Build a Straw Tower with Meaning

     One plays a game to win, to lose or just play. Whatever the reason there is always an outcome even if the game is left uncompleted. Playing a game involves a series of actions. These actions can have a player gain something in the end or all effort falls to the floor like a leaning straw tower. Random...yet it is an example. Building a straw tower does have meaningful play. 

     Actions have meaning in a game or at least for successful game design the goal is meaningful play according to Rules of Play by Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman.  

The book describes meaningful play as descriptive and evaluative. 

• Descriptive - relationship between player actions and system outcome 
• Evaluative - relationships between actions and outcomes in a game are discernable and integrated into larger context of the game. 

source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsmall/3506616038/

     
     Back to building a tower out of bendy straws as experienced in class every straw added to the tower affected how the tower would respond. For some groups, like mine, the tower would lean and for others the tower would continue to rise. This would be descriptive meaning play. A player would add a straw and the tower, the system, would respond. Support is needed to build a tower and thus straws were added for the intention, meaning, of support. As well as the meaning of adding height. 

     The building of the tower would also be evaluative meaningful play. This description of meaningful play maybe easier to distinguish. 

     Discernability details when a player is aware of the outcome of their action. Grab a diamond theres a sound. Add more straws add more length to the tower. 

     Integration details when an outcome of an action affects the game as a whole. The outcome is not immediate. One can not know how tall a straw tower will be until all straws are added. How a straw is added or the decision of how to add a straw affects the way the tower will look and if it will lean or stand. 

     Actions in a game have meaning to be a successful game. One should think before they act in a game. One should think before they act in life. Every action has a outcome thats immediate and/or intended for a later outcome.