Welcome to issue fifteen of Ludogogy Magazine – Winning
Winning is nearly always seen as a positive thing, whereas Losing, and especially Losers, are seen in an almost exclusively negative light. Of course, the reality is much more nuanced than that. To start with, the definitions of what ‘winning’ actually means can vary wildly from person to person, depending on their values.
But in games, it should be pretty straightforward, right? Games are either competitive – you can win at them individually, or co-operative, where you win or lose together.
But what about games which have no win state at all? And in the context of games-based learning, how does ‘winning’ or ‘losing’ fit in. Can the drive to win detract from the learning? What about success or failure as pedagogic concepts? And most importantly, how do you design learning games so that the players always ‘win’ at learning?
This issue of Ludogogy seeks to find answers to some of these questions. I hope you find it gets you thinking.
Explore:
A Focus on… Winning Conditions
Playing to Win
Fiero – The Winning Emotion
How Victory Conditions Frame Play
Much more
We are now accepting submissions for the following themes:
March ‘Co-creation’ – last submission 27 February – The challenges and joys inherent in working with others to create games and learning. Working with / creating briefs for other professionals. Co-creating with clients and players. Games which are created as they are played. The role of the designer and the player in co-creating experiences etc.
April ‘Quests’– last submission 27 March – The Quest structure as a format for creating learning journeys. Designing purpose and values into Games-based learning. Role playing games. The pros and cons of character development. Questing systems e.g Powered by the Apocalypse, FATE etc.
Send proposals or drafts to info@ludogogy.co.uk
Stay at a sensible distance, Stay Safe, Stay Playful
