Reyy

I don't think game designers are "limiting themselves" to the conventions established in other media. If M. Wolf was referring to the narrative quality of the other media, then the designers are not limiting themselves. They are designing in such a way that players can use "intuition" on top of the rules established by the game. [GDs know their players] Most players will want an objective, [start here...end here]. Is there a possibility for abstraction to result in a different gaming experience? Sure.

The notion of "abstraction resulting in new gaming experience" that the author suggested is confusing. I thought the games today evolved from abstracted games of the past. Yes, a lot of the video games copy from the more successful ones. But that's a result of a market driven industry.

The thing I like about the abstraction of a video game is the essence of the game will be clear. It's up to me to add to it [imagery]. Out of the games played last Wednesday, "Space Invaders" appealed to me the most. It didn't have the 3D illusion of the other two. I realize the game was sold to people as "beings from another world, universe, galaxy, etc invading the planet". But to me it was interesting, that I didn't need the 3D illusion to see my 'space' becoming more limited as these things come down the screen.

As far as for a game to be played for the midterm, I thought of any Halo game. Unfortunately I don't have Halo or any pc game for that matter. Minesweeper, maybe?