Weekly Review Oct. 8th to Oct. 14th

This week has been fairly sparse but what theory has been developed has been of an unconventional bent.

Authority and Context

Thomas Robertson suggests that an implicit form of character-based authority, is the witnessed context of the character. By lending a sense of meaning to the character's actions, those actions will tend to be more acceptable to other players. I particular this type of authority is not one which can easily be spread evenly, opening up both design and theory questions about how best to manage context.


The Narrative of Toys

Brian Hollenbeck continues a discussion of toys and games. Stemming from the development of baby toys, comes the idea that toys have an implicit narrative. He suggests that this narrative gives rise to a game as it becomes social, requiring further constraints and communication.