Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">In 2013 game designer Eric Zimmerman wrote a provocative manifesto entitled ‘</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Manifesto for a Ludic Century’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, ser...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Glasgow
2014-11-01
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| Series: | Press Start |
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| Online Access: | http://press-start.gla.ac.uk/index.php/press-start/article/view/4 |
| _version_ | 1818066658383626240 |
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| author | James Dyer |
| author_facet | James Dyer |
| author_sort | James Dyer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">In 2013 game designer Eric Zimmerman wrote a provocative manifesto entitled ‘</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Manifesto for a Ludic Century’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> (2013a)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">, in which Zimmerman declares the 21</span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> Century’s dominant cultural form to be games. Consequently, Zimmerman proposes that the individual occupant of the century is therefore in a continuous state of game engagement. As such, this re-contextualisation of game space and play, indefinitely articulates the individual as a constant player and character, and thusly challenges the notions of selfhood. Importantly it should be noted, the state of a ludic century is explicitly assumed as a truth, however superficial it may appear. Accordingly, this paper is then afforded to be an extended hypothesis of the proposed ludic century, rather than a critical dissection and response to Zimmerman’s manifesto. This enables a hermeneutic framing of the questions: ‘</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">What does it mean to live in a ludic century?’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">and ‘in what capacity may the self exist in the ludic century?’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> These questions will attempt to distinguish play as an inherent cultural logic that extends beyond the limitations of explicit ‘gamification’ or </span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">instrumental play (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Stenros et al., 2009; </span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Zichermann, 2010).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> Concluding, it is claimed that the ludic century elicits a sustained delusion of self, as the player is confined to the designed game structure, which inhibits authentic engagement and interaction with environment and self. It is proposed that</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> this evokes a form of suffering, the compassionate play within the ludic century.</span></p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T15:11:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-69ea17d8046b41e68efaac8d84ce0949 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2055-8198 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T15:11:17Z |
| publishDate | 2014-11-01 |
| publisher | University of Glasgow |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Press Start |
| spelling | doaj.art-69ea17d8046b41e68efaac8d84ce09492022-12-22T01:43:56ZengUniversity of GlasgowPress Start2055-81982014-11-011121361Compassionate Play in The Ludic CenturyJames Dyer<p><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">In 2013 game designer Eric Zimmerman wrote a provocative manifesto entitled ‘</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Manifesto for a Ludic Century’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> (2013a)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">, in which Zimmerman declares the 21</span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">st</span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> Century’s dominant cultural form to be games. Consequently, Zimmerman proposes that the individual occupant of the century is therefore in a continuous state of game engagement. As such, this re-contextualisation of game space and play, indefinitely articulates the individual as a constant player and character, and thusly challenges the notions of selfhood. Importantly it should be noted, the state of a ludic century is explicitly assumed as a truth, however superficial it may appear. Accordingly, this paper is then afforded to be an extended hypothesis of the proposed ludic century, rather than a critical dissection and response to Zimmerman’s manifesto. This enables a hermeneutic framing of the questions: ‘</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">What does it mean to live in a ludic century?’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">and ‘in what capacity may the self exist in the ludic century?’</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> These questions will attempt to distinguish play as an inherent cultural logic that extends beyond the limitations of explicit ‘gamification’ or </span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">instrumental play (</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Stenros et al., 2009; </span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;">Zichermann, 2010).</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> Concluding, it is claimed that the ludic century elicits a sustained delusion of self, as the player is confined to the designed game structure, which inhibits authentic engagement and interaction with environment and self. It is proposed that</span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"> this evokes a form of suffering, the compassionate play within the ludic century.</span></p>http://press-start.gla.ac.uk/index.php/press-start/article/view/4Ludic Centuryselfhoodresponsible agencyfree willpervasive games |
| spellingShingle | James Dyer Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century Press Start Ludic Century selfhood responsible agency free will pervasive games |
| title | Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century |
| title_full | Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century |
| title_fullStr | Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century |
| title_full_unstemmed | Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century |
| title_short | Compassionate Play in The Ludic Century |
| title_sort | compassionate play in the ludic century |
| topic | Ludic Century selfhood responsible agency free will pervasive games |
| url | http://press-start.gla.ac.uk/index.php/press-start/article/view/4 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jamesdyer compassionateplayintheludiccentury |