Come out and Play

Come out and Play

When I say play what comes to mind? Well many things come to mind. You can play a game, you can play can play an instrument. You can play by with others or you can play by yourself. And now with online technology you can you can even by yourself with others. All are different experiences and all have their own differences experiences. They also have their own benefits that fit into our lives. These are some of the topics that Come out and Play Co-Creator Nicolas Fortugno presented Come Out and Play as case study at StoryCode on at Lincoln Center Film Center.

Come out and Play describes itself as a “an annual festival of street games that turns New York City & San Francisco into a giant playground. We provide a forum for new types of public games and play by bringing together players eager to interact with the world around them and designers producing innovative new games and experiences.” That being said Fortugno goes into the elements of social play by talking about his experiences and creating games for social play with Come Out and Play goes about. He starts with a definition of games from Bernard Suits “ The voluntary effort to overcome unnecessary obstacles “. From there he goes in what Come out and Play is all about what some of what he has learned in designing games for social play in the worlds transmedia, real world or location based games and online. “Making games is very about that placing obstacles in peoples way to make the thing interesting. And sometime you do it right and you place the right obstacles in their way and the thing is fun and sometimes you don’t. Using the a comparison between of a regular person and professional soccer player Fortugno gets right the core of what makes a games a game. “Taking this moment of play and transform it into a game formalizing it. What are the goals and rules you put around it that thing. It very much about taking the core in a game and figuring out what can I do with that.”

While continuing his using soccer Fortugno explains the core mechanics of games. The core mechanics of soccer is kick the ball past somebody (in to the goal). Then you extrapolate that out then its about passing and defense and the off sides rule and that sort of thing. In soccer it kick that ball into the goal.” Fortugno goes on further to explain how presenting the rules and finding the twist that people create from game play. Which is that people do thing that you don’t expect with the game and you to go back and it do it all over again. Taking what the player has done that you did not expect and finding out what makes that cool, so you can add it the game. Fortugno goes into the why game play has changed over the years is because of a aging demographic the average gamer is in their late 30’s, game play moving into a more casual mode where people are asked to only give up a short period of their time. Also how the game audience has changed to include more people from different demographics. The importance of play is still important because of its benefits to the society and the world, that people learn how to interact and with one another and themselves. Who wants to play?