the analog experience
So, Ben posited the question earlier:
I’m wondering, since the computer does a lot of the calculations for you does that seem to take away the “mechanic”. Picking a skill to use and rolling die are taken away and made quicker decisions for instance in Doom. Does that add or take away from the gameplay?
I think this a finer grain issue of interface as opposed to mechanics. Die roll vs. a random number generator “do” they same thing in the end. However, there’s a tangible satisfaction in rolling the die, visual satisfaction in seeing them tumble to a rest state, etc. That’s not a mechanic persay – they player still effects the game model in exactly the same fashion – but the interface for doing that is different……and we do get satisfaction / frustrations from UI’s.
I know he has a further point to make on this though – so respond away.
Ben Medler Says:
My main concern was getting an example in my head of a mechanic used in boardgames but not in digital games. One could be in Munchkin a competitive group is formed by the players. Some points you will help each other, sometimes hinder. Digital games don’t really do that. In WoW you would have to have parts of a instance where only certain group members can fight the monsters while other group members can choose to hurt you too.
I was talking with Brian M. some more and I was just worried that since we are looking at games (board) and comparing to games (digital) wont it seem kind of redundant. Of course they share mechanics and of course some game designers have been influenced by them. But overall if this piece is made just to inform those game designers that do not know the current state of the board game world then it would be enough to write the paper.
But I think with some good examples that it can be said that board games do have mechanics that digital games have not used, or incapable of making, yet.
And I think it would be interesting to look into the whole tangible part of board games compared to digital games. I assume there is already some research done on that for mixed reality or tactile gameplay.
Posted on October 3rd, 2007 at 9:47 pm