Curiosity and the Play of Explorer Games

Over on ihobo today, some further remarks on the role of curiosity in games - and specifically in the context of exploration play. Here's an extract:

The motive for playing space explorers stems from curiosity, specifically the drive towards discovery. There is a related aesthetic motive in terms of sensory pleasures - to witness the beauty of stars, planets, nebulae, and comets in an imaginary world. The motivation behind playing Proteus moves in a similar direction, although here the faux-simulation is of the joys of hiking (which I also enjoy). Proteus, unlike the space explorers, however, is a box of delights filled with designed-surprises (albeit procedurally populated) such as its frogs and bees, whereas the space explorers play upon the mystical draw of 'outer space' that science fiction (orthodox or otherwise!) has cultivated. It is epitomized in Star Trek's opening soliloquy: "where no-one has gone before"...

You can read the entirety of Curiosity and the Play of Explorer Games over on ihobo.com.