why make a game about it? 
  - why not film? book?

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what is a game? > a structure for play - goals and obstacles -- submitting to, and overcoming deliberate tensions and friction

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GOAL IS NOT THE SAME AS ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE

Edith Finch...
goal: discover the truth about your ancestry
ee: to learn how to embrace death

GOALS AND RULES SCAFFOLD AN EE

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roger caillois (1961) man, play, and games > 

Ludus = structured, rule-bound, goal-oriented

Paidia = freeform, spontaneous, imaginative 

SPECTRUM > games move between the two

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1/4 of play is...

(1/4) agon: competitive, can become masterful, rule-heavy, hierarchy (good vs bad players) eg. chess
(2/4) alea: luck-based but rule-bound eg. slot machines, spin the bottle

(3/4) llinx: thrillseeking, for fun! embodied play eg. going down slides, puddle jumping, rollercoasters > "give away control of the body, joyfully and pleasurably"

(4/4) mimesis: roleplay, social negotiation, improv rules eg. DnD, LARPing, mums and dads

ALL CAN EXIST ON SPECTRUM OF LUDUS VS PAIDIA > mums and dads can have rules; chess can become spontaneous
 

gamification: the application of gameplay elements in non-gameplay settings

eg. myfittnesspal > get a badge if you run 7000 miles!

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Doris Rusch, making deep games (2018)
"games designers are metaphor makers"

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PLAY FOR THE SAKE OF PLAYING > for fun; for absurdity

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