From the first use of the word “metagame” in Nigel Howard’s Cold War variation of the Prisoner’s Dilemma in 1956, to Richard Garfield’s definitions and modern day usage in competitive games, the term has accompanied games and game-theory alike, shifting and adding to its definition over the years. This workshop focuses an empiric approach to “reading” metagames in the competitive sense, by showcasing and analysing a historic meta of the acclaimed TCG “Magic the Gathering”. Attendees will be challenged to navigate this subspace, before comparing their decisions to the actual development and evolution of said particular format.
Category: Workshop
Statistical and Empirical Analysis of Dominant Strategies: a Case Study on “Meta” in MTG
From Sinful trionfi to Etteilla’s Mysticism and Jung’s Psycho-Narratology: On the Potentials of Tarot Cards for Game Design
Over the course of their long (or rather short?) history, tarot cards have fulfilled many functions in varying contexts, and in our workshop we will consider them under the specific perspective of game studies and -design.
As a common point of entry and to lay shared groundworks for hands-on experiences and academic work, we will have a quick look at the cultural history of the card deck, touching upon its uses for entertainment purposes, esoteric and spiritual practices, as well as narratology, psychology, and psychotherapy. We will then together collect and define the potential affordances and constraints, potentials and pitfalls, these 78 cards can provide us with for ludic designs within the NAMES framework, before you will get your hands on some tarot game prototypes, both card games but also a TTRPG system, in small groups. Our workshop finally ends with a plenary discussion of your experiences and potential possible future developments in game design using one of the most famous decks of cards in the world.a presentation by René Reinhold
Plain Walking? Representations of Space in (Trading) Card Games
Games typically aim to induce a state of immersion – but what about card games, bound to two dimensions as they are? This workshop explores how card games enable us to enter fantastic worlds while following abstract, rule-bound functions. Share your experiences, play games that take unique approaches to the matter, and discuss your playtest results.a presentation by Felix Schniz