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ReactiveSoftware

A computer program of unclear nature. · By Jordi de Paco

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what is a video game??

A topic by AWOAT created May 28, 2024 Views: 205 Replies: 2
Viewing posts 1 to 2
AWOAT179 days ago

I don't know! I really don't know. I spent a good 30 minutes with the software (in browser, sorry for not being a part of the download number). It felt more like I was playing around with something, rather than actually playing something. It felt like interactive art (which includes video games (maybe not all video games: kinetic novels??)), but not a video game. Is Godot Engine a video game? Maybe it is.

Out of the ideas you put forth, I think video games are closest to "your playful attitude when you interact with it." I don't think I had that here: I interacted with this software more via investigation rather than a playful curiosity. Perhaps that's my bad.

Either way, thought provoking work as always. I enjoyed my time with it; happy to engage with more in the future.

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Jordi de PacoDeveloper179 days ago

Thank you for engaging with this experiment!

What you say it's super interesting, especially about how "I interacted with this software more via investigation rather than a playful curiosity" -- Since you weren't playing this software we are unsure of if it's a game, whilst if I hadn't uploaded as an experiment and more of a (random example) "A game about how we remember feelings from our childhood" we'll think of it as a game?

To me, our attitude towards it gives software the quality of being a videogame. Context plays a huge part: To present it as a videogame, to approach it as a videogame... but all of those elements are aids to enter the magic circle that confers this program the status of videogame.

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AWOAT179 days ago

Yes, I think so! Since it was uploaded as an experiment, I interacted with it as such. Generally I think a major part of art is how the artist describes/titles it. It's too late for me now, but I wonder how my experience would have differed if I read the description only after interacting with it, as a blinded experiment.

I like that outlook on attitude a lot. I have been thinking about it a bit after reading Friction Buffer. My brain thinks that all labels are subjective, but I'm not sure if I trust it that much.

Keep up the experiments!

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