MIB North Extras: Director's Cut: The Play's the Thing

Director's Cut - The Play's the Thing

or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Game"

Andrew Looney is the head honcho over at Looney Labs, and has a number of successful designs under his belt. Were I ever to fill up my absent free time with more official demo work, their Lab Rabbit program would be in my top 3 to join. As it is, I'm virtually a free-range Rabbit, with the large amounts of Chrononauts and Icehouse games I run at conventions and club meetings.

Icehouse is important to this discussion - it's a game system rather than a game. An Icehouse "set" consists of two or more groups of pyramid pieces (5 small, 5 medium and 5 large), and whatever other pieces and parts needed for the game you want to play. There are over 50 games available that you can play with Icehouse pieces, and two games in particular use Icehouse pieces and a tarot deck to play - Gnostica and Zarcana. Gnostica was created as an "improvement" over Zarcana, and is included in their Playing With Pyramids book of Icehouse games.

Andrew Looney recently wrote an article comparing the two games, and then separately posted his (excellent) thoughts about his game design process. What struck me is how seemingly opposite our tastes in games are - he likes games that have a random, chaotic element, and that allow him to take a turn, then step away from the game. I prefer games that minimize luck's chances at screwing over my superior game plan, and games that constantly challenge you and force you to be involved at all times.

Yet I love Looney Labs games. I own 'em all. How weird is that?

I have a sneaking suspicion that we're reaching the same point by different means. Where I have always viewed a game like Aquarius or Chrononauts as a gateway game, leading to other, "deeper" games, Andrew Looney stops at the gate, pitches a tie-dyed tent, and throws a party right there at the entrance. For both of us (and I appreciate the perils of comparing a gifted demo team member with the ACTUAL CEO of a successful multi-product game company), the goal is to meet and play games with as many people as possible. What we do after that first game is perhaps not that important - we've found a common interest, and provided a forum to find more.

At this point, I was going to toss out some glib comparison starting with: "I may not be inviting Andrew over for any six-hour games of Titan, but..." You know what? I would, and I'd lay odds that he might even accept. Not because the game is something he'd choose to play given his druthers, but because he would get to spend a day with people that share in a love of games, in a fun, competitive atmosphere, with food and drink (well, there would be if it were at my place), good conversation and laughs aplenty. Similarly, the idea of six hours of Aquarius might be unsettling, unless you factor in the delight of hanging out with the Looney Labs folks for that period of time.

Gaming is a social activity, and Looney Labs games serve as a good fifteen-minute reminder that maybe you should be less concerned about winning and more concerned about having fun. My mental image of a game may be more elaborate than the typical Looney Labs game, but my image of how to enjoy a game is right in line with theirs. The play's the thing, indeed.

Alex Yeager
AlexYeager@yahoo.com
SJ Games North US MIB RD/Cheapass Games Demo Monkey