Wednesday, 19 October 2011

Contextual Studies: Caillois

Last Thursday in contextual studies, we were shown notes from Caillois' book Man, Play and Games. The book was his attempt to define games from more than a player's point of view. We looked at how he catagorised games into "attitudes of play" and  "definitions of games". All of his definitions appear to be perfectly accurate and usable in todays gaming culture. However, most modern games combine a lot of his seperate catagories of games to make a game that stimulates more in the player. Such as, a modern RPG, which has the "Ludus" style rules and restrictions that keep the game fun, balanced and logical; but RPG's also use a "Paedia" style of play within those rules, allowing the player to feel free to run around doing things they couldn't in the real world. This genre of gaming also mixes luck (Alea) with skill (Agon) to create a fair but sometimes surprising world.
At the end of the lecture, we were shown a quotation from Caillois' book,

"A characteristic of play… is that it creates no wealth or goods, thus differing from work
or art. At the end of the game, all can and must start over again from the same point.
Nothing has been harvested or manufactured, no masterpiece has been created, no capital
has accrued. Play is an occasion of pure waste: waste of time, energy, ingenuity, skill,
and often of money…
As for the professionals – the boxers, cyclists, jockeys, or actors who earn their living in
the ring, track, or hippodrome or on the stage … it is clear that they are not players but
workers. When they play, it is at some other game." ~ Caillois: 1962: p.5

We were then asked to write about weither or not we agree with what Caillois states in the above quote and why. My answer to his words are as follows.

Caillois states that games create no "wealth or goods". In the modern world, games have become goods that create a great deal of wealth in themselves. A working person would agree, i think, that too much work creates a much less efficient and capable workforce. This is why I think that although games are not "work" in themselves, that doesn't make them any less productive when used as an aid to rest and recreation.
Art can be defined as, a work created by an artist or artists to invoked vivid and strong emotional reactions through mastery over the senses. This is why I believe that Caillois is wrong when dissmisses games as an art form.
"At the end of the game" the player is given knowledge and experience, and when the game begins again, the player has a new view of what the game is about and new ways to win. These can just as easily be applied to everyday life. This is why children are often encouraged by their parents to play Chess. This is why teachers are starting to use games like Minecraft to teach children, and this is why games are not a waste.

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