Welcome to Abstracting Games!
A blog devoted to looking at games a little more closely.
Peruse essays on the intersection of gaming and philosophical inquiry.
Latest from the Blog
Kicking Over Sandcastles
Video games often involve destroying something. Whether the ending of a life or blowing up a building, many games rely on the player bringing an end to something. But is there a sense of entertainment that can come from mere destruction itself, and not simply completing tasks? In this essay I explore the destructive drive and explain how it works within video games and can motivate player interaction with games.
Going for 100%
Many of us are familiar with in-game challenges and achievements, but why would anyone want to complete those? In this essay I’ll explore the drive to “perfect” a game and explain the appeal of these challenges for players.
To Crush Your Enemies
Players possess a lot of power in video games, over a wide variety of aspects of the game. But one way that players can approach games is not just through the exercise of mere power, but through extreme power. In this essay I’ll look at examples where players possess incredible power to overcome in-game obstacles, and explain why this kind of power can be appealing.
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