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WetWareGames: Initiating Coverage with a Strong ‘Read and Discuss’ Rating!

Welcome to WetWareGames, and pleased to make your acquaintance! This a personal blog for sharing thoughts and discussions on hopefully interesting topics with friends and colleagues – and perhaps make some new friends along the way. According to Wikipedia, the fount of all human understanding, “wetware” refers to both the physical brain and the human mind. So the name “WetWareGames” covers a breadth of subjects on which I might write:

1. Games, especially unplugged, acoustic or analog games (aka boardgames, cardgames or tabletop games) – since these are games that can be played with just your wetware
2. Passive Media (books, film, TV) – as the most intelligent media can set off a around of mental gymnastics (wetware games)
3. Tech Disruptions – while tech is about software and hardware, in the end it’s wetware that drives the biggest innovations
4. Social Commentary – as not everything is a game
5. Cognitive Development – with a young family, it’s fascinating to watch a child’s wetware develop, and for them, learning is play!

1. Games, especially unplugged, acoustic or analog games
(otherwise known as boardgames, cardgames or tabletop games)

I am especially interested in deconstructing, analyzing and designing games. Unplugged games are particularly notable because of the relatively recent renaissance in their design (a movement called ‘euro games’ or even ‘German games’ after its originating country, or alternatively ‘designer games’ or ‘hobby games’), and because it’s still a cottage industry. With just 1-2 people and not a lot of capital you could conceivably design, develop and publish a new game. There’s no money in it (very few boardgame designers can hope to quit their day jobs for it), but there’s still been a ton of creativity in the 15 short years since Settlers of Catan hit the radar. Shortly after a new game with an cool, original mechanic bursts onto the scene, the market will be flooded by new designs that explore and attempt to improve on those ideas. For example, games which have innovated on role selection (Verräter and Puerto Rico, followed by Twilight Imperium 3rd Ed., Race for the Galaxy, Glory to Rome), worker placement (Caylus, then Agricola, Age of Empires III, Dominant Species), and deck-building (Dominion, plus Thunderstone, Ascension, Nightfall), just as a starter list.

By comparison, video games are now a big business (as we are constantly told, bigger than movies in revenues), and it takes a huge professional team with immense resources – often in the $100M range – to write the next blockbuster. But I don’t see anywhere near the same kind of originality as in boardgames. Video games fall into a few very well-defined genres (RTS, FPS, MMORPG, platformer, puzzler, etc.), and all that improves in a newer game is flashier, more realistic graphics. No real innovations in gameplay, other than minor tweaks (e.g. Tower Defense is really just a simplified RTS in another guise). And let’s not forget so-called ‘social games’! These take core gameplay (and graphics) that are 30 years old – that I used to handcode as a kid in Apple BASIC – and tack on a ‘keep up with the Joneses’ dynamic; after of course the game’s publisher has spammed your social network to suck in as many of your friends as it can … indeed, there are many parallels between social games and pyramid schemes, except that the gamers at the top of the pyramid don’t earn hard cash from the minions below, they must be satisfied with gloating that they have more points than them in a game which by itself is no fun to play …

That being said, I still love games of all types – and I’m sure there are lessons to be learned from unplugged games which can help computer, video and yes social and mobile games to flourish and innovate once more to improve the core gaming experience – to make it more fun and engaging! So “wetware games” can refer to games that are played primarily with wetware – no need for electronic software or hardware – unplugged games. But it can also mean using our wetware to improve electronic and Internet games. So we talk about both in this blog!

2. Passive Media (books, film, TV)

If games are “active entertainment” – i.e. they require active participation and decision-making from the players – then we compare that with “passive media”: books, film and TV.  I’m no English lit academic or Roger Ebert so you needn’t expect reams of artistic criticism.  But every now and again, some intelligent passive media gets produced, which is worthy of discussion and analysis.  Most movies by Christopher Nolan, for example – the director of The Prestige (2006) and Inception (2010).  Conjecturing what Nolan meant to portray in the final scene, and then re-interpreting the rest of the screenplay if required – those are mental gymnastics that can be classed as “wetware games”.

3. Tech Disruptions

I’ve been in the tech industry for most of my career – across Australia, Asia, Europe and now Silicon Valley – and it’s a source of endless fascination and professional interest.  Firstly, without a doubt we are in the midst of a Third Industrial Revolution which will cause at least as profound changes (and improvements) in society, culture, institutions, economics and productivity as the first two.  Secondly, the constant innovation and disruption is unparalleled.  Who would have thought that in only a few decades, titans of the IT industry such as NCR and Wang would be brought low?  That IBM has survived but only through a near-death experience?  That Microsoft would so quickly rise from its humble beginnings to become the most valuable company in the world?  That Apple could come back Lazarus-like from the grave to successively transform the industries for music delivery, smartphones and tablets, and finally sock Microsoft in the eye after losing so comprehensively in PCs?  That Google, a web-based search service not so different from AltaVista before it, would come to be hailed as the “New Microsoft”?

And yes, I called Facebook the “New Google” some years ago already, while it was emerging from its cocoon as a student community platform.  Unfortunately for me, I haven’t made heaps of dough from following the industry so closely.  But with this blog I could at least document for posterity when I call out the “New Facebook” (here’s a hint, it’s not going to be another social network, nor will it be Groupon or Zynga).  Perhaps I could at least draw moral satisfaction from being proven right in the “wetware games” required to predict the form and outcome of the many tech disruptions and revolutions to come …

4. Social Commentary

Every now and again, something happens in society that is cause for comment.  Something that proves that injustice, racism, cognitive dissonance are all alive and well, and why we can’t always use our wetware for games.  These comments will likely involve sex, politics or religion (frequently all three), so certainly only for those of strong fortitude around a dinner table.

5. Cognitive Development

Finally, we’re the proud parents of a nearly two-year old toddler, and another on the way.  It’s been a lot of hard work, but as any young parent will tell you, highly rewarding.  Intellectually, what’s interesting is how our daughter has developed and grown, and how she picks up and learns all the skills, knowledge and language that we take for granted as an adult.  In many ways cognitive development is a “wetware game” – it’s about the development of the physical brain and the mental mind, but also for babies and toddlers, learning is play.  For example, child development experts might argue that playing “peek-a-boo” with a baby is not only fun for them, but helps them to learn the concept of object permanence (i.e. if something is hidden from your sight, it could still be there).  It’s comforting to be reminded that learning is and should be fun – throughout all of life – so if I come across a particularly cool example, you, dear reader, will be in the know.

The End of the Beginning

That was a longer introduction than I was anticipating – but I hope it gave you a flavor of what’s to come.  It’s going to be sporadic (due to #3 my full-time job, and #5 my family), but I truly look forward to engaging with you in a dialogue and mutual learning about these areas of passion and interest, these veritable “wetware games”!

Don’t be afraid to comment or start a discussion, and remember to follow this blog for updates on RSS, Twitter or by email (sign up on the right)!

Jokersmiley, esq.