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Master's Thesis: Gameplay: The Elements of Interaction ConclusionIn the time that has elapsed since Steve Russell and his friends released Spacewar on the PDP-1, the software and hardware used to produce videogames has changed dramatically. In fact, today's production methods bear little or no resemblance to the methods used during the embryonic era of game development. During the decades since Spacewar, gameplay has emerged as the deciding factor in defining whether a game is memorable and fun, or just another superficial jaunt into a uni-dimensional digital environment. If the elements of gameplay are observed and understood by game designers then interaction with videogames, at both the emotional and the control level, will continue to be fun. However, if the focus shifts away from gameplay onto the more general aesthetic qualities that games can provide then their appeal will inevitably wane as their novelty value wares off. Graphical realism - sometimes referred to as 'gold-plating', will always be a crucial element in games, and as such must not be overlooked. But gameplay constitutes the most important and potent of all the components used in game production today and in the future. The thirst for new and exciting experiences in video games is so insatiable that the future may herald an expanded - and in some cases totally re-defined, set of gameplay axioms. The only limiting factor will be our imagination and how far we are willing to explore the emotional and physical sensations produced by interacting with a machine. References Costikyan, Greg, 1994 "I Have No Words & I Must
Design", Interactive Fantasy, Hogshead Publishing Ltd,
London. Griffiths, M.D., 1991 "Amusement machine playing in childhood
and adolescence: a comparative analysis of video games and fruit
machines", Journal of Greenfield, Patricia Marks, 1984 Mind And Media - The effects of Television, Computers and Video Games, Hazell Watson & Viney Ltd, Bucks. Hertz, J.C, 1997 Joystick Nation: How Videogames Gobbles Our Money, Won Our Hearts And Rewired Our Minds, Abacus, London. Howland, Geoff, 1998 Game Design: The Essence of Computer Games Poole, Steven, 2000 Trigger Happy: The Inner Life Of Videogames, Fourth Estate Limited, London. Richard, Rouse III, 2000 Game Design: Theory and Practise, Wordware Publishing, USA. Rollings, Andrew; Morris, Dave, 2000 Game Architecture And Design, The Coriolis Group, Arizona. Saltzman, Marc, 2000 Game Design: Secrets Of The Sages - Second Edition, Macmillan Publishing, Indianapolis. Turkle, Sherry, 1984 The Second Self: Computers And The Human Spirit, Simon & Schuster, N.Y. 'The Rules of the Game' (not authored), 1994 Edge magazine, n. 12, September, Pp.46-52. Definition of 'Convergence' cited at: http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/c/convergence.html
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