Caillois' Terminology

Caillois' Terminology

Ohai, mortals!

So I get an e-mail today containing a bunch of topics which I should have written a blog about  over the last few weeks. A number of these I haven't done yet, so here we go; this is the first post in reaction to this.

French Socialist Roger Caillois wrote the book Les jeux et les hommes (Man, Play, and Games) in 1961, in which he introduced some interesting game terminology:

First;

• Paidea - A game which has no real endpoint, and/or in which the player sets their own goals. Minecraft is an excellent example of this. Paidea games are often associated with open-world games, in which the player can move around freely.
• Ludus - A game which typically follows a set path in a linear fashion. The goals of the game are given to the player , and once all of the goals are complete, the game is over. Many games follow this, as this is easy to create and recreate. Call of Duty is a prime example.

Next, we have some terminology which describes other aspects of games (in tandem with Paidea and Ludus):

• Agon - Competitive, such as Chess or most sports activities
• Alea - Chance, such as Snakes and Ladders
• Mimicry - Role-playing; D&D, I guess
• Ilinx - Altering perception, such as getting dizzy or taking mind-altering drugs, etc.

Games and play can combine a number of these factors, and can be placed on a metaphorical "slider" between Paidea and Ludus. For example, many modern Role-Playing Games (RPGs) combine Agon and Alea, as well as Mimicry, to give the player an interesting experience. These terms apply to much more than video games, and were originally intended for card and board games. Poker, for another example, involves Agon and Alea, but can also be described as including Ilinx, as most of the game is based on what the players can see.

So, that's a thing.

Anyway, I'll talk to you again pretty darn soon, mortals; for now, Hail Emperor!