Meaning, play, and games are intimately related concepts. The goal of successful game design is meaningful play.
There are two ways to define meaningful play: descriptive and evaluative. The descriptive definition addresses the mechanism by which all games create mean ing through play. The evaluative definition helps us understand why some games provide more meaningful play than others.
The descriptive definition of meaningful play: Meaningful play in a game emerges from the relationship between player action and system outcome; it is the process by which a player takes action within the designed system of a game and the system responds to the action. The meaning of an action in a game resides in the relation ship between action and outcome.
The evaluative definition of meaningful play: Meaningful play is what occurs when the relationships between actions and outcomes in a game are both discernable and integrated into the larger context of the game.
Discernability means that a player can perceive the immediate outcome of an action. Integration means that the outcome of an action is woven into the game system as a whole.
The two ways of defining meaningful play are closely related. Designing successful games requires understanding meaningful play in both senses.
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