Object Taxonomies and Gameplay

Every videogame creates some kind of world, be it one that somewhat resembles the real world or an abstract puzzle world. The definition of this world consists of the kinds of objects that can inhabit it and how those objects can interact with one another.

The first part of this definition can be thought of as a taxonomy, or a way of organizing objects into categories and subcategories. For example, an object taxonomy for Pac-Man might look something like this:

Questioning Edifying Games

In his call for this month’s Round Table, Corvus Elrod asks whether games can teach the player anything, associating this question with snobbish criticisms of the medium as being artistically good for nothing. This hypothetical critic’s argument that edification is necessary to aesthetic seriousness is reinforced by the “serious games” movement, which often produces bludgeoningly enlightening pieces about the tradeoffs involved in World Problems.