[arg_discuss] Is it important for designers to play?

[Brooke Thompson]

Michael Anderson¹s post on ARGNet has me curious... Are you playing an
alternate reality game? What was the last one you played? Do you think it¹s
important to play?

Here¹s the post if you missed it:
http://www.argn.com/2010/06/a_call_to_action_for_alternate_reality_game_deve
lopers_play_args

I commented there, with the gist of it being that I don¹t always know how to
answer the question.. What do you mean ³play²? A full experience? A few
minutes playing a mini-game? And if I¹m just spending a few minutes playing
a mini-game, is that actually telling me anything about the overall
experience, etc. 

I think it¹s important to play and to understand the player experience, but
I¹m not entirely sure that it¹s necessary to play a number of ARGs to get
that. It certainly helps, but is it necessary? Can we gain a similar
understanding elsewhere or, even, from behind the curtain watching it all
unfold?

What are your thoughts?


Brooke Thompson
Transmedia Storyteller            ARGFest Chair
http://www.giantmice.com       http://www.argfest.com    

email: brooke at giantmice.com
mobile: 321.277.7613