The Metagame: A Battle of Videogame Smarts

Speakers: Clint Hocking, Eric Zimmerman, Frank Lantz, Jesper Juul, Jonathan Blow, Marc LeBlanc, Tracy Fullerton, Warren Spector

Track: Vision

Format: Panel

Experience Level: All

Description: Which game is more beautiful: Asteroids or Virtua Fighter? Is Sim City more innovative than Super Mario 64? Does Grand Theft Auto tell a better story than Planetfall?

If you have ever discussed, fought over, or even just thought about questions like these, then you are ready to experience The Metagame. Combining a game show format with boardgame strategy and lively debate, The Metagame pits two teams of game experts against each other to debate and discuss vital questions of game aesthetics.

In this contest of strategy and smarts, our teams of game developers, critics, and theorists have to decide which games are more elegant, more influential, a better way to waste 10 years, or a better way to waste 10 minutes than others. When disagreement erupts, teams will challenge each other to debate the best answer but the audience will make the final decision.

Although The Metagame is a playful game on the surface, it has a very serious intention: to go beyond informal discussion to lay bare important issues about what videogames are, how we can talk about them, and what they mean to players.

Idea Takeaway: This is not a trivia quiz. Inspired by The Glass Bead Game, The Metagame incorporates strategy, debate, and the ability to meaningfully compare games across genres, platforms, and historical periods. Expect to see industry veterans arguing about the games we know and love, and to learn new ways of thinking about some of the best-known computer and videogames.

Intended Audience: This session is for anyone who has spent late nights arguing with friends about videogames. Come with a working knowledge of the history of digital gaming and an openness to see your favorite titles considered in a very new light.