Interesting (though at times head-scratching) article, picked up via Kotaku. The author posited that “writing in a video game was more than just creating a setting or series of options, it was ultimately about designing a language.” The Wittgenstein references drift right (or left) over my scalp, but some folks will find them thought-provoking. I personally appreciate the reminder of something Sid Meier said about games: they are a series of interesting choices.
I think both metaphors apply to online interactive stuff (formerly d/b/a the “web.”) First, we need to think about our creations as a language system shared by users and creators. Second, we need to build that language system upon a foundation of interesting choices. Here, I’m interepreting ‘interesting’ as providing conceptually distinct options that, when selected, alter the conceptual landscape in a mostly predictable and obvious fashion.
Isn’t that what a successful and usable “web site” navigation system does?
November 16, 2008
If games are language systems, and language is a virus...
