The Classification of Games

During a lecture we had on Thursday we learnt about the different types of classification within games... so by that I am referring to paidia and ludus. Paidia being used to describe games which are effectively just played for the pure enjoyment of playing them, they are typically easy and include many sandbox games. Ludus on the other hand is used to describe games that are very rules based and players are driven to follow the rules down a set path, these games have a clear goal or end, usually ending in the player 'winning'

An example of  a paidia game would be something like sim city where there are no set rules and a player can take there city down any path they would like. Don't get me wrong there are elements of ludus in sim city such as when you have a large city it becomes really hard to keep them happy and generate the amount of power they need to survive, which can be restricting, but other than that it is a sandbox paidia game.

An example of a Ludus game would be a game like the last of us.. in my opinion anyway, because this game although it gave the illusion of freedom and allowed you to explore the map a little bit, at the end of the day there was only, say two, things that you could find in one section of the map and then you have to follow the set story mission if you want to explore anymore. This game did a good job of disguising the fact that it was a set linear game through items you could find in the map, but at the end of the day, there is only one path, and only one outcome.

There are many game which have included all aspects of the game classification, and these games tend to be the games that are played more. Ludus games with a set path usually have very little replay value because the story doesn't differ and you cant get a different result by playing it again. Paidia games have a lot more replay value as they are open world games, and you can play it more than once and get a different result, but many times these games lack something to drive you play again, as you have freedom but you don't feel attachment to character or places like you do in a story driven game. This is why I feel like this is the best option for games, making it cater to both ludus and paidia games means that the player has the ability to have characters and a story to get attached to, but also the freedom people want from games.

An example of this would be a World of Warcraft, this game has many different stories you can dive into and you still have the freedom to fly around and do whatever you want in whatever order you would like. This is a big reason why the game is so popular, because this game came about when no one else had a game like it, and that's why it reached the popularity it did and why in many ways it will never be beaten, because any game that is similar that may one day beat it, would only be called, the World of Warcraft Killer... the game would always have that looming over their head.