August 2, 2025 • 26 mins
Welcome to the start of the show! In this episode, Sean, Marty, and Lexi take a look at the show's purpose and what we're all hoping to accomplish. We'll talk about our goals, some definitions of what a game is, and ask the question that started this whole endeavor: what is a game, anyway?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sean (00:17):
Hello, and welcome one and all to Anart Gaming, the show
where I talk about the historyof everything about games. I'm
your host, Sean, and welcome toour inaugural episode, the worst
episode I will record for thisshow, I hope. Joining me today
Marty (00:35):
at the bottom. I can only go up from here.
Sean (00:38):
That is the hope. Yes. So joining me today are Marty and
Lexi. Marty and Lexi, how thehell are you guys doing?
Marty (00:46):
I mean, the horror's persistent, so do I.
Sean (00:49):
Good enough. Lexi, how about you?
Lexi (00:53):
Am actually surprisingly doing well today, and also it's
my weekend now, so fantastic.
Sean (00:58):
Oh, weekend.
Lexi (01:00):
Yes.
Sean (01:01):
Alright. The best part. So a couple things that I want to
establish before we get startedproper. This is mostly an
introduction to the podcast.It's shorter than what I'm
planning on making an episode,but we'll see how things go.
Also, by nature, this is goingto be a somewhat shallow
(01:22):
overview of things without a lotof research because it's just a
bit more casual. That said, it'smy very long answer to a
question that's been burning inmy mind, which I will get to in
just a little bit. So I wantedto start by just going over what
I'm hoping to accomplish withthis podcast. So first, I wanted
(01:46):
to do this podcast because Iwanted to talk about games. I
love games.
I'm sure you guys love games.
Marty (01:53):
I mean You're it was easily what my parents used to
raise me instead of, you know,all of the stuff that they also
had to do. So, you know, I'vethere's a there's a small soft
spot, you know, just in the coldremains of my heart.
Lexi (02:05):
Yeah. He said, I don't I don't wanna trauma dump today,
though. So
Marty (02:10):
That's between me and the thirst I have that doesn't
exist.
Sean (02:13):
Yeah. Well, so for me personally, I love games. Video
games, board games, card games,tabletop RPGs, war games, you
name it. I typically love toplay it. There are some
exceptions I'll get to down theroad.
I do have a couple episodes Ihave simply titled Sean's Banes.
So, yeah, we'll see what happenswhen we get to those. I am
(02:36):
definitely going to need tobring on experts for that
because I don't like some games,and I will need to grab people
to explain them to me.
Lexi (02:44):
That's fair.
Sean (02:45):
Yeah. But I also like the theory and the history of games,
and this is where I feel we'regonna be doing something a
little bit different. There arequite a few history of video
games podcast out there, but Iwanna take a look at the history
of gaming as a phenomenon thatdates back to literally ancient
(03:06):
times. We'll talk about thetheory of games, what goes into
making them, and howhistorically from the royal game
of Ur to the most advancedmodern video games, we got to
where we are now. It's not gonnabe chronological because that is
starting to sound an awful lotlike a real job.
This podcast started out becauseI foolishly asked that question.
(03:30):
Is there a way to make coremechanics innately exciting? And
just quick definitions, coremechanics are the main way you
interact with a game. So ifyou're you're both familiar with
Dungeons and Dragons for ouraudience, it's when you roll a
20 sided die. Right?
That's the main way you interactwith that game. From there, I
(03:50):
disappeared down a bit of arabbit hole into game mechanics,
their function, and startedasking another foolish question,
what is a game? And I promptlydecided I needed to inflict this
information on others. Hence,this episode.
Marty (04:06):
Alright. We're bringing back ancient Greek philosophy.
Let's go. Yeah.
Sean (04:10):
So a short answer to a question I'll answer in more
detail another time is, yeah,core mechanics can be used to
generate excitement,particularly if they are done
well. The second thing that Iwanted to explore when I started
this podcast was look at gamingculture from my own weird little
perspective. I'm not what Iconsider to be atypical for a
(04:32):
gamer, but I am a firm believerthat gaming is for everyone. So
I hope to get a broadperspective on what games are
and what they mean to a varietyof different people. I'm gonna
delve into some ideas that mightraise some heckles, and
honestly, I think that's a goodthing.
We should grapple with Oh, no.Go ahead.
Lexi (04:51):
Let me ask though. What do you why do you consider yourself
abnormal for a gamer? What wouldbe your definition?
Sean (04:58):
Well, that's the thing is I don't actually consider myself
that atypical for a gamer exceptmaybe some weird cultural spats.
Specifically, it's in the title.I'm an anarchist. Right? I don't
think that's typical foranything, really.
We're not a we're not exactly alarge subsection of the
population. But I have noticedthis growing trend in games that
(05:23):
move at least in gaming culture,that move towards, like, more
insular focuses. So, like, youknow, when you don't see
yourself represented in a game,that's not a good thing. And for
the tip the typical gamerdemographic, it can be a bit
alienating. And sometime I'mgonna get into that, but, like,
(05:43):
I do think that gamingdemographics have shifted
dramatically over the past,even, like, ten, fifteen years
to get to where they are now.
Lexi (05:53):
Yeah. Okay. Okay. That makes sense. Yeah.
Sean (05:56):
Yeah. So I think that we should grapple with ideas that
are uncomfortable or outside ofour norms. Hopefully, if this is
where you're coming from, you'lllearn something and get a
broader perspective. I shouldprobably mention that this is
not an apolitical podcast. Youboth know I am not an apolitical
(06:16):
person.
Again, it's
Lexi (06:18):
in our conversations. Yeah.
Marty (06:22):
That's right, folks. He he's he's apolitical. Sorry. He
is apolitical, not apolitical.
Lexi (06:28):
Exactly.
Sean (06:29):
Yeah. Fair enough. But, again, it's in the title. I'm
left wing, and I'm antiauthoritarian and proudly so.
And that's probably gonna comeacross in some of my commentary.
If that's not your jam or youthink it's problematic, this
might not be the podcast foryou. But I'm still hoping it is
because, again, you need tobroaden your perspectives a
(06:50):
little bit, and I thinklistening to somebody who's not
maybe in your circle of friendsis beneficial. And finally, I'm
gonna take a look at some games.Some will be good from a
mechanics analysis. I havelisted here GURPS.
Have either of you ever heard ofGURPS before?
Marty (07:09):
I know you have explained GURPS to us, specifically in
relation to some shenanigansBrad has pulled, but it has been
a hot minute, so I don'tremember exactly off the top of
my head.
Sean (07:20):
Yeah. So it's the generic universal role play system.
System. It's very, very goodmechanically, if a little
complicated in my mind. But it'sgreat from a mechanics analysis
for, among other things, itscore mechanic.
But we're also gonna look atsome games that have had a broad
(07:41):
cultural impact, like Mario.Some things It's
Lexi (07:44):
a me. It's a me.
Sean (07:47):
It's a me. I can't do the Italian accent. I I'm not even
gonna try.
Marty (07:53):
Yeah. I mean, could have not tried it the first episode.
Let's let's get a couple inbefore we start doing anything
that'll get us
Sean (08:03):
Yeah. Speaking of that, some things I'm gonna be looking
at are downright awful because Ithink that's important to look
at at some point. These examplesare going to be important since
gaming as a concept does notexist in a vacuum, but rather
through the games and the peoplewho play them, or in some cases,
(08:25):
reasons we don't play them. Sogot a question for you both.
What do you think of when youhear the word game?
Marty (08:34):
I'll let you go first on this one, Lex.
Lexi (08:36):
Okay. I guess my definition because I I'm even
gonna say, like, you know, westart this as kids. Probably
something with a set of rules,regardless if they make sense or
not, and involves participationin whether it's imaginary or,
(08:57):
like, physical items, if thatmakes sense.
Sean (09:00):
Okay. Okay. Marty, what do you think?
Marty (09:02):
Much along the same lines. You know, kind of an
activity with a defined set ofinteractions specifically. You
know, the the one that alwayscomes to mind is the one I would
do as a kid where you imaginethe dude running alongside the
car as a kid, and you you cankind of think of that in and of
itself as a game, I guess.
Sean (09:17):
Yeah. Alright. That makes sense. Okay.
Lexi (09:19):
So I was thinking floor is lava too.
Sean (09:21):
Floor is lava.
Marty (09:23):
Truly an all time classic. Yep.
Sean (09:26):
Alright. Now I want you guys to guess how many
definitions I looked throughwhen I was researching for this
episode. Alright.
Marty (09:34):
Now I
Lexi (09:35):
may have not to feel sorry. Are you
Sean (09:36):
numbers or hours? Just just how many definitions do you
think that I found?
Marty (09:41):
I'm guessing somewhere in the high double digits.
Sean (09:44):
Not quite that high. Okay.
Lexi (09:46):
I'll say, like, I don't know, 15 or something.
Sean (09:49):
K. You're actually not that far off. 14. Oh. Yeah.
So when I first started thisscript, I figured I would just
define game using dictionaries.That got me looking deeper, and
I realized there's not actuallyreally a solid definition of the
word game. It's a bit like thewhole definition of obscenity
(10:11):
thing that went through theSupreme Court back in the
sixties. You know it when yousee it. Mhmm.
There are a few commonalities,things like it needs to have
rules. It needs to be a form ofplay, have some sort of
objective or an obstacle toovercome. So I started with the
two dictionaries of notes,Merriam Webster and Oxford. By
(10:32):
the way, just have to say this.Oxford requiring a subscription
was really annoying, so I kindof cheated and went with an old
actual physical Oxforddictionary that I had.
So Merriam Webster has entirelytoo many definitions of game.
But for our purpose, I'll usetwo. A physical or mental
(10:54):
competition conducted accordingto rules with the participants
in direct opposition to eachother. So that's one. Two, an
activity designed for diversionor amusement.
K.
Lexi (11:07):
Mhmm.
Sean (11:08):
Oxford, meanwhile, simply defines it as an activity which
provides amusement or fun. Now,if I'm being honest, I find both
of these definitions a bitlacking for what we're gonna be
discussing. Again, Oxford mighthave more, but that requires a
subscription, and I promptlysaid to hell with that.
Lexi (11:27):
Are Chaos.
Sean (11:28):
Yeah. There are a couple reasons why I dislike these
definitions. The first MerriamWebster definition basically
entirely cuts out single playerand cooperative games, which are
huge. And, honestly, those arethe games I tend to enjoy the
most. So neh.
And the second definition lacksthe fact that games need rules
(11:52):
and structure of some kind.Oxford's definition has similar
issue. K. So I workshopped thisin my head for about, well,
probably about a month. And sofor purposes of what we're going
to be discussing, the definitionI'll work with is a structured
form of play conducted accordingto rules for the purposes of
(12:13):
entertainment.
Lexi (12:14):
I think that's fair.
Marty (12:15):
Yeah. Yeah. No. That's I think that kinda covers as much
of it as you can without adefinition turning into a book.
Sean (12:21):
Yeah. My book coming shortly in February, like, '59.
I don't know. This is going tobe my working definition
because, frankly, defining thegame is hard, and this isn't my
day job. So you may notice acouple of things from the get
(12:42):
go, which is this definitionincludes sports, which I
definitely argue are a form of agame.
There's a reason why you playfootball or basketball. They
require rules and are a form ofplay, you know, usually until
people take it entirely tooseriously.
Lexi (13:01):
Sports spending and all. Yep.
Sean (13:03):
Yeah. Which, you know, technically, a lot of gambling
is also a form of a game, exceptthere, there's a monetary buy
in, and it's a little bitweirder. But, like, poker,
blackjack, those are games. Youplay those. So
Lexi (13:17):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's true.
Marty (13:19):
I mean, what is a monetary buy in if not a, core
mechanic?
Sean (13:23):
So now for an all important question, why does any
of this matter? So definingsomething is important, and a
lot of people have made attemptsto define what a game is before.
I'd argue mine's not, like,great, but I need something that
I can cut off and say, this is agame and this isn't a game.
(13:46):
Kicking a ball around isn't agame. Right?
Just that's just play. Mhmm.Kicking a ball into a goal might
be a game. Depends on is there ascore? Is there a rule to it?
Soccer Soccer or football, ifyou're not from the dumpster
fire that is this country, isdefinitely a game in my book.
Lexi (14:05):
I agree.
Sean (14:06):
Yeah. So games need a few things to be games. The first,
and I'd actually argue the mostimportant thing, is a set of
rules by which people play.Rules are ultimately how we play
games. You can't have a gamewithout everyone agreeing on how
to play.
So imagine if you were playingmonopoly, and one player, rather
(14:32):
than using a six sided die, isusing a 20 sided one. Right? The
rules
Lexi (14:37):
Bernie is so triggered right now.
Marty (14:40):
Very true. I am I am actively follow you know, fight
or flighting right now. I Idesperately would like to punch
this hypothetical person.
Sean (14:50):
So the rules
Lexi (14:51):
So 20 sided night.
Sean (14:52):
Yeah. So the rules changed. But, honestly, if all
players were following the samerule, there's no real problem.
There's no reason to say youcan't say break out a 20 sided
die and play a terrible boardgame with it. Right?
Marty (15:08):
Yeah. Exactly.
Sean (15:09):
Yeah. And there are often variations to games where
players agree to a different setof rules. These are often called
house rules. And, again, theseare fine as long as everyone is
on the same page. One example ofthis is there are actually
entire variations of chess thatare so massive.
(15:32):
There's an actual term for it.It's called fairy chess. Right?
There can be alternate boardsetups, pieces that act
differently, or even entirelynew pieces added.
Lexi (15:43):
Did the Fate come up with this?
Sean (15:45):
No. But it's it's called fairy chest because, you know,
things are weird and confusingand a little bit off. Right?
Lexi (15:51):
Uh-huh.
Sean (15:53):
So a fictional example of this is something called stealth
chest invented by sir TerryPratchett of Discworld fame,
which adds two rows to eitherside of the board where the
assassin pieces can move up ordown and then jump out and
strike.
Lexi (16:07):
And Okay.
Sean (16:08):
This has, to my knowledge, actually been defictionalized
where there's an actual, like,stealth chess game board that
you can buy, but I'd have tolook that up. So of the rules
you need to have, the mostimportant is what is referred to
by nerds like myself as coremechanic. Now, again, the core
(16:31):
mechanic is the main way youinteract with the game. I will,
again, probably do an episode onthis at some point. But as a
general rule, core mechanics arethe thing everyone has to do and
is the most often mechanic youuse when you play.
So this is rolling a six sideddie in a lot of game. It's the d
(16:54):
20 of Dungeons and Dragons orjust comparing who has the
bigger number in a lot of videogame. Now this is usually quite
simple, and that's a good thing.You want something that's quick
and easy to remember. There canbe a lot, and I do mean a lot of
(17:14):
ancillary rules, but the coremechanic needs to be tight and
fast.
If your core mechanic is toocomplex, people tend to get
frustrated, which is bad whenyou're doing something to relax
and have fun.
Lexi (17:28):
Yeah.
Sean (17:29):
Yeah. So one question you might be having is, well, what
are core mechanics of videogames? But and I admit that does
complicate ideas, but these tendto be things like movement. If
you ever wondered why dotutorials always start with
press w to walk. Right?
It's because you need to movearound the map, level, whatever
(17:51):
you want to call it.
Marty (17:52):
I mean, Lexi doesn't wonder if she doesn't pay
attention to tutorials. No.
Lexi (17:56):
I just don't do them.
Sean (17:57):
Oh, tutorial skipper. Yep.
Lexi (18:00):
One of these Okay. Not really, but oh, no. Go ahead.
Sean (18:03):
No. One of these gotten better. Yeah. One of these
times, I'll do maybe a shortepisode on, like, why tutorials
for video games are importantand why they shouldn't just be
some static thing that you do,but rather you weave it into the
way your game is played. Yeah.
Although, like, even for thattutorials for something like
(18:25):
Dungeons and Dragons, really,when you get down to it is
levels one and two, at least infifth edition.
Lexi (18:31):
Mhmm.
Sean (18:32):
Right? It's everybody's on the same page. You typically
haven't picked out your subclassyet, so you're not really
worrying about builds orwhatever. So yeah. Mhmm.
So beyond the rules, you need tohave in your game some sort of a
goal or objective. I'd arguethat the most common objective
is number goes up. Right? Havingmore points than your opponent
(18:55):
is a good measure of who'swinning. It works for
Lexi (18:58):
Except golf. But yeah.
Sean (18:59):
Except okay. Except for golf, there's always an
exception that proves the rule.
Marty (19:04):
Yep. I'm sure there's somebody who's smarter at math
than I am could argue aboutabsolute values and things like
that and, you know, imaginarynumbers. We I'm sure somebody
can make the argument that, youknow, number lower means number
higher.
Sean (19:15):
Yeah. Anyway.
Marty (19:18):
I don't know. I'm not really a math guy.
Sean (19:20):
Haven't done math since high school. So but the reason
that, numbers going up or Isuppose down is that it works
very simply as a way to compare.So it works for sports. It works
as a fallback in chess. Works ina lot of board game.
Other objectives can besomething as simple as reach the
end of the board or reduce youropponent's life score to zero.
(19:43):
Right? These objectives giveplayers something to work
toward, and there are, again,many, many kinds of goals in
games. But at the end of theday, you do want players to have
some sort of objective for themto reach. Things like tabletop
RPGs muddy this a bit, but eventhere, every good GM will tell
(20:07):
you that you have to have a plotthread or 10 for players to
focus their attention on, evenin ones that expect players to
set their own goals and object.
Everything tracking so far?
Marty (20:19):
I'm following you. I'm following you.
Sean (20:21):
Alright. So another bit that's needed for games is that,
ultimately, games should providesome form of entertainment. This
can be fun, enjoyment, can bethe thrill of competition, or in
the case of games like DarkSouls, it can be the thrill of
repeatedly running in andgetting yourself killed in that
(20:41):
boss room. This was one of thequestions that started off this
podcast, so I'm gonna ruminateon it a little bit. They should
provide people with the means toenjoy themselves.
I'll admit my two widest bits ofexperience with tabletop RPGs
and video games. Right? Ihaven't played as many, say,
(21:03):
trading card games, and Ihaven't played as many trying to
think of another example. I haveplayed quite a few board games,
but probably not as many as somepeople out there. I have seen
people's board game collectionsthat just give me envy.
Marty (21:17):
I've seen one of our friends board games collections,
and it kinda gives me anxiety,to be honest with you.
Lexi (21:21):
Yeah. But I I definitely on the MV side too.
Sean (21:26):
Yeah. But I have at least experienced most of these
categories. Right? I do findthat nine times out of 10, the
main draw or appeal of a game isexperiencing a fantasy of some
kind. This might be the fantasyof overcoming a monster with
nothing but a dagger and yourwit, or the fantasy of exploring
(21:49):
a mysterious and dangerousworld, or as the case may be,
being well rested after eighthours of sleep.
Marty (21:58):
She beat me to it. I was gonna go well rested and, you
know, reasonably compensated.
Lexi (22:02):
No. The one I'm going with is, oh my god. I'm actually able
to, like, do my own things, andI don't have to be at work?
Sean (22:12):
Oh, yes. Not having to have a day job. Definitely a
fantasy of many of us. Mhmm.
Marty (22:18):
I mean, I'm still among us. Yep.
Lexi (22:21):
Listen. My power fantasy is actually being able to help
out everyone that's in need,which is why I always play the
good.
Sean (22:28):
Yeah. I I have trouble playing evil run throughs of
games.
Marty (22:33):
I simply just don't because I know who I am.
Lexi (22:35):
Yeah. Looking at you, Boulder's Gate.
Marty (22:39):
Looking at you, Knights of the Old Republic.
Lexi (22:41):
Yep. Yeah. That too.
Sean (22:43):
Yeah. I'm not sure where my Jedi Sith index is these
days. I'll have to checksometime.
Marty (22:47):
I'm gonna go somewhere in the, the gray area.
Sean (22:50):
But so long as a game provides you with something that
draws you in, be it the fantasy,the challenge, or being able to
relax, it's a key part of a gamethat draws you in, and it shows
some kind of a hook that playersfind engaging. It can often be,
but isn't always, a powerfantasy. We get to be the heroes
(23:15):
and the villains of our ownstories. We can shape nations
or, at the very least, our ownfate. Horror games do subvert
this a little bit, but and thereare always those downer ending.
But, generally, they offer us anescape from the real world in a
way that few other media canoffer since we're the ones who
(23:35):
get to control the outcome.Mhmm. Yeah. So That makes sense.
Yeah.
And most games, but not all,have what's called an end state
or the point where players stopplaying said game, at least in
its current setup. So this wouldbe something like checkmate in
chess or obtaining any of thevarious ways you can win the
(23:57):
game in magic the gathering.This from the simple, like
reducing an opponent's lifescore to zero or various
specific cards that say you winthe game if. These aren't quite
universal. Like, not every gamenecessarily has an end state.
You can play Dungeons andDragons long after you reach
(24:20):
level 20. But for the most part,level 20 is the start of the end
state of that game. And endstates are also where you
declare a victor, if that'simportant. So considering we
just talked about end states,this is the end state of this
episode. Episode.
But before we go, Marty, Lexi,do you guys have any socials you
(24:42):
wanna plug?
Lexi (24:44):
Don't follow me. I'm boring. I'm boring. I don't post
anything. But, definitely followSean.
Marty (24:55):
By all means, please do follow this podcast. You may
hear more of my voice or lessdepending on what, your desires
and so to's on that one. Ipurposely make myself rather
difficult to find online, soplease do not go looking for me
or perceive me.
Lexi (25:09):
He said, what a failure. Don't follow these people.
Sean (25:12):
Oh, dear. Well, you can find me at anarch mage on blue
sky, anarch mage gamingInstagram, where I sometimes
share memes or model paintingI've done. And you can find me
pretty much literally nowhereelse because I despise Twitter,
x, whatever the hell they'recalling it now. Fun story, my
(25:33):
account actually got bannedrecently for being inauthentic
since, I guess, only followingpeople and not posting indicates
you are not a real person.
Marty (25:43):
Oh, yes. Inauthentic. Twitter. Two things. Very, very,
very different.
Yeah.
Lexi (25:50):
Yeah. Listen. All I'm saying is that please feel free
to dead name it because ElonMusk can't, you know, freaking
like, actually appropriatelyname his, you know, daughter.
So, no, we're we're not gonna dothat. We're gonna say Twitter
because, also, it's a muchbetter name.
Sean (26:07):
I Do not
Marty (26:08):
recognize the sovereigntyofx.com, but it will
and has always been Twitter.
Lexi (26:12):
Yes.
Sean (26:13):
Right. Well, until next time, everyone. Game on. Whoo.
Hello, and welcome one and all to Anart Gaming, the show
where I talk about the historyof everything about games. I'm
your host, Sean, and welcome toour inaugural episode, the worst
episode I will record for thisshow, I hope. Joining me today
Marty (00:35):
at the bottom. I can only go up from here.
Sean (00:38):
That is the hope. Yes. So joining me today are Marty and
Lexi. Marty and Lexi, how thehell are you guys doing?
Marty (00:46):
I mean, the horror's persistent, so do I.
Sean (00:49):
Good enough. Lexi, how about you?
Lexi (00:53):
Am actually surprisingly doing well today, and also it's
my weekend now, so fantastic.
Sean (00:58):
Oh, weekend.
Lexi (01:00):
Yes.
Sean (01:01):
Alright. The best part. So a couple things that I want to
establish before we get startedproper. This is mostly an
introduction to the podcast.It's shorter than what I'm
planning on making an episode,but we'll see how things go.
Also, by nature, this is goingto be a somewhat shallow
(01:22):
overview of things without a lotof research because it's just a
bit more casual. That said, it'smy very long answer to a
question that's been burning inmy mind, which I will get to in
just a little bit. So I wantedto start by just going over what
I'm hoping to accomplish withthis podcast. So first, I wanted
(01:46):
to do this podcast because Iwanted to talk about games. I
love games.
I'm sure you guys love games.
Marty (01:53):
I mean You're it was easily what my parents used to
raise me instead of, you know,all of the stuff that they also
had to do. So, you know, I'vethere's a there's a small soft
spot, you know, just in the coldremains of my heart.
Lexi (02:05):
Yeah. He said, I don't I don't wanna trauma dump today,
though. So
Marty (02:10):
That's between me and the thirst I have that doesn't
exist.
Sean (02:13):
Yeah. Well, so for me personally, I love games. Video
games, board games, card games,tabletop RPGs, war games, you
name it. I typically love toplay it. There are some
exceptions I'll get to down theroad.
I do have a couple episodes Ihave simply titled Sean's Banes.
So, yeah, we'll see what happenswhen we get to those. I am
(02:36):
definitely going to need tobring on experts for that
because I don't like some games,and I will need to grab people
to explain them to me.
Lexi (02:44):
That's fair.
Sean (02:45):
Yeah. But I also like the theory and the history of games,
and this is where I feel we'regonna be doing something a
little bit different. There arequite a few history of video
games podcast out there, but Iwanna take a look at the history
of gaming as a phenomenon thatdates back to literally ancient
(03:06):
times. We'll talk about thetheory of games, what goes into
making them, and howhistorically from the royal game
of Ur to the most advancedmodern video games, we got to
where we are now. It's not gonnabe chronological because that is
starting to sound an awful lotlike a real job.
This podcast started out becauseI foolishly asked that question.
(03:30):
Is there a way to make coremechanics innately exciting? And
just quick definitions, coremechanics are the main way you
interact with a game. So ifyou're you're both familiar with
Dungeons and Dragons for ouraudience, it's when you roll a
20 sided die. Right?
That's the main way you interactwith that game. From there, I
(03:50):
disappeared down a bit of arabbit hole into game mechanics,
their function, and startedasking another foolish question,
what is a game? And I promptlydecided I needed to inflict this
information on others. Hence,this episode.
Marty (04:06):
Alright. We're bringing back ancient Greek philosophy.
Let's go. Yeah.
Sean (04:10):
So a short answer to a question I'll answer in more
detail another time is, yeah,core mechanics can be used to
generate excitement,particularly if they are done
well. The second thing that Iwanted to explore when I started
this podcast was look at gamingculture from my own weird little
perspective. I'm not what Iconsider to be atypical for a
(04:32):
gamer, but I am a firm believerthat gaming is for everyone. So
I hope to get a broadperspective on what games are
and what they mean to a varietyof different people. I'm gonna
delve into some ideas that mightraise some heckles, and
honestly, I think that's a goodthing.
We should grapple with Oh, no.Go ahead.
Lexi (04:51):
Let me ask though. What do you why do you consider yourself
abnormal for a gamer? What wouldbe your definition?
Sean (04:58):
Well, that's the thing is I don't actually consider myself
that atypical for a gamer exceptmaybe some weird cultural spats.
Specifically, it's in the title.I'm an anarchist. Right? I don't
think that's typical foranything, really.
We're not a we're not exactly alarge subsection of the
population. But I have noticedthis growing trend in games that
(05:23):
move at least in gaming culture,that move towards, like, more
insular focuses. So, like, youknow, when you don't see
yourself represented in a game,that's not a good thing. And for
the tip the typical gamerdemographic, it can be a bit
alienating. And sometime I'mgonna get into that, but, like,
(05:43):
I do think that gamingdemographics have shifted
dramatically over the past,even, like, ten, fifteen years
to get to where they are now.
Lexi (05:53):
Yeah. Okay. Okay. That makes sense. Yeah.
Sean (05:56):
Yeah. So I think that we should grapple with ideas that
are uncomfortable or outside ofour norms. Hopefully, if this is
where you're coming from, you'lllearn something and get a
broader perspective. I shouldprobably mention that this is
not an apolitical podcast. Youboth know I am not an apolitical
(06:16):
person.
Again, it's
Lexi (06:18):
in our conversations. Yeah.
Marty (06:22):
That's right, folks. He he's he's apolitical. Sorry. He
is apolitical, not apolitical.
Lexi (06:28):
Exactly.
Sean (06:29):
Yeah. Fair enough. But, again, it's in the title. I'm
left wing, and I'm antiauthoritarian and proudly so.
And that's probably gonna comeacross in some of my commentary.
If that's not your jam or youthink it's problematic, this
might not be the podcast foryou. But I'm still hoping it is
because, again, you need tobroaden your perspectives a
(06:50):
little bit, and I thinklistening to somebody who's not
maybe in your circle of friendsis beneficial. And finally, I'm
gonna take a look at some games.Some will be good from a
mechanics analysis. I havelisted here GURPS.
Have either of you ever heard ofGURPS before?
Marty (07:09):
I know you have explained GURPS to us, specifically in
relation to some shenanigansBrad has pulled, but it has been
a hot minute, so I don'tremember exactly off the top of
my head.
Sean (07:20):
Yeah. So it's the generic universal role play system.
System. It's very, very goodmechanically, if a little
complicated in my mind. But it'sgreat from a mechanics analysis
for, among other things, itscore mechanic.
But we're also gonna look atsome games that have had a broad
(07:41):
cultural impact, like Mario.Some things It's
Lexi (07:44):
a me. It's a me.
Sean (07:47):
It's a me. I can't do the Italian accent. I I'm not even
gonna try.
Marty (07:53):
Yeah. I mean, could have not tried it the first episode.
Let's let's get a couple inbefore we start doing anything
that'll get us
Sean (08:03):
Yeah. Speaking of that, some things I'm gonna be looking
at are downright awful because Ithink that's important to look
at at some point. These examplesare going to be important since
gaming as a concept does notexist in a vacuum, but rather
through the games and the peoplewho play them, or in some cases,
(08:25):
reasons we don't play them. Sogot a question for you both.
What do you think of when youhear the word game?
Marty (08:34):
I'll let you go first on this one, Lex.
Lexi (08:36):
Okay. I guess my definition because I I'm even
gonna say, like, you know, westart this as kids. Probably
something with a set of rules,regardless if they make sense or
not, and involves participationin whether it's imaginary or,
(08:57):
like, physical items, if thatmakes sense.
Sean (09:00):
Okay. Okay. Marty, what do you think?
Marty (09:02):
Much along the same lines. You know, kind of an
activity with a defined set ofinteractions specifically. You
know, the the one that alwayscomes to mind is the one I would
do as a kid where you imaginethe dude running alongside the
car as a kid, and you you cankind of think of that in and of
itself as a game, I guess.
Sean (09:17):
Yeah. Alright. That makes sense. Okay.
Lexi (09:19):
So I was thinking floor is lava too.
Sean (09:21):
Floor is lava.
Marty (09:23):
Truly an all time classic. Yep.
Sean (09:26):
Alright. Now I want you guys to guess how many
definitions I looked throughwhen I was researching for this
episode. Alright.
Marty (09:34):
Now I
Lexi (09:35):
may have not to feel sorry. Are you
Sean (09:36):
numbers or hours? Just just how many definitions do you
think that I found?
Marty (09:41):
I'm guessing somewhere in the high double digits.
Sean (09:44):
Not quite that high. Okay.
Lexi (09:46):
I'll say, like, I don't know, 15 or something.
Sean (09:49):
K. You're actually not that far off. 14. Oh. Yeah.
So when I first started thisscript, I figured I would just
define game using dictionaries.That got me looking deeper, and
I realized there's not actuallyreally a solid definition of the
word game. It's a bit like thewhole definition of obscenity
(10:11):
thing that went through theSupreme Court back in the
sixties. You know it when yousee it. Mhmm.
There are a few commonalities,things like it needs to have
rules. It needs to be a form ofplay, have some sort of
objective or an obstacle toovercome. So I started with the
two dictionaries of notes,Merriam Webster and Oxford. By
(10:32):
the way, just have to say this.Oxford requiring a subscription
was really annoying, so I kindof cheated and went with an old
actual physical Oxforddictionary that I had.
So Merriam Webster has entirelytoo many definitions of game.
But for our purpose, I'll usetwo. A physical or mental
(10:54):
competition conducted accordingto rules with the participants
in direct opposition to eachother. So that's one. Two, an
activity designed for diversionor amusement.
K.
Lexi (11:07):
Mhmm.
Sean (11:08):
Oxford, meanwhile, simply defines it as an activity which
provides amusement or fun. Now,if I'm being honest, I find both
of these definitions a bitlacking for what we're gonna be
discussing. Again, Oxford mighthave more, but that requires a
subscription, and I promptlysaid to hell with that.
Lexi (11:27):
Are Chaos.
Sean (11:28):
Yeah. There are a couple reasons why I dislike these
definitions. The first MerriamWebster definition basically
entirely cuts out single playerand cooperative games, which are
huge. And, honestly, those arethe games I tend to enjoy the
most. So neh.
And the second definition lacksthe fact that games need rules
(11:52):
and structure of some kind.Oxford's definition has similar
issue. K. So I workshopped thisin my head for about, well,
probably about a month. And sofor purposes of what we're going
to be discussing, the definitionI'll work with is a structured
form of play conducted accordingto rules for the purposes of
(12:13):
entertainment.
Lexi (12:14):
I think that's fair.
Marty (12:15):
Yeah. Yeah. No. That's I think that kinda covers as much
of it as you can without adefinition turning into a book.
Sean (12:21):
Yeah. My book coming shortly in February, like, '59.
I don't know. This is going tobe my working definition
because, frankly, defining thegame is hard, and this isn't my
day job. So you may notice acouple of things from the get
(12:42):
go, which is this definitionincludes sports, which I
definitely argue are a form of agame.
There's a reason why you playfootball or basketball. They
require rules and are a form ofplay, you know, usually until
people take it entirely tooseriously.
Lexi (13:01):
Sports spending and all. Yep.
Sean (13:03):
Yeah. Which, you know, technically, a lot of gambling
is also a form of a game, exceptthere, there's a monetary buy
in, and it's a little bitweirder. But, like, poker,
blackjack, those are games. Youplay those. So
Lexi (13:17):
Oh, yeah. Yeah. That's true.
Marty (13:19):
I mean, what is a monetary buy in if not a, core
mechanic?
Sean (13:23):
So now for an all important question, why does any
of this matter? So definingsomething is important, and a
lot of people have made attemptsto define what a game is before.
I'd argue mine's not, like,great, but I need something that
I can cut off and say, this is agame and this isn't a game.
(13:46):
Kicking a ball around isn't agame. Right?
Just that's just play. Mhmm.Kicking a ball into a goal might
be a game. Depends on is there ascore? Is there a rule to it?
Soccer Soccer or football, ifyou're not from the dumpster
fire that is this country, isdefinitely a game in my book.
Lexi (14:05):
I agree.
Sean (14:06):
Yeah. So games need a few things to be games. The first,
and I'd actually argue the mostimportant thing, is a set of
rules by which people play.Rules are ultimately how we play
games. You can't have a gamewithout everyone agreeing on how
to play.
So imagine if you were playingmonopoly, and one player, rather
(14:32):
than using a six sided die, isusing a 20 sided one. Right? The
rules
Lexi (14:37):
Bernie is so triggered right now.
Marty (14:40):
Very true. I am I am actively follow you know, fight
or flighting right now. I Idesperately would like to punch
this hypothetical person.
Sean (14:50):
So the rules
Lexi (14:51):
So 20 sided night.
Sean (14:52):
Yeah. So the rules changed. But, honestly, if all
players were following the samerule, there's no real problem.
There's no reason to say youcan't say break out a 20 sided
die and play a terrible boardgame with it. Right?
Marty (15:08):
Yeah. Exactly.
Sean (15:09):
Yeah. And there are often variations to games where
players agree to a different setof rules. These are often called
house rules. And, again, theseare fine as long as everyone is
on the same page. One example ofthis is there are actually
entire variations of chess thatare so massive.
(15:32):
There's an actual term for it.It's called fairy chess. Right?
There can be alternate boardsetups, pieces that act
differently, or even entirelynew pieces added.
Lexi (15:43):
Did the Fate come up with this?
Sean (15:45):
No. But it's it's called fairy chest because, you know,
things are weird and confusingand a little bit off. Right?
Lexi (15:51):
Uh-huh.
Sean (15:53):
So a fictional example of this is something called stealth
chest invented by sir TerryPratchett of Discworld fame,
which adds two rows to eitherside of the board where the
assassin pieces can move up ordown and then jump out and
strike.
Lexi (16:07):
And Okay.
Sean (16:08):
This has, to my knowledge, actually been defictionalized
where there's an actual, like,stealth chess game board that
you can buy, but I'd have tolook that up. So of the rules
you need to have, the mostimportant is what is referred to
by nerds like myself as coremechanic. Now, again, the core
(16:31):
mechanic is the main way youinteract with the game. I will,
again, probably do an episode onthis at some point. But as a
general rule, core mechanics arethe thing everyone has to do and
is the most often mechanic youuse when you play.
So this is rolling a six sideddie in a lot of game. It's the d
(16:54):
20 of Dungeons and Dragons orjust comparing who has the
bigger number in a lot of videogame. Now this is usually quite
simple, and that's a good thing.You want something that's quick
and easy to remember. There canbe a lot, and I do mean a lot of
(17:14):
ancillary rules, but the coremechanic needs to be tight and
fast.
If your core mechanic is toocomplex, people tend to get
frustrated, which is bad whenyou're doing something to relax
and have fun.
Lexi (17:28):
Yeah.
Sean (17:29):
Yeah. So one question you might be having is, well, what
are core mechanics of videogames? But and I admit that does
complicate ideas, but these tendto be things like movement. If
you ever wondered why dotutorials always start with
press w to walk. Right?
It's because you need to movearound the map, level, whatever
(17:51):
you want to call it.
Marty (17:52):
I mean, Lexi doesn't wonder if she doesn't pay
attention to tutorials. No.
Lexi (17:56):
I just don't do them.
Sean (17:57):
Oh, tutorial skipper. Yep.
Lexi (18:00):
One of these Okay. Not really, but oh, no. Go ahead.
Sean (18:03):
No. One of these gotten better. Yeah. One of these
times, I'll do maybe a shortepisode on, like, why tutorials
for video games are importantand why they shouldn't just be
some static thing that you do,but rather you weave it into the
way your game is played. Yeah.
Although, like, even for thattutorials for something like
(18:25):
Dungeons and Dragons, really,when you get down to it is
levels one and two, at least infifth edition.
Lexi (18:31):
Mhmm.
Sean (18:32):
Right? It's everybody's on the same page. You typically
haven't picked out your subclassyet, so you're not really
worrying about builds orwhatever. So yeah. Mhmm.
So beyond the rules, you need tohave in your game some sort of a
goal or objective. I'd arguethat the most common objective
is number goes up. Right? Havingmore points than your opponent
(18:55):
is a good measure of who'swinning. It works for
Lexi (18:58):
Except golf. But yeah.
Sean (18:59):
Except okay. Except for golf, there's always an
exception that proves the rule.
Marty (19:04):
Yep. I'm sure there's somebody who's smarter at math
than I am could argue aboutabsolute values and things like
that and, you know, imaginarynumbers. We I'm sure somebody
can make the argument that, youknow, number lower means number
higher.
Sean (19:15):
Yeah. Anyway.
Marty (19:18):
I don't know. I'm not really a math guy.
Sean (19:20):
Haven't done math since high school. So but the reason
that, numbers going up or Isuppose down is that it works
very simply as a way to compare.So it works for sports. It works
as a fallback in chess. Works ina lot of board game.
Other objectives can besomething as simple as reach the
end of the board or reduce youropponent's life score to zero.
(19:43):
Right? These objectives giveplayers something to work
toward, and there are, again,many, many kinds of goals in
games. But at the end of theday, you do want players to have
some sort of objective for themto reach. Things like tabletop
RPGs muddy this a bit, but eventhere, every good GM will tell
(20:07):
you that you have to have a plotthread or 10 for players to
focus their attention on, evenin ones that expect players to
set their own goals and object.
Everything tracking so far?
Marty (20:19):
I'm following you. I'm following you.
Sean (20:21):
Alright. So another bit that's needed for games is that,
ultimately, games should providesome form of entertainment. This
can be fun, enjoyment, can bethe thrill of competition, or in
the case of games like DarkSouls, it can be the thrill of
repeatedly running in andgetting yourself killed in that
(20:41):
boss room. This was one of thequestions that started off this
podcast, so I'm gonna ruminateon it a little bit. They should
provide people with the means toenjoy themselves.
I'll admit my two widest bits ofexperience with tabletop RPGs
and video games. Right? Ihaven't played as many, say,
(21:03):
trading card games, and Ihaven't played as many trying to
think of another example. I haveplayed quite a few board games,
but probably not as many as somepeople out there. I have seen
people's board game collectionsthat just give me envy.
Marty (21:17):
I've seen one of our friends board games collections,
and it kinda gives me anxiety,to be honest with you.
Lexi (21:21):
Yeah. But I I definitely on the MV side too.
Sean (21:26):
Yeah. But I have at least experienced most of these
categories. Right? I do findthat nine times out of 10, the
main draw or appeal of a game isexperiencing a fantasy of some
kind. This might be the fantasyof overcoming a monster with
nothing but a dagger and yourwit, or the fantasy of exploring
(21:49):
a mysterious and dangerousworld, or as the case may be,
being well rested after eighthours of sleep.
Marty (21:58):
She beat me to it. I was gonna go well rested and, you
know, reasonably compensated.
Lexi (22:02):
No. The one I'm going with is, oh my god. I'm actually able
to, like, do my own things, andI don't have to be at work?
Sean (22:12):
Oh, yes. Not having to have a day job. Definitely a
fantasy of many of us. Mhmm.
Marty (22:18):
I mean, I'm still among us. Yep.
Lexi (22:21):
Listen. My power fantasy is actually being able to help
out everyone that's in need,which is why I always play the
good.
Sean (22:28):
Yeah. I I have trouble playing evil run throughs of
games.
Marty (22:33):
I simply just don't because I know who I am.
Lexi (22:35):
Yeah. Looking at you, Boulder's Gate.
Marty (22:39):
Looking at you, Knights of the Old Republic.
Lexi (22:41):
Yep. Yeah. That too.
Sean (22:43):
Yeah. I'm not sure where my Jedi Sith index is these
days. I'll have to checksometime.
Marty (22:47):
I'm gonna go somewhere in the, the gray area.
Sean (22:50):
But so long as a game provides you with something that
draws you in, be it the fantasy,the challenge, or being able to
relax, it's a key part of a gamethat draws you in, and it shows
some kind of a hook that playersfind engaging. It can often be,
but isn't always, a powerfantasy. We get to be the heroes
(23:15):
and the villains of our ownstories. We can shape nations
or, at the very least, our ownfate. Horror games do subvert
this a little bit, but and thereare always those downer ending.
But, generally, they offer us anescape from the real world in a
way that few other media canoffer since we're the ones who
(23:35):
get to control the outcome.Mhmm. Yeah. So That makes sense.
Yeah.
And most games, but not all,have what's called an end state
or the point where players stopplaying said game, at least in
its current setup. So this wouldbe something like checkmate in
chess or obtaining any of thevarious ways you can win the
(23:57):
game in magic the gathering.This from the simple, like
reducing an opponent's lifescore to zero or various
specific cards that say you winthe game if. These aren't quite
universal. Like, not every gamenecessarily has an end state.
You can play Dungeons andDragons long after you reach
(24:20):
level 20. But for the most part,level 20 is the start of the end
state of that game. And endstates are also where you
declare a victor, if that'simportant. So considering we
just talked about end states,this is the end state of this
episode. Episode.
But before we go, Marty, Lexi,do you guys have any socials you
(24:42):
wanna plug?
Lexi (24:44):
Don't follow me. I'm boring. I'm boring. I don't post
anything. But, definitely followSean.
Marty (24:55):
By all means, please do follow this podcast. You may
hear more of my voice or lessdepending on what, your desires
and so to's on that one. Ipurposely make myself rather
difficult to find online, soplease do not go looking for me
or perceive me.
Lexi (25:09):
He said, what a failure. Don't follow these people.
Sean (25:12):
Oh, dear. Well, you can find me at anarch mage on blue
sky, anarch mage gamingInstagram, where I sometimes
share memes or model paintingI've done. And you can find me
pretty much literally nowhereelse because I despise Twitter,
x, whatever the hell they'recalling it now. Fun story, my
(25:33):
account actually got bannedrecently for being inauthentic
since, I guess, only followingpeople and not posting indicates
you are not a real person.
Marty (25:43):
Oh, yes. Inauthentic. Twitter. Two things. Very, very,
very different.
Yeah.
Lexi (25:50):
Yeah. Listen. All I'm saying is that please feel free
to dead name it because ElonMusk can't, you know, freaking
like, actually appropriatelyname his, you know, daughter.
So, no, we're we're not gonna dothat. We're gonna say Twitter
because, also, it's a muchbetter name.
Sean (26:07):
I Do not
Marty (26:08):
recognize the sovereigntyofx.com, but it will
and has always been Twitter.
Lexi (26:12):
Yes.
Sean (26:13):
Right. Well, until next time, everyone. Game on. Whoo.
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