Investigating the aspect of play through digital games

Abstract

The aspect of play is evidently present in digital games, but not in the same way across different digital games. Research has denoted different styles of play based on the characteristics of the game in question and the way the player interacts with it. This dissertation aims to investigate the ways which different games are played, and analyse the different playstyles present in said games. To do this, various fields of knowledge were researched before narrowing down to a select few that touch on types of play and the element of play itself. This literature was then applied to two distinctly different type of games, a sandbox game and an action role-playing game, to see whether two different games had overlapping play styles or whether one playstyle was exclusive to a certain type of game. Through the presentation of these two games both in terms of the raw game, as well as in terms of what certain players have accomplished in each game through the playstyle in use, it was found that different playstyles are present both within the same game, as well as in two different games. On this basis, it is proposed that regardless of the type of game in question, it is the player and how they play which determines the experience and types of play which are present. Further research is needed to identify whether it is possible to create a game that restricts players to playing in a particular way, or whether the aspect of play will always encourage curious exploration and adaptation in games and play.