ludology - the study of games and other forms of play (en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ludology)This does not restrict ludology nor my degree to just video games, although they were the most emphasized. Video games are simply the same ideas, mechanics, and elements that have been used for millennia to create interactive experiences in their most technologically superior form. It is arguable that video games are the most effective medium for interaction, as board games using mere pen, paper, dice, and tokens require the players to use their imaginations in lieu of million dollar special effects. The debate is very similar to the relationship between books vs. movies.
Is it the job of the designer to foster the user to build their own experience or to describe to them, inch by inch, what is taking place inside their own imagination? Should I build a world for you to explore or tear open my skull for you to peer inside and look around?
