In Chapter 4 of Isbister’s How Games Move Us, she discusses three examples of tactics in which game designers use in terms of bridging distance to create intimacy and connection between players: 1.) the sharing/exchanging of digital objects, 2.) the cultivation of “summer camp”– like contents for play, and 3.) the shaping of hobbyist and activist communities around play.
I personally related to the first tactic the most because I never been to summer camp before, and I’m not really part of an active gaming community (although I’m highly debating on building a Steam account and reinstalling Pokemon Go back onto my phone– it was too buggy and too addictive).
For us humans, we crave interaction with other beings. We show care towards each other, and sometimes, it’s the little gestures that bring us together: writing a note on a sticky-note on the counter for your loved one to see, sharing food with a friend, or doing simple favors like taking notes in class for a sick friend or holding the door for someone who needs a hand. However, sometimes we aren’t physically around the people we care about and still want to show our care and continue the bond we once had. Games have the ability to bring us together and bridge the distance we have with the people we care about. When my dad could no longer speak due to aphasia from brain cancer, we played a game called “Sequence”. It was a challenging partner board game, similar to Connect 4, and it was our way of bringing our family together and laughing, despite hard times. One rule of the game was not being able to speak to your gaming partner, which made things work. It was as if the rhythm of play did the talking and the bonding for us, and I’ll always treasure that.
Digital games can also bring people together. Isbister talks about Words With Friends (WWF) and how this game allows people to engage in a slow form of coexperience, and how it’s a lightweight way of keeping in touch through the game which happens to be on social media. I guess you can say that I tend to go with a heavier way of keeping in touch with friends, but in short bursts of time, as opposed to the lightweight, slow form of WWF. When I’m away from my friends, but we somehow want to have fun with each other, we opt to play TetrisFriends, an online Tetris website where you can opt to play with the TetrisFriends community, or build rooms where you can play privately with your personal group of friends up to 6 players. The game is live, there’s a live chat screen on the right side of the ongoing game, and each game lasts for as long as one’s Tetris build does not top out. You can also send gifts or coins to each other on TetrisFriends. Though it is not the same as being in physical contact with my friends and/or family, TetrisFriends is definitely powerful in the sense of bridging the gap and distance between us, and letting us bond and show care through digital means.