when people say games need objectives in order to be ‘games’, i wonder why ‘better understanding another human’ isn’t a valid ‘objective’
games need ‘challenges’ and ‘rules’, isn’t ’empathy’ a challenge, aren’t preconceptions of normativity a ‘rule’
– Leigh Alexander writing on Twitter
Dear Leigh,
I have such a complicated emotional response to this. And I think you like getting letters, based on what I see on the Internet.
I would rate better understanding of another human and the challenge of empathy as bare minimum requirements for something reaching for art.
The assumptions underlying this question are the interesting thing. A game of bridge demands great understanding of another human, and great synchrony of thought. A huge number of the games of childhood are designed to teach empathy. We play games all the time in order to get to know people.
But that’s not what you really mean, is it. What you are really talking about is something else entirely.