Ways of Playing

2025-11-03-15-25_pippin by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

2025-10-29-10-43_pippin by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

A conversation about replaying an old game and what it feels like to spend time with it. Reflections on an idle frog and what character animations say about doing nothing. A meditation on downtime, losing track of time, and how auto-battle changes the meaning of play in RPGs. Thoughts on quick combat, randomness, and how games serve as assistants.

2025-10-27-12-40_pippin by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

2025-10-26-21-55_david by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

2025-10-25-10-09_david by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

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.

2025-10-22-15-19_david by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

2025-10-20-13-33_pippin by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky

2025-10-20-07-54_david by Pippin Barr and David Wolinsky