I’m not talking about the kind you find in a short story- no, this is the metaphor in games.
Almost every game has a metaphor of some sort, except the super driest theme-less games. Chess, for example, has a pretty good metaphor, as does Go. However, something like Blokus, with its abstract play and strange pieces, probably lacks a metaphor.
The metaphor in games is related to theme. Theme is what we’re told the game is about (and a strong theme will come through in its gameplay as well.) Color is all the trappings that go into telling you the theme, like piece shapes, card art, titles, etc. The metaphor is the underlying thematic idea of the game that shows you what the game is supposed to convey.
What does that mean? For one, a strong metaphor is a sign of a strong theme, which tends to be appealing in a game. For many, this is why they buy a game. A theme may appeal to you on paper, but if the metaphor doesn’t carry it through, they’re likely to be unhappy and confused. Also important is that a good metaphor helps teach the game.
An example of this is Werewolf. The game originally began as Mafia, but Zarf rethemed the game to Werewolves to make a better metaphor. Instead of players wondering why we can’t recognize mafia members during the day and why the supercop can only investigate secretly at night, it changes into something that is easier to understand and have fun with. Hiding from angry villagers but being forced to kill and eat someone each night is much stronger than Mafia hitmen who disguise their outrageous Italian accents during the day.
Sometimes, like in Werewolf, a game doesn’t begin with the right theme. The metaphor is a way to determine if your game is themed well. If playtesters ask a lot of “why?” questions, than you probably have a problem in the metaphor, and the theme doesn’t jive. However, if your players are able to come up with their own thematic terms why a rule is the way it is, then you have a good metaphor.
This is, of course, the main complaint of the eurogame: the “pasted-on theme.” What that term is used, it’s really referring to a metaphor disconnect. People get upset when their knowledge of ancient Egypt doesn’t help at all when trying to understand and play Ra. The scoring system is the hardest part, and a lack of a strong metaphor contributes to it being the hardest part of the game to teach.
The metaphor is probably part of the reason that wargames are so popular. They have an extremely easy metaphor, and the rules were often designed to emulate battles that people are already well familiar with (like Axis & Allies and World War 2.) Dice rolling has sort of gained a “meta-metaphor” where most gamers are readily willing to accept that whenever something is attacking something else, you can roll a die to determine if it worked or not. They’ve come to expect that, and while that’s not an interesting mechanic, being able to use these expected tropes of gaming can assist in understand.
What games do you think have good metaphors?
Not to spam, but you may be interested in the white paper I just published. It’s a storytelling model which encompasses non-textual expressions of story. This post sounds as if it could be an extension of the work we’re doing…
Direct download http://www.pjsattic.com/?dl=1
Oh and in the video game world, I’d suggest Psychonauts and Rod Humble’s art game, The Marriage as games with obvious metaphors.
To turn to more traditional board games, Fitchneal and Tablut are very strong metaphors for the power structures of ancient Ireland and Scandinavia.
Diner Dash, Shadow of the Colossus, DEFCON, to name some recent ones. I actually think there’s a lot of progress being made in this department while trying to appeal to a broader audience.
Jenga.
Corvus: Not spam at all if it leads me to something interesting! I’ll be reading the paper indepth, especially as I prepare my article on storytelling and adventure boardgames. Also interesting that you use Fitchneal as an example, because that’s another game that would be classified as “abstract strategy” that nonetheless has a strong metaphor.
Patrick: Shadow of the Colossus both has a strong ingame metaphor and a strong “meta-metaphor” in that video game players are used to boss fights, and so the idea is familiar while still being a unique piece.
It occurs to me now that the good Wii games have a strong metaphor too.
I feel like Acquire might induce some excellent conversation on this topic? It definitely makes me feel like I’m playing it big in the stock market and trying to make profits while businesses grow and influencing the future of the economy.
Good call Bartoneus. Acquire definately does that for me too!
Classic Dungeon…..and don’t try to convince me otherwise 😛
I need someone (The Game?) to help me out here. I do not really understand what you mean by metaphor. From what I gathered here it seemed as if you were talking about how good themes create a good illusion or simulation of reality. As an English guru, that is not what I understand metaphor to be. So, could someone kindly tell me how metaphor (a figurative language concept used to make a comparison between two seemingly unrelated things) is defined or being used here?
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Note: This reply is NOT an attempt to start an argument over the definition of metaphor, I genuinely am just confused about the application here.
The definition of metaphor I’m using for games is different than the one used in English, but they are related concepts if you think about it. Taking your definition: “a figurative language concept used to make a comparison between two seemingly unrelated things”, I could say that a game’s metaphor is “a figurative thematic concept used to make a comparison between game mechanics and a simulation of reality, which on the surface are seemingly unrelated.” The word metaphor, like the word theme, doesn’t directly translate between all forms.
I think it’s a perfectly valid mapping of the definition. I suppose we could, potentially more accurately, refer to discreet metaphoric elements as metonymy, but far fewer people would understand that!
Fireball Island….discuss!!
Thanks Game and Corvus. Actually, I would have understood metonymy better, but that’s because I’m an English and Rhetoric nerd. The Game’s explained definition here makes good sense to me and I have a better idea of what is going on.
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If anyone else out there was just as confused but too shy to speak up, I hope this helps!