Pseudo-Week Two

Digital Vs. Non-Digital Games

With table-top games, they are primarily turn-based and require elements of fantasy and drama (such as luck and chance – randomosity) to make them work. A strict set of rules that determine action-time, that is, the idea of turns instead of everyone taking a turn at once and creating chaos (inevitably), generally govern such games. It is also in this type of game that you have the easiest time of actually cheating.

Live-action games are played in real-time, and are much more physical. The natural laws of physics determine a lot of the gameplay here. They are also affected by a number of components; the player’s physical and mental ability, the opposition’s abilities, the environment, and the weather, in addition to the normal rules of the game. These games also run a more significant risk of personal injury than most other game-types. Here, just as in table-top games, there is a greater role of randomosity – results can vary dramatically, based on each component of the game and its players and surroundings.

Computer games, on the other hand, are not restricted to the laws of physics at all, and indeed a good number of them seek to defy physics in particular; it can be part of the fun of that particular game. These games have less chance of being random, as a lot of the gameplay, outcomes and responses are all designated, designed, by the creator of the game itself. Visually, these games can play a greater role in fantasy and drama, can be social or played by one’s self.

Take soccer as an example of a game across the mediums. This game is pretty much self-evident in live-action games – two teams of eleven players, each playing to the same set of rules, however each with different player abilities, and with both being affected by the conditions around them. It can also be much faster than the other versions of the game.

In a table-top version of this game, it would generally be limited to about a two-player game. Many more players, and the game would simply become to unwieldly and chaotic to play. It might be played with tokens and altered rules, on a similar board to chess, or more like a foosball table, in which the player’s physical ability in manipulation of the ‘players’ and ball still plays a role.

In a computer/video game version, the game changes dramatically. It becomes barely physical at all, aside from the mashing of buttons – and the players on-screen are determined by how exactly those buttons are mashed. The outcome of the game is primarily driven by the algorithms behind the game and how well the actual player adheres to them. The game would also be slowed down dramatically, waiting for the player to enter codes to enable gameplay, etc., reaction shots and that sort of thing.

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