Watch, Read, Play

 “I’m always learning new techniques and improving beyond my own knowledge because there is always something new to learn and new horizons to discover.”

— Jose Andres

I’m often looking for ways to engage people in learning through games. I believe games can provide experiences to expand our horizons and expose us to new or different perspectives; to better inform our lives, whether it’s simply spending time interacting with others or examining a more profound topic through play (and everything in between). But it’s sometimes a challenge to tempt people to play games at all, let alone entice them to try new ones, especially given our 21st century’s reliance on — and often obsession with — electronic devices and the diversions they offer. So many game experiences connect with other media, notably films/television and books (in all their varieties). Each of these forms varies in our engagement: our commitment of time, attention, and imagination. I think this trifecta of watching media, reading books, and playing games, all on a related topic, can help us immerse ourselves in something new, learn about it, and broaden our understanding through these different experiences.

This “Watch Read Play” approach (“WRP” for short) combines three activities I enjoy: watching television and movies, reading (both fiction and non-fiction), and playing games. Throughout my life I’ve immersed myself in these media forms, at first with science-fiction and fantasy movies, then with related literature, and ultimately through games. Anyone familiar with the inspirational material for the original Dungeons & Dragons game — the infamous “Appendix N” and other lists of resources — might recognize how the watching and playing aspects synthesized into playing roleplaying games. Wargaming aficionados frequently cross the boundaries of the hobby by reading about their favorite periods and viewing related films. Immersion in one aspect frequently leads to exploration of or involvement in another.

I start this process with visual entertainment media — movies, television, streaming series, even plays and musicals — because these prove the easiest to absorb. This media quickly draws viewers in, can hypnotize them in the visually and aurally rich environment, leaving little to the imagination but immersing the audience in the subject, often evoking an emotional response. It’s an effective way to offer a taste of a particular genre or period, whether a fictional film or even a non-fiction documentary. One might consider our role as viewers the most passive involvement of any of these stages. It requires the least amount of time (usually), the least effort on our part, and, in our current Internet Age, remains the most easily accessible (although limited in what corporations “curate” for viewers on their streaming platforms or released media like DVDs to actually own). Did that movie or show excite you, inspire you, make you want to know more? If “yes,” move on to read more about it; if “no,” well, then, move on to something else that might engage you. The minimal personal investment helps reduce the regret of wasted time.

Reading within a genre or period takes a bit more effort. Visual media can give us a powerful taste, but reading offers a deeper experience and can provoke a more profound understanding. It takes a bit more time, certainly to read a substantial book, but also to absorb the intricacies of fiction or the meticulous research in non-fiction...and the themes running through both. The experience is less superficial — as visual media often streamlines and adjusts literature and history for entertainment purposes — and relies more on the reader’s imagination and empathy to convey information and build an emotional attachment. Reading also offers a far greater volume of material in both fiction and non-fiction, each with its own biases, sources, and perspective on a given genre or subject. It’s not as easy an experience to share, however, like audience-oriented media...but it can inspire a reader to want to share it with others, probably by talking about a book, maybe encouraging others to read it, and in some cases, seeking to transform the material into a common experience around the game table.

(Two asides occur to me here. Why not put reading first, before watching the movie, like they do in school? And is reading more about a topic, beyond what one sees in visual media, really necessary...can’t I just jump to playing the game? Since even my time, schools teaching literature have focused on reading — even Shakespearean plays — with any performative media like movie versions relegated to a treat later in the year, if at all. While this might serve the academic agenda, it provides a barrier to exposure, where visual media lowers that threshold and invites viewers to briefly dabble in something that may or many not really enthrall them. I’d argue reading is still necessary in this trio of WRP activities, since it offers a more detailed glimpse into the genre or period, providing a deeper perspective to better inform us when we sit down to play the related game.)

Playing with a genre or period immerses us further, allowing us to explore the subject first-hand at a personal level, frequently with others gathered around the game table. This step requires the most time and effort, especially for gathering friends to play (unless using a suitable solitaire game). Figuring out the rules can prove a challenging group task, but an essential one for everyone’s understanding of the game mechanics and themes. A game’s level of abstraction and complexity can help or hinder players’ abilities to relate to their roles and actions within the game, though a knowledgeable host can sometimes mitigate this challenge. Players already primed their imaginations and empathy for immersion by having watched visual media and read relevant books. An essential element of the play — as with any other stages in the WRP approach — comes from reflecting on the experience, even discussing it with others who’ve shared it. How well does it interpret the related media we watched and read? What emotions did it evoke in us, particularly after having explored other media beforehand? Does it help us relate any better to people or themes we encountered earlier? Does it offer any message relevant to our current lives or the world through which we navigate?

“Watch Read Play” works best when relating to various fiction genres and periods in history. Certainly other hands-on topics, like cooking, can employ a similar approach (watching cooking shows, reading cookbooks, and finally trying recipes in the kitchen ourselves). But I focus on analog gaming (though I also cook), so I’m looking at the “Watch Read Play” method in that context. Not every genre or period has a good game; some have an abundance of titles. But many games emerge from a particular entertainment genre or historical period, so from a planner’s perspective, it helps to work in reverse. Start with a game and look for books and media that influenced or informed it...but present to others with the enticing morsel of watching some visual media first, to both gauge/stir their interest and invite them to explore further.

I’ll draw on some personal experience for illustrating an example of how this might work, specifically in the science-fiction genre. Star Wars provides a good, light example, both in general and in how many early fans experienced it. After each of the original three films released, fans had only a few resources to indulge their enthusiasm for the universe: the soundtracks, a host of plastic action figures, and Star Wars-branded merchandise. Those seeking a deeper appreciation of the fictitious galaxy far, far away found a handful of tie-in novels released over the years, notably Alan Dean Foster’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and Brian Daley’s Han Solo Adventures novels, along with and a continuing series of Marvel comic book stories (with a newspaper comic series). Initially the only game offerings available consisted of a few Kenner board games, like Escape from Death Star and Destroy Death Star games. After Return of the Jedi the franchise cooled down, to the point by the mid-1980s when it had little steam left. But novels and games converged to resuscitate interest in the Star Wars license, encourage Lucasfilm to release special CGI-enhanced editions of the original trilogy movies, fueled the production of the prequel trilogy, and ultimately led to the media smorgasbord of the Disney-era Star Wars franchise. Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn novels breathed new life back into the franchise, inspired fans new and old, and brought attention to West End Games’ Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, which allowed fans to really immerse themselves in the setting.

This stands as one example of how moving image media, books, and games intertwine to expose people to new ideas in entertainment and learning and encourage further interest. I’ve explored historical periods in this way, too, though probably not with as much social success as I have with Star Wars.

I’ve found this method of watching, reading, and playing has proven an engaging way not simply to entertain myself, but to help me learn, reflect, and grow. And it’s a good way to introduce others to something new, to spend time together sharing experiences we enjoy, and perhaps to invite them to discuss and find deeper meaning. I intend to dedicate an occasional Hobby Game Recce post to examining resources in using WRP to explore different genres and periods. The example above using Star Wars provides a brief idea what this might look like, though, knowing me, I’d probably ramble on a bit more about my favorite or potentially useful movies, books, and games for a particular topic. One element I didn’t provide above are some questions we might use to reflect on our experiences with the material, both about the subject itself and how each form interprets it differently.

I invite you to try this “Watch Read Play” approach yourselves as a multifaceted way to explore fiction and history...and a method for introducing new topics to others, encouraging them to more deeply experience and understand them.

“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”

— Benjamin Franklin