Thoughts about the theory of Pervasive Gaming

1
Thoughts about the theory of Pervasive Gaming

• Bo Kampmann Walther
• Center for Media Studies
• University of Southern Denmark
• walther_at_litcul.sdu.dk
• www.sdu.dk/hum/bkw/

2
Agenda

• 1. A short ambition/topography of PG research
• 2. Portable, mobile, pervasive, and intelligent
• 3. Time, space, and presence
• 4. Four axes
• 5. Rules, entities, and mechanics
• 6. Is something new also something big?

3
Ambition

• To create a framework and provide categories and
  concepts for a LUDOLOGY OF PERVASIVE GAMING
• To understand and reflect on the basics of
  pervasive gaming - as an underlying source of
  design, method, and analysis
• To locate and discuss the philosophical
  consequences of mixing virtual and physical space
• To specify and reflect on the relation between
  ficticious game world and the situated, physical
  setting of the PG game world
• To identify and reflect on potential new rule
  structures in expanded game universes
• To identify and speculate about the components of
  PG mechanics
• To discuss constraints and potentials within the
  PG space paradigm

4
1. Clouds of stuff to do ... PG topography
design
Wifi-technology
PG applications
technology
ludology
PG methodology
Game studies
theory
5
From simple to complex ...

• Traditional computer games - hardware fixated in
  space
• Portability
• Mobility
• Pervasivity

6
2. From simple to complex ...

• Portable
• Bring the game with you (Sony, cell-phones,
  GameBoy, etc.)
• Mobile
• Use cell-phones as gadgets within a physical
  gameworld
• Pervasive
• Surroundings personal interfaces extended
  gaming space (calibration, GPS PDAs PG)
• Pervasive Intelligence
• Gaming environment, gameworld may change
  configuration as part of player interaction
  gameworld and game mechanics as complex adaptive
  system

7
(No Transcript)
8
(No Transcript)
9
(No Transcript)
10
(No Transcript)
11
(No Transcript)
12
3. Time, space, and presence

• Pervasiveness - what does it relate to?
• Time
• Omni-temporality the game is always on (e.g.
  MMORPGs)
• Space
• Mix of physical and virtual space/interface (from
  the extended use of game props to the
  deliberate mix of two ontologies)
• Immersion
• The psychological factor the game always has a
  totalitarian impact

13
4. Four PG Axes

• Distribution
• Play everywhere
• Mobility
• Equip all players
• Persistence
• And play all the time
• Transmediality
• Across a variety of media

14
The PG Possibility Space

• Combining the four PG axes results in the PG
  possibility space - of technological development
  and cultural significance - that embraces
• Networking (the connected world)
• Freedom of device (the world of gadgets)
• Non-closure (the world of open narratives and
  game worlds)
• And circular storytelling (the world of media
  convergence)

15
5. Rules, entities, and mechanics

• Traditional computer game absolute rules
• Pervasive gaming rules
• absolute rules dynamic rules,
• i.e. rules that change relative to the variable
  relation between fixed game rules parameters and
  open physical encounters within the game world
• The PG rule set-up fixed rules contingent
  rules
• However, distinguish between
• The algorithmic strsucture of a game (fixed)
• The I/O engine (handling of interaction during
  gameplay)

16
5. PG Entities

• The triadic object structure
• An object within a pervasive game can be
• Game object
• Human agent
• Physical object

17
5. PG Mechanics

• Any part of the rule system of a game that covers
  one, and only one, possible kind of interaction
  that takes place during the game
• Physically embedded game mechanics
• In screen based computer games virtual physics
  simulation represents real physics
• In PG virtual simulation is physics
• Input-output engine with a dual purpose
• Maintaining the contingency of interaction with
  real-life objects
• And controlling the set of actions embedded in
  the state rules

18
6. New and big?

• Next generation PG?
• Wifi mobile technology adaptronics
  mobile-context location-intelligent-adaptive games

19
6. Well, perhaps not so big ...

• Players still want the limited experience?
• Gamers have an instinct for simulations, not
  real-life features?
• Physics is physics because it is not physics ...
• Why carry around clumsy equipment (look ma, no
  headset ...!)
• The social scene of tomorrows gaming?

20
... and what about rules ...? Or, are we rule
breakers ?

• They limit and restrict player action. Thus they
  tell what can be done with the objects associated
  with the game (and the gameplay)
• ?hey are unambiguous and explicit (which is why
  they are easily incorporated in computer
  algorithms)
• All players of a game must share them
• Rules are fixed, i.e. unchangeable (if they do
  change, we refer rather to local or house
  rules)
• They are binding, i.e. non-negotiable
• They can be repeated, that is, they are portable
  and work independent of e.g. technology platform
  or fictional representation.