Glossary - Game Invaders: The Theory and Understanding of Computer Games - page 189

Glossary

action: property of a computer - based sign that can affect other signs . The ghosts in
Pac-Man have the action property because they can kill Pac-Man. Part of the semiotic
theory of interaction, introduced in Chapter 11. See also actor sign .
activity group: one of the 49 basic gameplay activities that GIL calculates values for, part
of a game's activity profi le , introduced in Chapter 3.
activity profi le: graph of the activity groups important to a particular game, part of
activity profi ling, introduced in Chapter 3.
actor sign: a computer - based sign that represents an active agent of some sort in a game.
The ghosts in Pac-Man are actor signs because they have permanence , transience , and
action , but not handling . Part of the semiotic theory of interaction, introduced in
Chapter 11 .
aesthetic: the particular pleasures to be gained from a communications medium: games,
fi lms, paintings, and so on. Introduced in Chapter 4. See also agency , narrative
potential , transformation , co - presence , and presence .
agency: the pleasure of interacting with a game, one of the aesthetic pleasures of games
introduced in Chapter 4. See also intention and perceivable consequence .
attractors: content that stimulates intentions . A type of surprise that forms part of
perceptual opportunities , introduced in Chapter 7. See also connectors and rewards .
challenge points: an intention we have to satisfy before we can move on in the game.
Part of perceptual mapping , introduced in Chapter 7. See also choice points , retainers ,
and routes .
choice points: a point in the game at which we can form and choose from multiple
intentions. Part of perceptual mapping , introduced in Chapter 7. See also challenge
points , retainers , and routes .
code: rules that allow us to make meaning of signs in a particular medium. For example,
recognizing that underlined text in a web page is a link but that underlining is only there
for emphasis in a newspaper or magazine. Part of semiotic theory introduced in
Chapter 10 .
code of interaction: the code at the heart of gameplay, the code of compulsive repetition.
At the heart of the semiotic theory of interaction, introduced in Chapter 12.
computer - based signs: very low level view of the way signs in a game interact in terms
of permanence , transience , handling , and action . Part of the semiotic theory of
interaction, introduced in Chapter 11 .
connectors: content that helps the player to retain focus on a current goal. A type of
surprise that forms part of perceptual opportunities , introduced in Chapter 7. See also
attractors and rewards .