03-17-2011, 09:51 PM
I can understand the sentiment of Grim's posting, but I agree with Terry: hand moderated games while providing much fodder for the imagination are simply unsustainable.
In someways this article presents a false-dichotomy, because it doesn't consider emergent gameplay. That is, a game where the mechanics are well defined and automated, yet the decision on "how to play" the game is left in the hands of the player. By providing the player with the tools to play the game how they see fit, players can mold the game experience they want. These games are commonly referred to as sandboxes.
True, you don't get the same sort of free-form play you would in a hand moderated game. Players are definitely constrained by what the computer program backing the game is programmed to do, but the trick is not over-complicating the game. In computer science we use the term orthogonality to refer to basic pieces that can be mixed and matched successfully, and that is the idea with these types of games.
Some modern examples of these games are EVE Online or the older Ultima Online, and even the new indie hit Minecraft. Of the PB(e)Ms I am familiar with, Conquest and Destiny and Olympia were games with this sandbox characteristic.
In someways this article presents a false-dichotomy, because it doesn't consider emergent gameplay. That is, a game where the mechanics are well defined and automated, yet the decision on "how to play" the game is left in the hands of the player. By providing the player with the tools to play the game how they see fit, players can mold the game experience they want. These games are commonly referred to as sandboxes.
True, you don't get the same sort of free-form play you would in a hand moderated game. Players are definitely constrained by what the computer program backing the game is programmed to do, but the trick is not over-complicating the game. In computer science we use the term orthogonality to refer to basic pieces that can be mixed and matched successfully, and that is the idea with these types of games.
Some modern examples of these games are EVE Online or the older Ultima Online, and even the new indie hit Minecraft. Of the PB(e)Ms I am familiar with, Conquest and Destiny and Olympia were games with this sandbox characteristic.