More on Learning and Gaming

I think there is something intrinsically human in our need to learn.  This, of course, transcends academics and/or the assimilation of data.  But learning is one of the most gratifying experiences within the scope of humanity.  Learning can manifest in many ways, based on the objective.

One form of learning is mimicry.  This is a performance-oriented mode of learning.  On one end of the spectrum would be learning a fixed dance step.  On the other, perhaps would be conjugating Latin verbs.  One improves simply by doing what an authority does.

This is one of the least satisfying modes of learning, but it is efficient when performance (to an established standard) is necessary.  In many gaming arenas, this may be called "Cookie-cutter builds/decks".  For many, designing a deck or customizing a character is a large portion of the fun.  But when initially learning the game (how it works, what its rules are, what is a good play or a bad play, etc.), mimicry can get a novice up and running quickly, providing a necessary entre into the game.

Once beyond mimicry, many learners move into proverbial thinking.  This mode of learning is similar to mimicry, but allows for much more freedom and opens early opportunities to experiment and explore.  Proverbial thinking is when the learner does not mimic the authority in execution, but rather makes his own decisions based on values laid out by the authority.  Some examples of value-proverbs might be: "Cash is king," "Speed kills," or "Always stand on 17 or higher."   Such proverbs provide a framework, but allow for ownership within those bounds.

Most casual players will stop at proverbial thinking.  What happens within this mode is that players become more adept at adhering to the proverbs.  Their performance will increase as long as their adopted proverbs accurately describe the reality of game mechanics.

The final mode of learning I am going to highlight is innovation.  In this mode, the learner has moved himself (and perhaps his peers) to the position of authority.  Typically, proverbs once learned are now challenged and tested for viability.  Experimentation becomes a hallmark of the learning experience.  The learner will often attempt to model (mathematically or otherwise) the phenomenon so as to thoroughly understand it.  Innovation operates more in the theoretical and hypothetical than the other two modes.

Innovative gamers are the gurus that are sought for the cookie-cutters and proverbs.  It is their play that gets studied by novices and amateurs.  Interestingly, relaxation through play seems to be reduced as does "fun" in play.  The "fun-factor" for innovators is the meta-game; the game of doing the game differently and/or better than it has been done before.

I find that proverbial players seem to be the happiest consistently, but it is impossible to be a different kind of learner than you are.  For myself, I know that I am not satisfied with anything less than something distinctively my own, (even if it handicaps me for a time).