Games exists in

every culture!

As in the account of Herodotus, in the land Tyrsenia, the Lydians went through famine and the remedy to distract them were dice and knucklebones and ball

Throughout humanity, games are the technology for change, healing and education. as in the account of Herodotus

Herodotus, . (2012, January 18). Herodotus on Lydia. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/81/herodotus-on-lydia/

"The first Olympic games were held in 776 BC in honour of Zeus. A healthy body and the competitive spirit were a large part of Greek education"

Cartwright, M. (2018, March 13). Ancient Olympic Games. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/Olympic_Games/

Apart from that physical games were equally important; athletics and physical fitness played an integral role in the lives of Egyptians of any age. Sports were a part of the king's coronation, celebrations of military victories, religious ceremonies, and festivals, while games were obviously a popular pastime judging from the number of board games found and how frequently they appear in artwork.

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Mark, J. J. (2017, April 11). Games, Sports & Recreation in Ancient Egypt. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1036/games-sports--recreation-in-ancient-egypt/

Senet, in fact, is shown being played by people and the gods in the afterlife and it is thought that the game mirrored one's journey through life toward eternity.

Snakes and Ladders

Snakes and Ladders is the simplified, modern version of the ancient Indian game of Gyan Chaupar.

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Translated as the game of knowledge, it is meant to inspire players to introspect rather than compete with each other.

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There are many versions of the game: Hindu (Advaitic or Tantric), Buddhist, Jain, Islamic and Sufi, each packing in its own philosophical lessons.

https://scroll.in/magazine/837691/indians-are-reviving-an-ancient-version-of-snakes-and-ladders-in-which-winning-isnt-the-point

The aim of any Gyan Chaupar is to lead its player from the lowest to the highest plane of existence.

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The squares – between 72 and 124 in number – are symbolic of the journey of life. Each square represents a positive or negative choice or its consequence.

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Being bitten repeatedly by a certain snake, vice, for example, should encourage a player to introspect on his own weaknesses in life. Conversely, an easy passage to Vaikuntha (Vishnu’s abode) or Allah’s throne, as the case may be, would highlight the importance of morality in life."

WHY GAMES MATTERED?

Celebration

celebrating times of the year especially harvest, battle victories, tributes to gods, festivals of cultures

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Distraction and escapism

to inculcate a sense of optimism and hope. to look at different perspectives and not at the problem. to provide entertainment.

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Strategy and education

one earliest form of simulation. Substituting real battles with strategy games. Educational value to teach and explain religious and philosophical values

Exercise 1 task: Personal Gaming History

Choose a video game title that you really, really like. Is there a title that kept you returning to play it, even though you have stopped playing for quite some time?

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Review the best parts of the game that makes you a fan, as well as the parts where you think the game could use some improvements.

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Present your findings from the position of ‘PLAYER’ and ‘DESIGNER’ as a video presentation and upload it into YouTube (set to Unlisted) for submission.

Iterative process with playful experiences

Exercise 1

List of playful experiences

Group Project: Concepting your tabletop game

Game equation: Pick three references from variety of categories (childhood and traditional games, fictional settings, other video games, social media behaviours, hobbies) and build an equation and try to derive a game concept from that.

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Playful experiences: What is the emotions that you want the players to experience? Express one strong emotion and create the possible connections to the game.

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Link to everyday life: Another interesting scope you can consider, how your game can relate to the everyday life of your players? By including something familiar into the gameplay and setting, the more likely your players will find it intriguing.

Group Project: Concepting your tabletop game

Game equation: Pick three references from variety of categories (childhood and traditional games, fictional settings, other video games, social media behaviours, hobbies) and build an equation. Try to derive a plausible game concept from that.

COMPETITIVE

Group Project: Concepting your tabletop game

Playful experiences: What is the emotions that you want the players to experience? Express on one strong emotion and create the possible connections to the game from here.

Group Project: Concepting your tabletop game

Link to everyday life: Another interesting scope you can consider is how does your game can relate to the everyday life of your players? By including something familiar into the gameplay and setting, the more likely your players will find it intriguing.