Ways of Playing 2025-10-23-20-26_david
Oct 24, 2025
The conversation dives into the world of god games and the intriguing notion of doing nothing while gaming. David shares his dreamlike experiences with Nidana, highlighting its balance between confusion and progress. They explore whether games can truly grant players a godlike influence and discuss Richard Bartle's theories on covert gods and player limitations. As they ponder the ethics of inaction and the meaning we create from silence in games, an invitation to explore the concept of nothingness emerges.
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Lost In Nidana's Dream Corners
- David describes playing Nidana, a first-person dream-like game that obscures objectives and feedback.
- He enjoyed the balance between confusion and glimpses of progress while exploring surreal corners of dreams.
Games As Illusionary Godhood
- David questions whether all games are secretly 'god games' that give the illusion of influencing everything.
- He reflects that games often present alien logic and let players invent meaning when systems stay silent.
Covert Gods And Dream Control
- Quoting Richard Bartle, David highlights gods in games as covert actors who act only when problems arise.
- He links this to dreaming, noting that while dreamers may not be fully aware, they control dream-world physics.