Overview: Player Experiences and Documentation
Unit 8 Overview
In Unit 8, we will examine accounts of player experience and documentation. Here, our emphasis is not on documentation that does not just cover the design or intent of the game, but also the experiences of actual play. These accounts can be written from a first- or third-person perspective, meaning we are learning about what occurred during implementation through the perspective of the author through first-hand or third-hand experience.Â
The common joke in role-playing communities, “No plot survives contact with the players” is particularly apt here. When reading these accounts, consider how much of the play experience described is influenced by a) the game design, b) implementation strategies, or c) player impetus/choice. Some accounts might emphasize how well the design and implementation led toward the intended goals of the game, whereas others may emphasize moments where players “hacked the larp” or took it in an unexpected direction. Either way, play accounts can be critical as sites from which not only to learn practices to encourage vs. avoid, but also the nature of the role-playing experience itself.
In this Unit, we will cover:
- Play documentation
- Learning from play