GAMERS CONQUERED THE

MAINSTREAM… WHAT’S NEXT?PHILIP MINCHIN (philipminchin.com, APILI?)

ANDREW EKIN-SMYTH (Arts Victoria)

ANDREW HISKENS (State Library of Victoria)

SUE MCKERRACHER (Australian Library & Information Association)

NICK RAPPO (Good Games)

ANTONY REED (Game Developers’ Association of Australia)

Games are

HUGE

Gamers are

EVERYWHERE

This has been true

FOREVER

Because

PLAYFULNESS=

INTELLIGENCE

EVOLUTION OF PLAY

•Mammalian biologists: “Play is training for the unexpected”.

•Playful: dogs, dolphins, monkeys. Not playful: jellyfish, beetles, worms.

EVOLUTION OF PLAY

•Mammalian biologists: “Play is training for the unexpected”.

• Smart: dogs, dolphins, monkeys. Not smart: jellyfish, beetles, worms.

Ταύτα εφευρόντες, διεσκέδαζον ως ακολούθως κατά της πείνης· την μεν μίαν ημέραν όλην έπαιζον, διά να μη σκέπτωνται περί τροφής, την δε άλλην διέκοπτον τα παιγνίδια και έτρωγον. Χάρις δε εις το μέσον τούτο, δεκαοκτώ έτη παρήλθον·

- Ηροδοτου, Ιστοριαι, Τομος 1, 94

HISTORY OF PLAY

HISTORY OF PLAY

These games they invented as a resource against the famine, and thus they used to do:—on one of the days they would play games all the time in order that they might not feel the want of food, and on the next they ceased from their games and had food: and thus they went on for eighteen years.

- Herodotus, History, Book 1, 94

HISTORY OF PLAY

These games they invented as a resource against the famine, and thus they used to do:—on one of the days they would play games all the time in order that they might not feel the want of food, and on the next they ceased from their games and had food: and thus they went on for EIGHTEEN YEARS.

- Herodotus, History, Book 1, 94

JOHAN HUIZINGA

• Linguist

•Cultural historian Founding figure of cultural history

•Anti-fascist

• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA

• Linguist

•Cultural historianFounding figure of cultural history

•Anti-fascist

• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA

• Linguist

•Cultural historianFounding figure of cultural history

•Anti-fascist

• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA

• Linguist

•Cultural historianFounding figure of cultural history

•Anti-fascist

• LEGEND

JOHAN HUIZINGA

•Author of Homo ludens: a study of the play element in culture

•Argues that play is in everything we do

BIOLOGY OF PLAY

•Children who don’t play don’t learn or develop normally.

•Adults who don’t play lose mental faculties faster in old age.

•Rat pups forcibly prevented from playing DIE.

Games are

HUGE

Gamers are

EVERYWHERE

This has been true

FOREVER

So naturally we regardplay and games as

IMPORTANT

…right?

SCHOOLS

• Some educators use play in learning: “show, don’t tell” < “play with, don’t just watch”(see also several panels right here at PAX!)

• Some also engage with games as subject matter

•Quest 2 Learn schools in the US using play to structure assessment not just in teaching

•Games for education more common, better

SCHOOLS

• Games rarely seen as valid subject matter themselves

• Structurally and administratively, play considered a “necessary pressure valve” and a break in learning

• Understanding of play itself (and game design skills) rarely taught in education degrees

• Systems literacy, psychological literacy/theory of mind neither assessed nor taught towards

LIBRARIES

• Most public libraries now lend console games (librarians: PC games e-lending is coming – see me!)

• Most have tabletop games somewhere

• State Libraries are starting to offer some facilities, collections

• Library folks get it more than most, hence…

• International Games Day @ your library(igd.ala.org/about)

LIBRARIES

• Not considered part of core “culture” business by managers & funding bodies – little budget or reporting

• Metadata is terrible (no mechanics – try searching for “first-person” or “platformer” in a catalogue!)

• PC games not well-supported yet (but again – see me!)

• Tabletop games not even catalogued! (or loaned)

• Where are TRPGs? Books that generate stories?

HEALTH

•Research starting to be done into effects of play on physical & mental health, aging, pain management, positive psychology, motivation

•Child’s Play!

HEALTH

•Health bodies rarely have games collections

•Research is only useful if read and enacted!

•Even Child’s Play assumes (or at least reinforces) that play is for children. Need to keep pushing on play for adults!

(MAINSTREAM) MEDIA

•Games ARE mainstream media now (though rarely metamedia, media about media)

•Most other (meta)media’s cultural coverage now somewhat includes videogames

•Beginning to see more openness about play from public figures

(MAINSTREAM) MEDIA

• Not considered part of “culture”– videogames are usually included in “tech” coverage (which is OK, but…)

• Tabletop games not covered (except maybe bridge/chess notes next to crosswords)

• Games still generally assumed to be “for kids” or “for kicks”; artistic value (and freedom) less assumed

• Discussion about big-picture stuff largely absent

ARTS

•Games ARE art (They are also Art, and platforms for many other arts)

•Artists in other media mostly see this(though are naturally focused on their own)

•Most artists & many public servants grok that play = creativity, games matter

ARTS

•Art bureaucracies (government, philanthropy) structurally have little to no dedicated funding, specialist staff… or interest

•Pilot federal funding for videogames cut

•Eligible for “emerging & experimental” funding (um, games go back decades/millennia!)

WE NEED TO RECOGNISE:

•Games ARE art (They are also Art, and platforms for many other arts)

•Games teach life skills and analytical thinking (with a strong link to action)

•Games build community with lower barriers to participation than sport

WE NEED TO RECOGNISE:

• Play is important to physical and mental health,

learning, creativity & innovation…

• Fun is no more (nor less) trivial than beauty.

(Which is to say: it can be trivial, or distract us from more important things, or

disguise deeper ugliness/unfun. It can also be sublime, and research

indicates there are good reasons it matters to us. It’s a key part of human

nature, something we should aspire both to achieve and to understand.)

SO WHAT DO OUR PANELLISTS THINK?

• Nick Rappo and Antony Reed will talk about the industry perspective

• Sue McKerracher, Andrew Hiskens and Andrew Ekin-Smyth will talk about shifting perceptions of – and support for – games in the library and arts sectors

• And then it’s open to the floor for a while.

Part 2: Proposal

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?

• Cultural change in our culture culture

Specifically, recognising that games and play areculture…

…and as such they deserve to be treated on a comparable footing to other kinds.

(We also need to talk about this from the games side.)

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?

• A national home for play

We have homes for written arts, visual arts,

performing arts, and screen arts (which, to be fair,

does include videogames at times) – and of course

sport. Why not games and play?

(See also: Strong Museum of Play, NY; National Videogame Arcade, Nottingham)

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?

• Australian Play, Imagination & Learning Institute

(apili.org)

Part archive,

part library,

part exhibition space,

part workshop,

part playspace

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?

• APILI Remit (what kinds of play?)

Everything that doesn’t have a home elsewhere (such as sport, music, drama)

Games and game tech obviously a major focus

Also toys, play equipment/furniture, unstructured play, rules-only games, play in other media…

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?

• APILI Vision

APILI works towards a world where play and games are as respected, studied, recorded and archived as other forms of creativity, and their full potential to bring out the best in humanity is recognised, explored and developed throughout the culture, education, health, and self-directed learning sectors.

WHAT AM I PROPOSING?

• APILI Functions:

Collections of games, toys & tech Spaces for hands-on play

Exhibitions (on-site & toured) Academic & creative research

Creator fellowships Materials for local libraries & schools

eSports/competitive play Organised play support

Creative workshops Clearinghouse & collaboration centre

Conferences, festivals & events Industry support

YOUR THOUGHTS?

•What’s missing?

•What’s realistic?

•What’s essential?

•What’s awesome?

Part 3: Plans

WHAT’S THE PLAN?

•Change the conversation

•Build, map and expand networks

•Crowdsource

•Already happening (this PAX is incredible!)

• This panel, obviously!

•APILI Seminar

• I’m offering consulting & training to schools & libraries (also game designers/publishers)

• International Games Day @ your library

CHANGING THE CONVERSATION

CHANGING THE CONVERSATION

•More sharing games and play!

•More talking about games in a cultural context –including from the games side

•More coverage of games and play in other media, and in their own terms! (e.g. Ebert…)

•More discussion of the benefits of games and play

• This panel, obviously!

•APILI Seminar

•Australian Play Alliance(australianplayalliance.org)

A mailing list where you register your support for play/games and your connections, skills and particular interests

BUILDING NETWORKS

BUILDING NETWORKS

• Spread the word!

•Gamer pride! Be confident about your interest in games and play (if you aren’t already)

•Use games to network – they’re a great way to connect after all!

•Be successful/skilled/connected yourself :D

• This panel = early market research(need to find out if there’s support!)

•Australian Play Alliance obviously a start on assembling the crowd(australianplayalliance.org)

CROWDSOURCING

CROWDSOURCING

• What we need:

- Funding & in-kind support - Connections & political support

- Spaces/venues (I have leads) - Word-of-mouth & popular support

- Skills:

Legal advice, Accounting, Event management, Architecture, UX design,

Community management, Grant-writing, Graphic design, Web design,

Coding, Hardware, Teaching, Prototyping, Psychology, Economics…

And of course – game design

Questions?Comments?

Thanks!