Well Played III — Playing a Game, Making a Game: The Experience(s) of Prince of Persia

Drew Davidson · Francois Emery · James Paul Gee

Wed., June 10, 3:30–4:30, Play Circle Theater (2nd floor, West)

With this presentation, we will discuss the experience of playing the latest Prince of Persia videogame along with discussing the experience of designing and developing the game. Sequences in the game will be played and analyzed in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how the various components of the game come together to create a fulfilling playing experience. We will look at the narrative development and game design, highlight overarching themes and game play mechanics. We are going to alternate between sharing insights from the playing experience, and then explore the design and development process as well.

Well Played 1.0 is a recent book with a group of authors performing similar analyses of various videogames. The goal of this book is to help develop and define a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Videogames are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis.