The paper I delivered at DIGRA 5 in Hilversum, NL is now available online through their digital library. Direct link to the paper here.
Pattern Recognition:
Gameplay as negotiating procedural form
Abstract:
This paper will examine the relationship of pattern recognition and Gestalt principles to procedural form in gameplay. It will identify key features of pattern based play mechanics and outline important synergies between programming paradigms and procedural form. In the course of the paper I will examine the formal and aesthetic qualities of procedural structures and discuss how they generate the experience of psychological flow. I will also identify the role of these mechanisms and their effects in current game design.
Keywords:
Video Games, Computer Games, Emergence, Ludic, Procedural form, Generative, Digital Sublime, Programming