What makes a game good? or bad? or better?
Well Played is a concept of providing in-depth close readings of games that parse out the various meanings to be found through the experience of playing a game. The term “well played” is used in several senses. Initially it was in two ways. On the one hand, well played is to games as well read is to books. So, a person who reads a lot of books is “well read” and a person who plays a lot of games is “well played.” On the other hand, well played as in well done. So, a hand of poker can be “well played” by a person, and a game can be “well played” by the development team. Jose Zagal has articulated a third way of considering well played in an ethical sense. So, players should consider how to play well in terms of not cheating, and developers should consider how to make games that treat players respectfully. And Bernie De Koven’s The Well Played Game, is a spiritual precedence to joys of playing well.
The Well Played Journal is a forum for in-depth close readings of games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. It is a reviewed journal open to submissions that will be released on a regular basis with high-quality essays.
Contributors are encouraged to look at games through all three senses of “well played,” analyzing sequences in a game in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how the various components of a game can come together to create a fulfilling playing experience unique to this medium. Through contributors, the journal will provide a variety of perspectives on the value of games.
The goal of the journal is to continue developing and defining a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Contributors are invited to also discuss games in general (ranging from tabletop, to big games and more) and how they are often designed for different fields (education, entertainment, etc.) as we more fully develop a literacy around games and play. Contributors are encouraged to consider using screenshots and video of their gameplay in order to help illustrate their ideas. And we’re open to suggestions on themed issues around a specific game or a topic across games.
Games are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis. By inviting contributors to look closely at games and the experience of playing them, we hope to expand the discussion, and show how games are well played in a variety of ways.
The Well Played Journal will be published regularly. We won’t develop a set schedule until we have a good sense of the amount of quality submissions. Our goal is to publish as often as we have great essays. There won’t be a subscription, although as with all our publications, all issues will be available for download for free, and we’ll offer print versions for sale through Lulu.com.
All submissions and any questions should be sent to:
Well Played on post-mortems on ar & vr games: volume 13 number 1 2024
Introduction
Drew Davidson
Paws and Presence: The Impact of a Quadrupedal Avatar on Virtual Reality Locomotion
Laureline C...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on post-mortems on ar & vr games: volume 13 number 1 2024
Well Played on esports and community: volume 12 number 1 2023
Barry Joseph, Stan Altman and Nick Fortugno
The City College of New York
Introduction: Esports as Community
Barry Joseph
Gaming Pathw...
Book DetailsAuthor : Barry Joseph
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on esports and community: volume 12 number 1 2023
Well Played on ethics: volume 11 number 1 2022
José P. Zagal
To Ethically Play Well
José P. Zagal
The Dilemmas of a Disco Cop 5: Ethically Well Played Experiences in Disco Elysium
Mia Consalvo,...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on ethics: volume 11 number 1 2022
Well Played on playable theatre: volume 10 number 2 2021
Celia Pearce and Nick Fortugno
Introduction: Building a Plane in Mid-Air
Celia Pearce
TPK in Elsinore: The Larp Inside Hamlet (2015)
Evan ...
Book DetailsAuthor : Celia Pearce
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on playable theatre: volume 10 number 2 2021
Well Played on escape rooms: volume 10 number 1 2021
Clara Fernández-Vara and Ira Fay
Introduction
Clara Fernández-Vara and Ira Fay
A Descriptive Schema for Escape Games
Mirek Stolee
Players...
Book DetailsAuthor : Clara Fernandez-Vara
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on escape rooms: volume 10 number 1 2021
Well Played on the sporting mindset: volume 8 number 3 2019
John Sharp
Introduction
John Sharp
Exploring the Sporting Metagames of Competitive Android: Netrunner
Sean C. Duncan
Playing the Cross...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on the sporting mindset: volume 8 number 3 2019
Well Played on intergenerational play: volume 8 number 2 2019
Eric Klopfer
Introduction
Eric Klopfer
Games, Play, Meaning and Minecraft
Diane Carr & Cheesycat Puff
It is dangerous to play al...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on intergenerational play: volume 8 number 2 2019
Well Played connected learning summit: volume 8 number 1 2019
The Logical Journey of Reimagining “Zoombinis:” Adventure, Research, and Computational Thinking
Jodi Asbell-Clarke, David Libby, Sar...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played connected learning summit: volume 8 number 1 2019
Well Played on meaningful play and games for social and emotional learning: volume 7 number 2 2018
Susan E. Rivers and Heidi McDonald
iThrive Games Founder’s Letter
Dorothy N. Batten
Introductio...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on meaningful play and games for social and emotional learning: volume 7 number 2 2018
Well Played on analog games: volume 7 number 1 2018
Ira Fay
Introduction
Ira Fay
Distribution, Deckbuilding, and Design in Star Wars: The Card Game
Nick Bestor
No Time to Waste: Kairos in T.I.M....
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on analog games: volume 7 number 1 2018
Well Played: volume 6 number 3 2017
Agency, Identity, Sex, Gender, and Pokémon Go
Allison Bannister
So Close You Can Feel Her Prostitution, Proximity & Empathy in Grand Theft Auto 5
Elena Ber...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 6 number 3 2017
Well Played on european videogames of the 1980s: volume 6 number 2 2017
Clara Fernández-Vara & Bennett Foddy
European Videogames of the 1980s
Clara Fernández-Vara & Bennett Foddy
Pac-M...
Book DetailsAuthor : Bennett Foddy
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on european videogames of the 1980s: volume 6 number 2 2017
Well Played let's play: volume 6 number 1 2017
Moses Wolfenstein and Drew Davidson
Introduction
Moses Wolfenstein
Well Played let's play: 6.1 Videos
Who Needs Video Games? South Park Stick of Tru...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played let’s play: volume 6 number 1 2017
Well Played: volume 5 number 2 2016
PART 1: DIGRA
EVE is Real: How conceptions of the 'real' affect and reflect an online game community
Marcus Carter, Kelly Bergstrom, Nick Webber, Oskar Milik
Pl...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 5 number 2 2016
Well Played: volume 5 number 1 2016
A Narrative Dream: The Unfinished Swan
Eric Guadara
Handling Differences in Skills between Parents and Children Playing Trine and Little Big Planet
Wolmet Baren...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 5 number 1 2016
Introduction
Celia Pearce
From Pixel Babes to Active Agents – How to Fix the Lack of Diversity in Female Digital Game Characters
Usva Friman
I Choose You! Diversity in the Design of Pokémon
Am...
Book DetailsAuthor : Clara Fernandez-Vara
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on diversity in games: volume 4 number 3 2015
Well Played on learning and games: volume 4 number 2 2015
Stephen Jacobs and Ira Fay
Introduction
Stephen Jacobs
Medulla: A 2D sidescrolling platformer game that teaches basic brain structure and ...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on learning and games: volume 4 number 2 2015
Well Played DiGRA & GLS: volume 4 number 1 2015
Sean Duncan and Caro Williams
PART ONE: DIGRA
Where’s BattleTech in MechWarrior Online? A Case Study in Game Adaptation
Hans-Joachim Backe
Ca...
Book DetailsAuthor : Caro Williams
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played DiGRA & GLS: volume 4 number 1 2015
Well Played seriously weird: volume 3 number 2 2015
Emily Flynn-Jones
Introduction
Emily Flynn-Jones
Part One: Out of Control
Weird WarioWare
Instructional Dissonance and Characterization ...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 3 number 2 2015
Well Played: volume 3 number 1 2014
Assassin’s Creed III: The Complete Unofficial Guide, a Teacher’s Limited Edition
Wade Berger, Patrick Staley
Fiasco and Failure: Uncovering Hidden Rules ...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 3 number 1 2014
Well Played on theories: volume 2 number 2 2013
John Sharp
Introduction
John Sharp
Inhabiting Games Well (If not Uncomfortably...)
Casey O’Donnell
Critical Literacy: Game Criticism for G...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on theories: volume 2 number 2 2013
Well Played: volume 2 number 1 2012
Stories from the Seats of Power: Chopper versus Chopper as dueling Travelogues
Matthew Thomas Payne, Michael Fleisch
Unbroken Immersion: The Skyrim Experienc...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 2 number 1 2012
Well Played on romance: volume 1 number 4 2012
a special issue on the theme of romance in games
Jane Pinckard
Technology and emotion: Playing for the love of the game
Richard E. Ferdig & Kri...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played on romance: volume 1 number 4 2012
Well Played: volume 1 number 3 2012
Time Tech and Tales: The fall and rise of the popularity of narration in games seen through Monkey Island 2 and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Emmanuel Eytan
Q...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 1 number 3 2012
Well Played: volume 1 number 2 2012
BioShock and Portal: A Discussion of Poetics
Yotam Haimberg
We should be heroes… A case study of community building as a dominant strategy
Simon Egenfeldt...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 1 number 2 2012
Well Played: volume 1 number 1 2011
These essays were part of the Well Played Sessions at GLS 7.0, the 2011 Games+Learning+Society Conference in Madison, WI. The Well Played Journal is a forum for ...
Book DetailsAuthor : Drew Davidson
Publish : 2024
Publisher : Play Story Press
Well Played: volume 1 number 1 2011
