But, is it possible that computer games have only at their infancy? Suppose we could set aside all assumptions -- what kinds of games could be imagined if we consciously decided to do something new? Let's step outside the box a little.
Consider MMORPGs. A core assumption of these games is that players want to compete against each other. So what happens if we challenge that assumption?
What if instead of making yet another Hobbesian world of constant competition, a game could be funded that subordinated competition to cooperation? What if the highest-level goal baked into the game was not personally topping a leaderboard or belonging to the biggest guild, but something more constructive instead?
There could still be competition in such a game. Competition in moderation is healthy; it's a very effective way of efficiently distributing finite resources. But in a game where resources can be considered infinite, competition would not be the be-all and end-all of play -- it would be a subgame that ultimately supports the top-level cooperative effort.
As an example of this, what about a "Big Challenge" game where all players have to work together in complex ways over a long time to avert some disaster or complete a major accomplishment?
Below is a diagram I that shows various forms of computer games that have been invented so far and how they interact to form specific modes of gameplay:
The specific details of this diagram are less important than the general relationships suggested and the size of each ellipse is irrelevant; there's no correlation with "importance. When I look at this diagram, I see the gaps.
What if the Adventure Games circle were expanded to intersect with MMOGs? Could there be a massively multiplayer adventure game? What if the Strategy Games circle were expanded to CRPGs, so that you actually played a character whose effectiveness at strategic planning determined your character's story arc? What if the Strategy Games circle were expanded to MMORPGs, so that gameplay wasn't just a bunch of mindless one-on-one slapfights but represented hundreds of thousands of massive empires spanning a galaxy?
What if the Software Toys circle, with its emphasis on simulation, were expanded into MMORPGs? Can you imagine a game where the gameplay revolved around how well your characters responded to dynamic but comprehensible changes in complex systems? What kinds of systems would be fun to simulate if you could allow thousands of characters to fiddle simultaneously with the switches and dials of a gloriously complex gameworld?
In short, these gaps are the opportunities to experiment with new kinds of computer game products. So let's start exploring...
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