Minecraft Is Not A Game

Video Description

Minecraft is not a game, but it is a video game. In this video I talk about how we define the word game - something that is difficult enough that the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein called it impossible. But by using the philosophy of Bernard Suits, along with some linguistic and game development insight, we are able to create a definition that is a helpful analytic tool for thinking about games. Finally we build that definition into a larger theory of what ‘video games’ are, and apply that theory to give some helpful insight to game design problems. Patreon - https://patreon.com/FractalPhilosophy?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink Blue prince footage is from 'jojPlays' on YouTube because I did eight runs in a row without getting a greenhouse and it’s only a 4 second shot. GTA5 footage is from ‘Mike The Goon’ on YouTube because I forgot my Rockstar social club password and their customer support sucks. All the other footage was recorded by me. The Beat Saber gameplay is low res because I configured the Oculus settings wrong and that song is way too hard for (highly asthmatic) me to play again. Chess game layout is taken from Calsen vs Neimann which felt appropriate to talking about ‘infinite ways to cheat’. Chapters: 0:00 Minecraft is Not a Game 0:37 "There's no rule that says a dog can't play basketball" 3:22 What is a Game? 5:50 Lusory attitude 9:28 (De/Pre)scriptivism 16:30 What is a Video Game? 19:05 Interplay within video games 24:40 Creative Problem Solving 26:56 Player mindsets 28:56 Conclusion Book 1 of The Republic ends with “I have gone from one subject to another without having discovered what I sought at first, the nature of justice. I left that inquiry and turned away to consider whether justice is a virtue and wisdom or evil and folly; and when there arose a further question about the comparative advantages of justice and injustice, I could not refrain from passing on to that. And the result of that whole discussion has been that I know nothing at all.” Dear viewer, never before have I felt more kinship with Plato than the moment I read that. Or should I say Socrates? But like Plato is the one who wrote that… Whatever.