Another ancient game which goes by the name of Tafl which is a strategy board game from the Vikings in 400 A.D. The game is asymmetrical and has a odd number of squares on each side, and a certral square where the king inhabits with eight pieces as his defenders opposing the three attackers from each direction.
If a player is playing as the defenders then their goal is to take the King to the borders of the game inorder to win. If the player is playing as the attackers they object of the game is to surrond the king, preventing him from reaching the corners.
While playing the game myself it was pretty easy as the defenders to reach the king to the corners, the rules were really simple and overall the game just didn't feel like a challenge at all. I suppose it didn't really strike much interest me.
Also the pieces could only move in horizontally or vertically but it reminded me of chess and checkers.
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Ancient Game - Tabula
Another game of old like Senet though I did not enjoy this game as much as I did with Senet. The game Tabula which means plank or board in Greek. In this game you have both players with fifteen pieces and three dice which you roll each turn.
The rules were simple as that of Senet's and you could do tactics such as block the player from progressing forward, pushing the player back by hopping on the same square as them or defending one of your pieces by having two pieces on the same square.
The playing value of this game for me is quite low, I don't think I would play this game ever again as I didn't like it very much.
The rules were simple as that of Senet's and you could do tactics such as block the player from progressing forward, pushing the player back by hopping on the same square as them or defending one of your pieces by having two pieces on the same square.
The playing value of this game for me is quite low, I don't think I would play this game ever again as I didn't like it very much.
Ancient Egyptian Game - Senet
Once class began we were given the great opportunity to play the ancient Egyptian board game Senet. It was quite a fun and lovely game with simple rules that a five year would even be able to comprehend, though the mechanic were that of sticks the player threw to determine how far one would move on the playing field.
During the game I came up with a few tactics such as moving pieces together to block the enemy, escaping penalites by moving other pieces in the back and taking out the opponents pieces.
To say the least it was truly amazing how a game thousands of years old managed to stand against time itself, and still be played by many gamers and inspiring/future game designers today.
During the game I came up with a few tactics such as moving pieces together to block the enemy, escaping penalites by moving other pieces in the back and taking out the opponents pieces.
To say the least it was truly amazing how a game thousands of years old managed to stand against time itself, and still be played by many gamers and inspiring/future game designers today.
Games Britannia Part one - Dicing with Destiny
After watching the three parts documentary series Games Britannia Dicing with Destiny, which was shown on BBC it covered many interesting topics about different types of games.
The first part of Dicing with Destiny were about games of old (Ancient games). What was even more interesting is that some of these games had links towards religious stuff, such as the well known game snakes and ladders which originated in ancient India, the game being about spiritual enlightenment.
Dice was even banned as it was associated with gambling which the chrunch deemed as evil, but this did not stop people from doing it in secret or just finding an alternative dice mechanic.
Its amazing to learn how games had such a impact on the past and to be used to make important decisions to predict a outcome of a battle.
The first part of Dicing with Destiny were about games of old (Ancient games). What was even more interesting is that some of these games had links towards religious stuff, such as the well known game snakes and ladders which originated in ancient India, the game being about spiritual enlightenment.
Dice was even banned as it was associated with gambling which the chrunch deemed as evil, but this did not stop people from doing it in secret or just finding an alternative dice mechanic.
Its amazing to learn how games had such a impact on the past and to be used to make important decisions to predict a outcome of a battle.
Caillois's terminology - paidia / ludus and alea / ilinx / agon / mimicry
Caillois's terminology - paidia / ludus and alea / ilinx / agon / mimicry
- Ludus implies to the rules
- Paidia indicates to enhance it
Caillois Different Plays
- Agon
- Alea
- Mimicry
- Ilinx
Personal Thoughts
I think that Caillois's terminology of different groups would be helpful for our future career as game designers once we hop into the gaming industry, though it would likely be a pain for game designers-trainees that already know the terminology to relearn about it.
Thursday, 13 November 2014
Bibliography EXTENDED
Perkins, T. (1st June 2008) Nintendo Wii Flash Game Creator's Guide: Design, Develop, and Share Your Games Online, New York: McGraw-Hill Osborne
Besteman, C. (2002) Violence a Reader, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Adams, E. and Dormans, J. (2012) Game mechanics : advanced game design. Berkeley, Calif.: New Riders
Bateman, C. and Boon, R. (2006) 21st century game design. Hingham: Charles River Media
Krotoski, A. (2010). Serious fun with computer games. Nature, 466(7307), pp. 695.
Luntz, S. (2004). Computer Games Get Emotional. Australasian Science, 25(10), pp. 12.
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Interview Questions!
Introduction to critical games studies
~ Interview Questions ~
- What is the title of the book (fiction) you are currently reading, or what is the title of the last fiction book you read?
The last book I was reading is One Piece. A manga created by Eiichiro Oda, a very well known manga (comic) artist throughout the anime and manga community worldwide. One Piece is about the legendary treasure, One Piece, hidden somewhere in the vast sea of the Grandline, following a certain character, Monkey D. Luffy who wants to become King of The Pirates, along with eight other friends wanting to reach their dreams aswell.
- What is the title/topic of the book (non-fiction) you are currently reading, or what is the title/topic of the last non-fiction book you read?
Unfortunately I do not take interest in non-fiction books, I'm more of a fantasy, reality escape type of guy.
- What is the last performance (music, drama or dance) you attended?
Truth be told I have never been to any performances in my whole life (laughs). I also have no interest in any (Sips hot chocolate).
- What is the title of the last film you saw at the cinema/online or watched on DVD?
I haven't been to the cinema for a long time, however the last movie I saw on DVD was Tales of Verseperia - The First Strike. Its a prequel to the JRPG video game Tales of Versperia on PS3 and Xbox 360.
- How often do you read a newspaper? (Which one? Online or physical?)
I do not take interest in newspapers, I find them to be rather boring... Its much more fun making art out of them.
- Which art gallery/museum/exhibition did you last visit?
I can't quite remember the name but during in college I went to an art gallery in the British museum.
- How many hours a week do you spend playing video games?
I spend 30 hours per week playing video games, mainly Nintendo, Namco Bandai and Square Enix games. Pokemon, Blazblue, Tales of games, Persona, Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Super Smash Bros, Disgaea, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, .Hack//, Mario Kart, Kirby, Fire Emblem, Star Fox, etc.
- How many hours a week do you spend playing games other than video games?
I spend 15 hours a week playing Yugioh and Pokemon card games, and online games such as, GrandChase, Ragnarok Online, Gunbound, Elsword, Eu Combat Arms.
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