Joy of Joys.

I feel a tension between my desire to entertain people and my reluctance to manipulate them. On the one hand, I’m interested in “good game design”. I want players to enjoy themselves and I want them to be drawn to my work. I have no problem with seduction. I want players to become immersed in my work, to imagine that they are somewhere else. But I don’t want them to lose themselves.

I want them to remain alert, to be who they are and allow the aesthetic experience to come from the interplay between their world and that of the game. Not because I feel they should be critical but because in my experience the awareness of being manipulated heightens the joy.

I’m not sure why that is. Or even if there’s anybody else who feels the same. Maybe it’s related to the joy we find in seeing people experience joy. Or maybe it’s because awareness of what the art is doing with us, reminds us of the author’s hand. And then we suddenly feel a connection with this other person. And the fact that we most likely do not know this other person (he may even be dead), gives the experience the magical, almost transcendental aspect of feeling close to the unknown.

When I observe my reactions to stimuli, my pleasure is doubled: first I enjoy an experience, and then I notice that I am enjoying the experience and this surprises and delights me. The initial experience is like a spontaneous reflex but in the awareness of this event, I become human. It is this realization of being human, of being a creature that can feel joy, that brings about the second layer of pleasure. I think that’s what happens when I am moved by art.