Mimesis as Make-Believe

A pair of parallel serials based on the work of Professor Kendall Walton ran from March 15th to May 27th 2010, here and over at ihobo.com. The main serial here at Only a Game, entitled Mimesis as Make-Believe, concerned Walton's make-believe theory of representations and presents in something of a digest form the principal elements of this model for understanding art. The parallel serial, entitled Game Design as Make-Believe, adapted the make-believe theory to the design of videogames and boardgames. Each of the parts ends with a link to the next one, so to read either of the serials, simply click on the first link for the serial you want to follow below, and then follow the "next" links to read on.

Here are the seven parts of Mimesis as Make-Believe:

1. Imagination
2. Props
3. Principles of Generation
4. Fictional Worlds
5. Participation
6. Depiction vs Narration
7. Truth vs Fiction

Here are the six parallel parts of Game Design as Make-Believe, which share the same titles and begin with links to the source material:

1. Imagination
2. Props
3. Principles of Generation
4. Fictional Worlds
5. Participation
6. Depiction vs Narration

If you enjoyed these serials, please leave a comment. Thank you!

Comments

[Brian 'Psychochild' Green]

Sorry for the tardy comment here, Chris, but I finally finished up reading the series. I really loved his series! Certainly not easy reading, but it was thought-provoking in a way few things are these days. As a game designer, it gave me a new perspective on some of these issues.

I look forward to seeing you do future series.

[Chris]

Thanks for the kind words, Brian! Glad you enjoyed it.

[Mory Buckman]

These two serials have changed my worldview a tiny bit. So, thank you.

[Chris]

Mory: thanks for letting me know this! Glad to have inspired interesting thoughts in you... looking forward to checking out your new game "The March of Bulk" as soon as I get a spare moment!