P1

"What are your earliest experiences of playing video games? How has your relationship with games changed since?"

- My earliest memory of playing a video game was in 2006 when I first played the video game Tekken 2 with my brother. I got so much enjoyment out of that collaborative experience that video games became a huge source of entertainment for me as a kid. Since then my interest in video games has progressed and my taste is now much more refined in video games. More mature games such as The Last of us, Uncharted and Telltales The Walking Dead are all game franchises that are very relevant in my life today and are able to resonate with me regardless of what age I am. Now I see video games as more of an art form then something that passes the time.

Playing classic arcade games made me appreciate the games that we have today even more then before. It was a very alienating experience playing a retro arcade game due to myself having very little experience with them before. They really show how far games have come since that time period and highlight the greatness about the modern games of today that we may have all taken for granted as it is all we have never known.


Gaming Timeline

This timeline is a complete visual history of all the devices that I have played video games on over the years from the year 2006 to 2017. I was first introduced to games through the Nintendo DS, whilst I was not old enough to fully appreciate the device it proved to be very good entertainment. What this timeline tells me about my relationship with games is that I have been very slow in my progression between devices. I am not so attached to games that I will immediately buy the latest device, I am perfectly comfortable with using the technology that is currently available to me to play games.


The Bartle Test of Gamer Psychology 

According to the Bartle Gamer Test I am 67% Socialiser. Out of all four types of player: Killers, Achievers, Socialisers and Explorers, I personally thought that I would most likely end up being identified as a Killer due to my own experience with playing games. However, to my surprise I have been identified as a socialiser by the Bartle Gamer Test.

I identify with my result to a certain extent, I can be very sociable when playing with people, depending on the game and I do think that it is one of my qualities as a gamer. However it is definitely not my main quality and is not a huge priority when I am playing a game. So yes, to an extent I agree with my result, I think that it shows what kind of gamer I partly am when playing video games.



What makes a game a game?

"A game is a rule-based system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels emotionally attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are negotiable."

- Jasper Juul, Half-Real (2005)


In this quote Jesper Juul is explaining how every game has rules. When he talks about the variables and quantifiable outcomes he is saying how the outcome of the game is dependant on the player's decisions throughout. Juul is also saying how different outcomes can be given different values  depending on the circumstances. The players decide the outcome of a game based on the amount of effort they put in to it. Having an emotional attachment to the outcome of a game is due to the exerting effort you put in to it and the amount of fulfilment you get from it. Having negotiable consequences for an activity means that the stakes of the game are in your hands e.g. If you win a certain game you can go up in the league.