selectparks - Seriously Fun.

Gamasutra asks, Who Says Games have to be Fun?"

A good overview for those a little lost on so-called Serious Games. Alongside it offers a few healthy perspectives from the likes of Frasca, Bogost and Molleindustria.

Says Ian:

“For 30 years now we’ve focused on making games produce fun,” adds Bogost. “Isn’t it about time we started working toward other kinds of emotional responses?”

.. that and a broader scope for where we allow ourselves to have fun.. Why is it so often considered somehow wrong/evil to have fun engaging with a 'serious' topic?

The effect of having fun is often produced when we're taking risks and learning from those risks, with the reward of increased freedom of movement, control and/or understanding. Several 'serious games' I've played provide directly for this already..

I've archived this link in the Theory section for posterity.