Ludology
This is the scholar most famous for pioneering the term "Ludology," or, the study of games and interactions.
Who is Jesper Juul?
This is the definition of aesthetics.
What is the study of beauty?
An in-game representation of a particular person, even yourself, has this name.
What is an avatar?
This is the definition of game theory.
What is the psychology of mathematics?
This is the definition of Haptics.
What is the study of touch interaction?
Juul defines six traits of what makes a game; perhaps the most critical is the first one, which is this.
A rules-defined, formal system.
This is the definition of semiotics.
What is the study of symbolism?
Narrative structures greatly depend on where in the story you are - most games, especially older games, tend toward staying in this zone at all times, which makes narrative discussion difficult.
What is the climax?
This problem, which consists of three doors, a car, and two goats, is a famous exercise in game theory and in named after the host of the game show whom made it famous.
What is the Monty Hall problem?
Haptic study is important in many fields - usually in the domain of user experience - but in video games it is most often associated with accessibility, usually by studying the best version of this.
What is the controller/control scheme?
When playing a game, user interest is often a balance between boredom and frustration, and, if done properly, lands in this "golden zone."
What is the flow channel?
This French philosopher-scholar is most famous for pioneering the study of semiotics and defining many of the terms we still use today.
Who was Roland Barthes?
In games with a "build your own character" option, when given a choice between making a real person, a fictional person, yourself, or a fictionalized version of yourself, research indicates most will choose this option.
What is a fictionalized version of yourself?
This fallacy, which also appears within composition circles, is a fundamental misunderstanding of probability - usually used by compulsive or degenerate gamblers to rationalize their addiction - and insists that a particular probability is "due" to occur.
What is gambler's fallacy?
What is the Wii?
Unlike other forms of media, games intentionally, and always, include this feature, first defined by Greek drama some 2000 years ago.
What is a 4th wall break?
A specific type of visual metaphor used in both games and film to great effect, often defined by "rain at a funeral," is called this.
What is synecdoche?
This narrative term - an absolute favorite of M. Night Shyamalan - is a specific point in a plot when "the curtain is pulled away and all is revealed," or, in some cases, something of a "twist."
What is the anagnorisis?
This concept, which insists it is just as, if not more important, to play "your opponent" than "the game," is popular in everything from card games to war.
What is metagaming (or the metagame)?
Nintendo is famous for modifying Haptics, including systems like the Switch and the DS (success stories) and abject failures like this system, which, after release in 1995, had less than a dozen games in its library and reportedly caused serious migraines and eye strain in any that was unlucky enough to use it.
What is the Virtual Boy?
According to Juul's definition of a game, this "game" may or may not be considered such, since it includes the potential for large personal financial loss.
What is poker (gambling)?
Aesthetic music can examine atmosphere, interactivity, or even temporal or geographical state, but the part of the music you remember is almost always this.
What is the melody?
A typical narrative chart for traditional literature includes five specific zones. Name all five, in order.
What are exposition (opening), Rising action, Climax, falling action (denouement), conclusion?
A game in which every possible outcome can be easily and mathematically mapped, such that the winner may be determined before the game even begins (examples include tic-tac-toe and Connect 4) is known as this.
What is "solved?"
A common design philosophy is "direct manipulation is best," which explains the proliferation of this Haptic scheme - much to the chagrin of many a gamer who would prefer a joystick, a steering wheel, or a mouse and keyboard.
What is a touchscreen?