A MAZE. / Berlin 2022

We often talk about games as systems that respond to our choices and decision-making. But what happens when we roll the dice, watch two AIs fight, or pray adamantly that the DVD logo will hit the corner of the screen? Aren't we playing? Aren't there rules involved even when we have no control over our outcomes?

In this talk Flan highlights many types of "ambient" play as they appear in the world and in video games, offer some lenses for understanding, question why we don't often talk about this type of engagement on its own terms, and dig into the deeper meaning of luck and skill.