Sunday, 18 March 2018
quote [ The idea of perpetual growth underpins much of our society, but games seem uniquely committed to it as a medium. It can be seen everywhere from the chase for highscores to the consumerist dreams of The Sims, who buy better things in order to enjoy better lives. Perhaps gaming’s roots in the toy and consumer electronics industries are one reason for the emphasis on growth; the constant hankering for bigger, faster, more. We climb the tech tree, we level up, we collect bigger and bigger weapons because of a widespread assumption that growth is an inherent good. ]
Starts with reviewing a game expansion, ends with contemplating over the side effects of games teaching growth and power as history lessons. Pretty reflective comment section, too.
More on the said game roots on The Digital Antiquarian: The Game of Everything, Part 1: Making Civilization and here's more background on the definition of "eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate" (4X).
Another contribution by Chris Crawford and Jason Rohrer talking about wargames and storytelling.
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