Do
you want to express yourself?
Make a game!
Playing board games has been a millenary activity that developed independently
in every continent. From go in Asia, to mancala in Africa,
or even patolli in America, board games are part of any culture.
The
use of board games has been very different from culture to culture
and through time. They have been used as a means to settle disputes,
to predict the future, as a leisure activity or just for pleasure.
Now with ludoztli, I intent to redirect the
creation of board games, and the activity of board game playing,
to build a new approach that leads to social awareness.
This
movement that I have called ludoztli (making
games) exhorts the artist to stop making non
interactive art, and break the wall between the art object and
the passive viewer.
In
this movement, games cease to be a purely recreational
object and become active art. Anyone that wants to express
an opinion, a social statement or to declare an injustice can
approach it this way. I expect that the game-art, the ludoztli
product, will place the viewer in the eye of the hurricane, transforming
him/her from a simple viewer into an active participant, into
a social-aware gamer. With ludoztli I intent to promote interaction:
action and reaction. Board games will lead the way!
With
this movement, I hope that the active player —through
the interaction with the ludoztli object,
or by the interaction with the other players participating
in the same game scenario— will have a change of heart
in her/his perception, hopefully influenced by the outcomes
of the game. At the same time, we also expect that the ludoztli
object will be considered as an unfinished art piece that
will mutate constantly when it is being played by a new set
of players. The game-art product will always be different.
I
do not assume that ludoztli is a new concept; I am well aware
of this. The use of games to express a social statement or
a demand has existed for a long time. But through this manifesto, ludoztli makes
this practice evident and public once more and renews the strength
of the game-art concept so others like me
can express their social opinions through the creation of board
games (and similar objects).
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Pointers to create a good ludoztli object.
Find an
issue that affects you personally or directly.
Something that you feel strong about. I assure you that in
this way you
will be trully inspired.
Don’t
be afraid to express yourself. People relate to issues
more than you think.
Try to
think beyond the Monopoly cannon. How many more Monopoly
versions do
we need in this world?
If you
can, incorporate an interaction beyond the table: balls,
pins, walls, darts, etc.. Make
it dynamic!
Take into
account that people will be playing your game. Make it durable!
Simple rules
give the best results. Try to write them as clearly as possible.
Get someone that knows nothing about your game to
read them and see the results.
If you
can, try not to make an epic game. Try to keep it inside
of the 15-25 minute time frame per play. Or make rules for
a long version and a variation for a short version.
Test
your game, over and over again… when
you think you got it, test once more,
you might find something that needs
modification. |
Do you want to download my dissertation and see ludoztli in action? click here |
