them who is “it”. The child who walked away returns and has to guess who is “it”.
The guesser can guess as many times as he/she wants.
This is a game according to my definition.
There are rules, quantifiable outcome, valorization of outcomes, player effort, player attachment to outcome, and “negotiable consequences” of the outcome.
But this does not explain why the game would be enjoyable.
There are many things of course:
-The shared ritual.
-The rhythm.
-Playing with distinguishing between people.
-The thrill of being special.
-The relation between individuality and arbitrary distinctions.
-Exploring your emotions towards the other players.
-Examining the signals and expressions of the other players.
-Trying to conceal the signals that you send.
The consequences assigned to the game are rather weak. Also in the sense that there is no winner of a game, only an individual performance, but that the game is played multiple times. It would be possible to play 15 games and write down the performance of each player and pick a winner. However, this is not done. Overall performance rating is therefore rather imprecise. This is not a bug, it’s a feature.
The game also contains strong chance element, making the skill of the individual less important.
As we can see, the formal setup of the game means a lot for how it can be used socially and what pleasures can be derived from it. But the other aspect of the setup, that the game is being played many times without the children keeping a score, also makes it a special kind of not-that-competitive game.
The game is designed collectively by human children, who pass specific rules on because they enjoy the experiences that they get from playing with them.
Why can’t we play this game as adults? Discuss.
Perhaps this is not a game. Maybe it just looks like one, but is not. Children like to do things that look like adult activity. Of course, you;d have to change your definition to somehow accomodate children playing at games, but not playing a game.
Hmm, since it is not a recognizable adult game, it didn’t seem to me that they were playing at playing a game. But playing at/pretending to would not be a game in my def.
What I found curious was that it looked like a game that adults wouldn’t play – basic identity stuff such as being “it” seems mostly relegated to children’s games. Perhaps identity is a bigger deal when you are a small child, or perhaps adults are just too self-conscious to play a game where they are “it”?
I have kids, so I’m only speaking from the point of view of someone who has spent a lot of time observing children’s behavior–not studying it! But I’d say that kids play at all kinds of things they see in the real world, even if they don’t get the details right. It makes you laugh when a small child tries to play at parenting with a friend. They might say, “Now, take off your shoes before you go outside so you don’t get your feet muddy.” It’s all mixed up. But it give them some sense of what it is like to boss other people.
I haven’t seen this game you describe. But it does sound like the sorts of things that kids make up–they mimic the surface without really understanding the structure (of course, this a big part of how they learn). So, this looks like a game to them, but the pleasure is not in the gameness, but in the pretending.
If this sort of game mimicry is outside your def, then this might account for the confusion. Of course, it just creates one more slippery slope on the side of your argument–where does mimicry end and game begin?
That notwithstanding, there are lots of games were you are it. Or they at least out you on the spot. Golfing, darts and any single player kind of game. In the US, they often have a contest during a basketball game where they call someone out of the audience and see if they can hit a basket. If they do, they win some prize. Seems a lot like being “it”!
Isn’t it play that merges into a game when it becomes more competitive (ie scored) or more sophisticated? And isn’t it possible bonding groups of adults or drunk adults would play it?
Hmm, I will try making some intoxicated adults play it – should be fun.
As for play/game, I think this one moves in the other direction: Each round has a game structure, but played many times consecutively without keeping score, the overall activity loses the outcome and thus becomes less like a game and more like freeform play.
I was wondering about lion cubs ‘playing a game’ ie mock stalking and attacking each other-they play, don’t they? but they don’t ‘game’ as it is instinct not conscientious action that makes them play AND they cannot express the ‘rules’ (creep up and pounce. don’t kill) to each other, they just do it even if for the sake of lion ‘fun’.
On your play to game theme, culture can go from ritual to habit to loss (east island islanders forget how to build statues or boats)..
but games allow us to role play to learn social roles and so do improv theatre games. Now if I can direct the query to your article Games Telling stories? article, may I ask here: if there ‘there is no such thing as a continuously interactive story’ well then what if the children all say one word after each other (to form an intelligble sentence) in order to make up a story about a fictional character, then write down their words and learn someone else’s words. Then the one child returns from the cone of silence, hears them tell the sentences and has to guess which person said which word? (Boring, ok). But is any part of that both game and interactive story? Improv theatre works in such a (but more interesting) way.
Eric: As for animals playing, this is actually what Gregory Bateson sees as proof that animals understand sign and metacommunication – but I don’t think they are playing a “game”.
Continuously interactive story: In your first example, the story is not interactive – it’s just part of a game framework?
But I agree that improv theatre is one of the few successful forms of at least non-linear narrative. But is improv theatre “interactive”, to whom, and how?
This is a childrens game and that is why adults dont play it. Adults play other games, with the skills from childhood play as a base to play more advanced games.
This game sounds to me like a training program in a complex adult interaction called lying. There is no winner, and it looks like a game of chance, just like lying. I think you will see that observing 4 children playing this game, having one of them guessing 20 times, the guesser will start to read the one who is ‘it’ , facial or bodylanguage will be recognized after a while. The one who is it will find that he/she can disguise the bodylanguage that gives them away.
The adultgame is called poker.
I tried your game and it was preety fun how did ya’ll get so munch info on the computer
lol..?!