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The Gaming State of Consciousness
Written for the 2002 Britsoft Yearbook
This is what games are made of: Characters and gameplay; imaginary worlds, exotic locations and fearful places.
Games developers create holidays for the spirit. Puzzles for the mind. Challenges for the reflexes. They free the player from the world. Sometimes games are little more than a distraction, but they can transcend this and start to teach the player something about themselves.
They allow the player to explore feelings and activities that they would never have access to in their normal lives. They can be cathartic, giving players a release. Often they offer experiences that are beyond anything that has ever existed! The best games invite the player to suspend disbelief and become someone, something, else. This does not take place in the console or computer but in the mind of the player. The gaming experience is a partnership between the game development team and the player - they collude together to create the gaming state of consciousness.
The gaming state of consciousness is not dependent on graphics, sound or animation. The key is the scenario embedded in the game and the gameplay mechanisms. The same sensations were available to game players when they were playing games in eight colours on early consoles and computers with rudimentary monophonic sounds.
For example a racing game casts the player as driver. They suspend disbelief and, for a time, become that driver. The gameplay mechanisms give them control of their car. Give them the opportunity to compete and win. The gaming state of consciousness is dependent on the race.
In a fantasy RPG the player takes on the role of a wizard or warrior. The gameplay mechanisms give them the tools for defeating and outwitting opponents. They take control of their destiny. For a time. The gaming state of consciousness is evoked by nurturing a character through a series of challenges.
The collusion between player and creator is more than allowing the player to take a new role. It is accepting the boundaries inherent in the game. This is a contract the player makes with the developer: 'I want to fly a starship and in order to fulfil my fantasy I'll accept the limitations placed on me by the game. I'll accept that I cannot land on a planet, get out the ship and go for a coffee in a space café before going for a drive through an alien forest.'
Game boundaries are metaphors for the boundaries we have in real life. We obey the laws of physics. Every universe has its limits, whether it is imaginary or real. Everyone's life contains limits so the acceptance of boundaries is ingrained. Without this acceptance players could not enjoy games.
If a development team reneges on part of their agreement with the player then the game will fail. The player has been betrayed. For example if the player can only sometimes jump across a five metre gap in an arcade adventure then the game will fail. They should either be able to jump this gap or not. This is a binary condition. There must be no shades of grey.
Further to this the player must be able to discover the game rules for themselves. The rules must be self evident. Players, expect and demand, consistent and discoverable worlds.
And this is where the gaming state of consciousness diverges from normal consciousness. In the gaming state of consciousness the world is knowable. The boundaries are definable. In the real world things are a little more complex. There are limits but they are not binary. They are not well defined. Basically, reality is a little messy.
The very best games take slices of reality and twist them into constructions, with their own consistent internal rules and logic, that enable players to enter the gaming state of consciousness, where they, sometimes, learn a little more about themselves.
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