WHO CARES ABOUT SOCIAL GAMES?a talk for CompuGirls

John Carter McKnight

July 2011

who am I and why am I here?

adjunct professor of lawPhD student in “Human & Social

Dimensions of Science & Technology”

I study how people build communities and negotiate rules in online spaces

and I play a lot of games!

“Games are a series of interesting choices” – Sid Meier

Social games (Facebook games) get trashed by game developers,

who don’t find the choices interesting

why not?

who makes games?

who plays games?

“but those aren’t games games!”

what kinds of choices are interestingto you?

the game mechanics – those “interesting choices” – are actually the same as in a game that

developers, critics – and game studies professors - love

same choices, different context!

so what?

who decides what choices are “interesting”? you do!

great games – like great books – are the ones you can come back to

and find something interesting every time.

so….what’s interesting?