27.5 years of gameplay
October 3, 2012 6:49 AM   Subscribe

A study-based analysis of UK gaming magazines in the 1980s and 90s argues that the analysis of computer games, independent of attributes such as the platform or narrative, becomes more evident after March 1985 when the term 'gameplay' begins to be used in this media.
posted by Wordshore (10 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
Really interesting. Thanks. Fascinating that the author could pinpoint the concept's origin so precisely.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:02 AM on October 3, 2012


I think the author is reading a whole lot more into the reviews than was intended by the reviewers. Of course, the world hasn't yet seen my post-structural metänalysis of the cross-platform impact of Chuckie Egg.
posted by scruss at 7:08 AM on October 3, 2012


you wouldn't call it bookread
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 8:13 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


This, of course, alludes to you: you wouldn't call it bookread

I'm going to from now on. I've been liking some of the ideas in The Night Circus, but it doesn't have the engrossing bookread of The Magicians.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:36 AM on October 3, 2012 [2 favorites]


Excellent linkclick. Thanks.
posted by pipeski at 9:24 AM on October 3, 2012 [1 favorite]


I can't remember the last Hollywood movie I saw that had any innovative filmwatch elements.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:07 AM on October 3, 2012


fine. do whatever you want. i don't care anymore.
posted by This, of course, alludes to you at 11:25 AM on October 3, 2012 [3 favorites]


I think the term is useful, if a bit funny, because there's this history of looking at electronic games, not as games, but as software, low-budget cinema, fiction, or graphical rendering exercises instead. Certainly if there was an equivalent history of treating novels mostly in terms of their typography, paper content, binding, cover design, and inferiority to medieval heroic fiction, or cinema in terms of its chemistry, contrast, projection methods, and inferiority to dama and vaudeville, some people might say, "hey, what about novels as experienced by readers and movies as experienced by viewers?"
posted by CBrachyrhynchos at 11:26 AM on October 3, 2012 [3 favorites]


I park on a driveway and drive on a parkway. If you take all compound words very literally, a lot of them are kind of goofy.

I'm more excited by another term they used, it was "game affordances." A nice way to name what the game enables you to do.

The article seems to describe an ad mentioning ‘intelligent play by the computer’ as a technical description. But I'd say an intelligent or stupid opponent is going to dramatically change the feel of the game.
posted by RobotHero at 3:20 PM on October 3, 2012


I disagree with their choice of CU/CF. Harrumph.
posted by subbes at 8:34 PM on October 3, 2012


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