Yes Jur, the Gamer is An Artist

It seems many did not grasp my comparison in the last thread about the gamer being a singer and the game a song, a piece of sheetmusic to be interpreted by an artist.

A game will not play itself. It needs active participation from gamers to bring it to life.

The game is a script and the gamer is the actor.

I have always been fascinated why "Masterpiece" was ranked so low on TOS and "Modern Art" was praised. I did this comparisson before on my podcast.

"Masterpiece" offers the chance to roleplay and represents in a cleaner way the way art auctions actually work, while "Modern Art" simply offers a clever collection of auction mechanics and unusual scoring. There is certainly more potential to bring a game like "Masterpiece" to life than "Modern Art". However, I realize that playing the role of a Count bidding on rare paintings may not appeal to many of the tech minded persons so lets' take another game.

"Star Wars Epic Duels" is a simple card game on the surface but what really brings the game to life is getting into the characters and playing with enthusiasm.

What about a game like "Family Business" where you all talk in mob voices? The game lends itself to a really fun experience by giving you the setting to have fun.

Playing "Family Business" with Clearclaw would be a totally different experience than playing with an Ameritrasher who loved the game.

Let's take a more modern game like "Pandemic" The game gives you the roles like The Medic and the dispatcher. A group that gets into these roles would certainly be more fun to play with than the group that just watches the "engine" of the game unfold.

While this kind of "light roleplaying" does help bring a game to life it is only part of what I am talking about. Let's take a game like "Star Trek Uno"

Most gamers see the game "Uno" and run. I would count myself as a member of that group. But I recently played "Star Trek Uno" with a trekie and it was hilarious! Impressions of the cast were done while playing and the special cards like the "Tribble" card that expanded your hand really added to the game.

I believe all games are group dependent. All gamers are actors. When games are played and a kind of group synergy takes place it really is a fun time for all. This is the real downside with playing with starngers because the group synergy may or may not happen, it is a crap shoot and even a good game can feel like a root canal.

But when this group synergy takes place it is great! Many of you may have experienced this from roleplaying when you are so drawn into a game and later you look at the clock and can't believe what time it is!!! It is almost a type of hypnosis and it was a skill that many ancient storytellers had as well.

One thing I find interesting is that boardgames seem to draw me in more than videogames. You would think with the high tech graphics of a first person shooter, an almost virtual reality, that you would be drawn in very deeply but I find this not to be the case. I'm not sure why. Maybe because my mind doesn't have to work as hard, the graphics designer has dome most of the work in the world and instead of being drawn in I find myself saying "Look at those graphics!" HA!

Reading a book, watching a play can be much more intense experiences than watching a movie or videogame because your imagination goes wild. The same goes for a boardgame. But it is essential that the boardgame give you something to work with such as a setting, colorful characters NOT just mechanics.

This is why "Puerto Rico" fails. Sure it has characters but the characters are chosen from a pile and changed from round to round, manipulated like pawns. I talked about this is my review of "Caylus" that there was a missed opportunity for character development in that game.

Take a game like "Category 5" which is nothing but a clever numbers game. A game we play quite often in my gaming group but what is interesting is that game despite its lack of characters has developed its own character. We call him "Trebeck"

"Trebeck" is the 55 card with all the points on it, the card you don't want to get! However, when that card shows up on the table, we say

"We meet again Trebeck!" (A reference to the Saturday Night Live Skit where Sean Connery Appears on Jeopardy)

A stupid little thing that makes no sense to any stranger sitting in on a game but for the group makes the game more fun.

These little things that the gamer or actor or singer does to their game, play or song brings it to life and makes the experience memorable.

Is your game, ALIVE????????????

Good post! I agree with you, and it is true, the people playing the game and their attitudes is as important as the game itself.

It's funny (I mentioned this just before on another comment) because there are some games like Tempus Draconis (a very simple, light and repetitive adventure game) that after one play left me cold and I thought I'd never play again, but then when my son was old enough to understand, we'd try and had a blast together. Other examples are Lost Valley and Goldland (which I think is a great game, but my gf and I were not playing much anymore). It gave a new life to those games

And I agree, the feeling of immersion you get from videogames/movies has nothing to do with the one you get from books, RPGs and some boardgames. It's a shame that kids nowadays read so little and watch so much tv...

Steve,

thanks for this post. Too bad it's not gathering much response so far (in dire contrast to some of your more useless posts).

That doesn't mean we fully agree though. There is still a difference between a non-themed game, a heavily themed game that encourages players to create narrative *outside the game*, and a game that allows players to shape the game.

The best examples of games that need the interaction with players are story telling games and role playing games. In the former the rules only regulate the interaction between the players but leave the storyline and events to the players (apart from handing plot devices). In musical terms, the game only functions as the conductor, and maybe provides a theme (in its musical sense). The players are free in their choice of instruments, rythm, melody etc.

In the latter the game only provides the background and mechanics, while the DM/GM (whatever) provides the plot devices and players provide personal backgrounds. Over time the input of GM/DM and players can far outstrip the background of the game system. In musical terms, the game defines the instruments that are available, ie whether you are a symphony orchestra, a rock band or a latin combo. The GM functions as the conductor and provides the theme (in its musical sense). The players can pick an instrument from the options, play solo or harmony, and depending on the GM/DM play along to sheet music, a chord sequence or improvise.

And yet I've had some of the best fun without an elaborate game system, but just with a great group of role players, a magnificent DM and a few D6s or a pack of cards. There, the GM/DM also decided what kind of band we were.

A board game like Puerto Rico decides almost everything, from the instruments, the musical theme, and the rythm to the sheet music. The players only provide variations to the chord progression.

The examples you give, like Masterpiece, SW Epic Duels and Family Business are as heavily scripted as Puerto Rico. The fact that the (game) theme encourages you to make funny voices or role play doesn't make a difference to the game. I could put on a Spanish accent and brag about the exploits of my slaves in the inn of San Juan and it would be exactly the same thing.

So yes, a good group of players can make any game fun, but that is not thanks to the game. The role playing has no influence on the way the game progresses. And as such the role of the player in musical terms remains that of the lead singer or solo musician. You still do not compose, conduct or even arrange the instruments.