What are fleeting experiences like roleplaying game sessions or
miniature wargame scenarios worth? Are they “performance art” or
marketable products, however fleeting?
PBS Newshour recently
aired a quirky piece about
a Minneapolis art museum selling “intangibles,” ephemeral, art-oriented experiences, such as
meeting a dancer waltzing through a public park terrain, arranged to
offer a one-on-one experience with an artist. It postulated taking
the art museum experience – a temporary occurrence for the visitor
– outside the confines of the structure to engage artists with
those seeking something new. These interactions (some in person,
others with electronic components) seek to create a hybrid of “art”
and marketable “product” through an interactive experience.
 |
What value would you put
on this "intangible" experience? |
Although games consist of such tangible objects as rulebooks,
miniatures, terrain, dice, and character sheets, the actual playing
of the game becomes an intangible experience, something folks cannot
take along with them afterward (though one might argue recordings of
game sessions enable this, though I myself find little entertainment
listening or watching such fare). Any game experience merges the
personalities and strategies of various players around the mechanics
and components of a game. Board games, card games, and traditional
chit-and-board wargames don’t usually require a third-party referee
and thus follow predictable forms within the rules, with variances
for strategy and player interaction within the game’s structure.
But running a more free-form roleplaying game is a sort of
performance at some level, primarily for the gamemaster but also for
the players. Even setting up and refereeing a miniature wargame –
with customized terrain, finely painted soldiers, and a well-balanced
scenario – involves aspects of personal performance and artistic
presentation. It started me thinking about games as “intangibles,”
ephemeral experiences focused on a gamemaster or referee, a handful
of players, and a particular structure (setting, mechanics,
components) of a game. An appreciation for “intangibles” remains
key for the adventure gaming hobby on some level (usually
subconscious), since the act of playing games remains intangibly
experiential. I don’t mean to open up the debate whether games are
“art,” though some folks hold quite firm opinions on the subject.
Nor do I wish to debate what qualifications make gamemasters worthy
of charging for their performance. I’m just struck by the
connection a portion of the artistic world makes with intangible
interactive experiences as a marketable product and the fact that
gamers engage in this all the time, often without any remuneration
among participants.
The
PBS Newshour feature explores how the museum monetizes
these intangible art experiences while highlighting their novelty.
Certainly game components serve as marketable, tangible products
necessary for enabling play; yet on their own they don’t create the
game experience. Purchasing materials isn’t always necessary,
either, as gamers have a reputation for creating their own, either to
enhance an existing game or to form an entirely new game of their
original design. What’s an “intangible” game experience with a
good gamemasters or referee worth these days? Does it matter? In a
successful game the experience is often its own reward. (For this
discussion I assume we’re considering game situations where
everyone finds some enjoyment, even with a few negative quirks, and
not those cases where disruptive players or a gamemaster’s
particular style make for a less-than-ideal experience.) Gamemasters
gain some satisfaction from the enjoyment they give their players.
Players enhance games in their own way and can provide positive
feedback for the gamemaster. Some groups offer other benefits to the
gamemaster for organizing and running the game through his
“performance,” from bringing snacks and beverages or providing a
place to gather to giving game-related gifts (some of which might
enhance the action at the game table and thus benefit the group).
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How do we place a value on
"intangible" experiences like this? |
In a way folks at conventions pay for “intangible” experiences
through their favorite games, settings, and arguably gamemasters
(besides paying to participate in other con-related experiences that
offer similar gratification). Game convention attendees certainly pay
a portion of their entry fee – and sometimes additional event fees
– to participate in games. Sometimes gamemasters see some of that
revenue “returned” through reduced admission; occasionally guest
gamemasters receive remuneration in the form of complimentary badges
and hotel rooms (and occasionally other generous perks), though hard
economic times have made such arrangements extremely rare on the
convention circuit. I’ve participated in a number of charity games
where players successfully bid on seats at the gaming table with the
likes of
Star Wars author celebrities Timothy Zahn and Michael
A. Stackpole (also a gaming luminary in his own right). Granted, the
money went to charity, but it attracted bidders based on the promise
of an “intangible” celebrity gaming experience that lasted only a
few hours.
Whether I run convention games for general attendees or special
events, I often try to give players something tangible they can take
away from the table as a souvenir of their brief game experience:
their character sheet and tent card, any printed player handouts used
in the game, and sometimes the gamemaster’s copy of the scenario
(occasionally autographed by a flattered gamemaster).
What do we take away as tangible reminders of our ephemeral gaming
experience? Certainly the character sheets, dungeon maps, scrawled
notes with related doodles in the margins, and other props from the
game itself constitute small reminders of our fantasy achievements
and heroic deeds. Some folks keep character or party journals, in
character or otherwise. Artistically gifted gamers often create
sketches of characters, treasures, villains, monsters, and locations.
At the very least satisfied players and gamemasters have the memories
of an enjoyable experience, perhaps all one can ask from an
intangible few hours rolling dice, plotting strategy, and playing
games.
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