Digital Literature
Topic:
Play and Game Designs in
Digital Literature (1)
@Shuen-shing Lee
Unless specified otherwise, texts quoted in the lecture
are mostly taken from “Explorations of Ergodic
Literature” (2002) and Code at Work, Text at Play
(2004).
Outline:
 Defining Terms and Jargons
 Demonstrating Works
 Analyzing Forms of Expression
What to Do:
We’ll discuss literary play, games, and texts that
contain ludic components. Keywords such as play
(paidia) and game (ludus) will be elucidated. A
differentiation of forms of representation and
simulation is also included in our discussion list.
Armed with such a basic understanding, we’ll
explore a multitude of forms of simulation employed
in digital literature.
Terms and Jargons
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Hypertext Literature (done; wk1)
意指以超文本作為表現形式的文學作品。
超文本（Hypertext ; hyper=over, above, beyond)。
Ted Nelson的造字(1965)，意指一組包含連結點的文
件，允許讀者在其間自由移動。例：雅虎網站
超文本也可指一種結構，由相互連結的文件創造出來。
Cybertext (done; wk1)
意指「含有資訊回饋迴圈的系統」。 範例：電玩。
Terms and Jargons

Play: 4 categories
competition, chance, mimicry, vertigo (see
Caillois 12-13; print )
Play: 6 properties
Free, Separate, Uncertain, Unproductive,
Governed by rules, Make-believe (see
Caillois 9-10; print; see next slide)
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Free [from obligations]: in which playing is not obligatory; if it
were, it would at once lose its attractive and joyous quality as
diversion;
Separate [being spatially and temporally independent]:
circumscribed within limits of space and time, defined and fixed
in advance;
Uncertain [the course and result uncertain]: the course of
which cannot be determined, nor the result attained
beforehand, and some latitude for innovations being left to the
player’s initiative;
Unproductive [creating nothing physical]: creating neither
goods, nor wealth, nor new elements of any kind; and except
for the exchange of property among the players, ending in a
situation identical to that prevailing at the beginning of the
game;
Governed by rules: under conventions that suspend ordinary
laws, and for the moment established new legislation, which
alone counts;
Make-believe: accompanied by a special awareness of a
second reality or of a free unreality, as against real life
-- Caillois, Man, Play and Games, 12-13
Terms and Jargons


paidia, play (嬉玩)
ludus, game (競玩)
Games are dominated by the ultimate goal of win-lose
or other similar binary patterns of opposition, while
play embraces no goals of such kind (Frasca 1998).
競玩含輸贏結構或其它二元對立模式，嬉玩則無此結
構(Frasca 1998).
Terms and Jargons
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Representation 再現
以文字或視覺的形式，將物件或概念呈現出來的動作
Simulation; behavior modeling 模擬
「模擬不只包含了再現形式，另指向物件或一套系統的行為模仿」
(Frasca 2002; 另見“Simulation 101”)
Representation is "the act of portrayal, picturing, or other
rendering in [textual and] visible form" (Random House
Dictionary), a way of presentation prevalent in analog media
such as fiction and film. By comparison, "Simulation does not
simply represent objects and systems, but it also models their
behaviors" (Frasca 2002; to be further discussed in “Simulation
101”)
Terms and Jargons


For a comparative definition of
simulation and representation, see
Frasca’s Simulation 101 (HTML or try
this online version).
Representation = Narration = imagining
Simulation = Operation = imagineering
(imagining + engineering)
Terms and Jargons
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
“For an external observer, the outcome
of a simulation is a narration. But the
simulation itself is something bigger than
narrative. It is a dynamic system that yes,
contains thousands of potential "stories", but
it is larger than the sum of its parts.” --Frasca
“Simulation is act of modeling a system A by
a less complex system B, which retains some
of A's original behavior.” --Frasca
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
a metaphorical transformation (game)

“Asteroids”
(Atari, 1979)
(see
list-game.htm
; dd)
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
a metaphorical transformation (game)
“arteroids” (〈藝術之星〉);
“Asteroids” (〈外行星〉)
The shooting mode of “Arteroids” is
modified from that of “Asteroids,”
an early arcade game.
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In its first Canto, the default
defensive is the word "poetry,"
whose mission is to shoot,
cracking open charging words
or phrases such as "death,"
"fear," "insecurity," "nothing," or
even "poetry" itself but in
different colors.
(see list.htm; dd)
超越單純的模擬（競玩）


“arteroids” (〈藝術之星〉);
“Asteroids” (〈外行星〉)
以「詩」當射擊台，迎戰
文字入侵，其中文字包括：
死亡、恐懼、不安、空無、
著作審查、獨斷主義、傳
統、疏離等等，甚至詩一
字本身，從譬喻角度來看，
這相當於是指以詩抗拒負
面事物的發生或存在，或
經由自我毀滅獲得再生。
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
a metaphorical transformation (game)
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You will be able to construct sentences such as:
“The battle of Poetry against itself and the forces of dullness”
(『詩抗拒自我，也抗拒沉悶』), “poetry poetry all is poetry
destroyed and created” (『任何事物都是詩，先破壞再創造
出來』).
Symbolically, "poetry" is a weapon against the dark side of
life and destroys even itself for the sake of resurrection. The
interactive form of “Arteroids," in which the gamer assumes
the role of a poet/fighter responsible for the gaming
consequence of winning or losing, has re-energized such
cliche motifs as "poetry vs. death" in literature.
This work transfers the motif of resistance from the platform
of representation to that of simulation, wherein the
imagineering (imagining + engineering) experience is greatly
different from the imagining perception .
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
a metaphorical transformation (game)
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〈藝術之星〉（“arteroids”）改編自早
期電玩〈外行星〉（“Asteroids”）的射
擊遊戲模式 。
以「詩」當射擊台，迎戰文字入侵，其
中文字包括：死亡、恐懼、不安、空無
、著作審查、獨斷主義、傳統、疏離等
等，甚至詩一字本身。
可拼出這樣的句子：『詩抗拒自我，也
抗拒沉悶』（“The battle of Poetry
against itself and the forces of dullness.”
）、『任何事物都是詩，先破壞再創造
出來』」（ “poetry poetry all is poetry
destroyed and created.” ）。
以「詩」抗拒負面人事物的題材，平面
文學史屢見不鮮，改以互動遊戲形式呈
現，將勝負結果交付詩人／玩家手中，
由平面再現型（representation）的抗拒
，轉化為模擬型（simulation）的反擊，
在允許互動的行為虛擬模式裏，不斷操
演詩的破壞力與再生力。
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
a metaphorical transformation (game)
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See also “Trigger Happy.”
Using Foucault’s text (selected
from “What Is an Author?”) as
the shooting targets.
(see list-game.htm; dd)
Notes: 1. Authorship was a
vague concept in ancient times
(Laozi, Confucius); 2.
Authorship arose along with
writing becoming a profession; 3.
In the internet era, everything is
free? Authorship is to be
abolished? A return to nonauthorship?
Screenshots(DOC)
Foucault’s Text (HTML)
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
a metaphorical transformation (game)

“Trigger Happy”
is based on the
arcade game
“Space
Invaders.”
(see listgame.htm; dd)
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
an ironic simulation (play)

〈熊〉（“Bear”）
（ “Teddy Will
Comfort Me”;泰迪熊溫
暖我的心）
(see list.htm; dd)
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
an ironic simulation (play)

"Teddy will comfort me" is the only phrase on the
"Bear" page in Nobody Here (anonymous). Above
this phrase rests a visual paidia environment
wherein the reader/player is invited to torture a
Teddy bear with an array of objects such as scissors,
tape, and nails. Irony immediately arises from the
clash between the text (representation) and the
paidia situation (simulation): the consolation is
derived from sadistically torturing a cuddly toy rather
than being comforted by its cuteness. Notably, it is
the input of physicality from the reader/player which
converts the paidia situation into a signifying system.
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
an ironic simulation (play)

〈熊〉的文字部分僅一句：「泰迪會安慰我」
（Teddy will comfort me），其上動態圖案為一嬉玩
環境（paidia; play），允許讀者拿各種小道具折磨其
中的小熊。以折磨小熊獲得心情上的安慰，諷刺
（irony）盡在「不言」中，但必須由玩家在模擬環境
中親自操「刀」，方得體驗妙意。亦即玩家必須有實
體的輸入（physical input），才能將嬉玩情境轉化為
能生產意義的系統，並可與文字部分進行對照。兩者
交互作用的結果，迸出了第三層意涵：諷刺。
Simulation (Play) As an Interactive
Illustration :“Hermit” (〈寄居蟹〉)
Simulation (Play) As an Interactive
Illustration :“Hermit” (〈寄居蟹〉)
Herman was lying in the tide afraid
of everything,
until I took him to the safety of the
city,
where he now hides
in drugs, religion, money and lust.
賀曼（蟹）原本躺在潮底
老是怕東怕西
這情況一直到我將他帶回城市，才
獲得改善
現在，他鎮日躲在
毒品、宗教、金錢和色慾裏
The hermit crab is a peculiar
animal.
寄居蟹真是一種奇特的生物
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
http://www.nobodyhere.com/justme/hermit.here
(See list.htm; dd)
Beyond Mimicry (Literal Simulation):
an ironic simulation (play)

一般平面刊物的插圖通常都是單向傳播，進入數位刊
物，用以輔助文字說明的成分除靜態圖片之外，另有
動態影音，而添加互動成分，也是常見的設計。〈寄
居蟹〉（"Herman"）中的互動設計，可視為一種互動
式的插圖，因為它的存在，正是為了說明文字敘事的
意涵。〈寄居蟹〉的文字部分，大意是說：原本住在
海邊的一隻寄居蟹，生性害羞，有一天被帶到城裏去，
結果染上多種惡習。故事帶點寓言性質，其中的道德
教訓有點接近「近朱則赤、近墨則黑」。也有可能在
比較原始自然生活和文明都會生活的差異。
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works
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Digital Fortune telling?: “I’Ching Poetry
Engine”
(see list.htm; dd)
A fortune telling toy?: “Oracle.”
(see list.htm; dd)
A smooth operator?: “Soothciruit”
Textual Carving: “Carving in Possibilities”
(see list.htm; dd)
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works:
“I’Ching Poetry Engine”
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〈易詩機器〉（“I’Ching Poetry Engine”）
From fortune telling to poetry making
The state in this screen shot represents that three
tiny circles have been clicked. The current
hexagram on display is called “CONSTRAINT,”
the 30th of I Ching （離）.
The screen shot indicates a randomly
generated poem gliding into the 3D space
and shrinking into the dark depth along the
z-axis. In this reading of mine, the poem
goes as follows: “berries everywhere, / ripe
for picking / will swift justice propel you
forwards? / deliver your blow soundly now! /
truth burns / make choices in your doing /
feet on the earth, / flame ahead to light up
the way! / proceed.”
*From divine chance to artful randomness;
Mysteriousness persists in the transformation from
the supernatural to the artificial
超越單純的模擬（嬉玩）：
“I’Ching Poetry Engine”
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25
例：〈易詩機器〉（“I’Ching Poetry
Engine”）
圖1 畫面表示三個圈圈已經被點選。畫
面上的爻叫做「離」，在易卜中編號30。
圖2 畫面顯示隨機產生的詩句正飄進3D
空間，並沿著深度軸逐漸消失。我的操作
曾得到以下詩句：: “berries everywhere, /
ripe for picking / will swift justice propel
you forwards? / deliver your blow soundly
now! / truth burns / make choices in your
doing / feet on the earth, / flame ahead to
light up the way! / proceed.”
＊天機與隨機 :
〈易詩機器〉所生產的卦詩都是隨機的文字組
合，不含任何「神」秘性。亦即，〈易詩
機器〉只是一個含隨機成分的嬉玩作品，
目的不在於探問天機，而是在於藝術美感
的追求。
＊藝術智慧
AI=“Artful” Intelligence (1)
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works:
“Oracle”
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How to operate “oracle”:
To get an answer to his question from the
machine, the user has to go through the
following steps: (1) arranging three peculiar
symbols randomly provided by the machine in
the way he thinks fit; (2) inputting his own
interpretations to a statement, called “situation,”
randomly provided by the machine; and (3)
repeating Steps (1) and (2) once. When the
user finishes the procedure, his interpretations
and the statements provided by the machine will
combine at the end of the ritual, forming an
answer to the question he puts forth at the
beginning.
“I’m someone who values the [random] process
on many levels, who considers oracles much
more than fortune telling toys, and for whom the
activity involves a profound (and profoundly
playful) meditation about the nature of time and
synchronicity. . .” (Slattery, anxieties.htm).
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works:
“Soothcircuit”
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works:
“Soothcircuit”
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works:
“Soothcircuit”
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A few hints:
General Introduction: “The text in the North (top) position represents something
hidden, vague, or obscure—perhaps a distant source or goal. The text in the
East (right) position represents something emergent. The text in the South
position represents the element that dominates the reading. The text in the
West represents something waning or receding.” –Robert Kendall
Sample Case 1: “Suppose you want to know whether someone will reciprocate
your amorous interest. If the transistor (representing emotional attachment)
appears in the dark area at the top of the screen, things look bad for your
romantic future. Conversely, the appearance of this icon in the lighter area at
the bottom of the screen presages a brighter outcome.” –Robert Kendall
Sample Case 2: “you might wish to know whether you should wait patiently for
a situation to resolve itself or speak up and try to influence the outcome. If the
battery (symbolizing time) appears in the light and the speaker (symbolizing
communication) ends up in the dark, waiting would be preferable to speaking
out.” –Robert Kendall

The alternative use of randomness deftly frees Slattery
from such generic charges as Michael Mateas’s on
fortune telling programs “implemented in gears or in
code”: “They work by giving ambiguous responses that
can be interpreted by individuals in the contexts of their
own lives; by having the responses relate to important
life themes, such as love or career, these systems
effectively push most of the sense-making onto the
human participant instead of into the system. The
participant does all the work of reading meaning into a
random process” (2004). Mateas is perfectly right to
point out that the user’s engagement in an oracular
interpretation hinges upon a free but subjective
association with what the user is concurrently
concerned with. But Mateas has not perceived that
serious fortune telling involves a particular kind of
“willing belief”: the message in an oracle is not from a
machine or human-made agent but a deity. Or to
magnify the point, Mateas does not differentiate
algorithmic randomness from divine Chance, at least in
the case of I Ching. Taking I Ching as a cybertext or a
fortune telling object driven by algorithmic randomness
is one thing, while treating I Ching as a divine oracle
provider is another matter.
* See Mateas_on_fortunetelling.doc for more info.
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works:
“Carving in Possibilities”
More Artful Behavior-Modeling Works
“Carving in Possibilities”
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Texts and a graphic bust of Michelangelo’s
“David” in this work unravel step-by-step in
response to continual random re-positioning of
the mouse.
The motion of the mouse, accompanied by
pounding sounds which imply steel carving
stone, connotes the process of transforming a
shapeless rock into a statue with a human form.
The application of mouseover/play design
elevates the playground of random search to that
of a metaphorical quest for a certain object.
超越單純的模擬（嬉玩）
“Carving in Possibilities”

拉森（Deena Larsen）〈可能性的鑿刻〉（"Carving
in Possibilities"）是另一個範例，其中以滑鼠事件的
碰觸來進行文本的揭顯，過程中，一幅原本模糊不清
的背景圖，隨著碰觸事件次數的累積，輪廓逐漸明朗，
到最後，一幅大衛石雕像的面孔終於浮現。由這個操
作結果，回頭品味，單以聲音為例，每一個滑鼠碰觸
所引發的巨響，都可視為一個鑿刻的回音模擬，同時
是對「真相」的步步逼近，如此不難看出作者賦予
「碰觸」動作獨特想像，不再只是單純用以揭顯文本
的指示型的功能工具，而連帶地，其所營造出來的嬉
玩環境，最初原只是一自由摸索的空間，逐步轉化為
類似尋寶／揭開真相的探索場域。