Game Education Summit North America

Paper Abstract:

From birth, children play. It is an unencumbered, creative, and even, as some studies suggest, instinctive activity. When the child begins to add rules, play becomes a game. This evolution of free play into gameplay proves to be an important, even essential aspect of human development. It is as a byproduct of this evolution that the social, emotional, and problem solving skills known collectively as executive functions emerge; while studies have also shown that children who are not allowed ample time for free play can display a lack of self regulation, and may develop antisocial behaviors as adults. Given this, we can ask the question “How can we more accurately simulate free play in computer games?” To answer this question, this paper will examine both free play and gameplay, understanding how they coincide and how they differ. We will look at how digital media influences gameplay, its advantages and its limitations. Finally we will examine examples of games that exhibit some of the qualities of free play, their strengths and weaknesses; hopefully coming away with ideas on how we can apply these principles to future game development in ways that will allow the player more creative, intuitive gameplay.