Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places and Communities
Front cover of Benjamin Stokes’ book, Locally Played
Locally Played: Real-World Games for Stronger Places and Communities
Benjamin Stokes
The MIT Press, 2020
ISBN: 9780262043489
In Locally Played, Stokes provides a framework for both defining, and then measuring the ‘fit’, of local community games, i.e. “games-based systems that involve real-world actions and are used to strengthen a place-based community” (p. 7). This framework is rooted in a praxis of success; as one of the co-founders of the non-profit organisation and community of practice Games for Change, this is an author who is worth listening to in terms of making games that benefit the community for whom they are designed.
The book is split into two parts: the first part establishes the theory and framework for measuring the ‘fit’ of local community games, with the second part then applying this framework to a series of case studies, to stress test them in terms of their impact and successes. In crafting this framework, Stokes draws on game studies, network perspectives, and urban sociology to provide a robust and yet straightforward analysis for predicting the success of a local community game, effectively providing a way to measure a game’s local fit, and offering ways in which game designers and urban innovators can maximise the alignment of a game with the needs of both their community and the places that they occupy.
This framework consists of three dimensions, with Stokes arguing that a well-aligned local community game is compatible with: social mixing (how well do player actions in the game fit to local modes of meeting and greeting), group narrative and identity (how well do the game’s narratives fit to local narratives of community identity), and communication flows (how well does the game make use of local channels for circulating information). By assessing the extent to which these dimensions are considered, games designers might thus better assess how their game can locally fit. The succinctness of this framework is underpinned by meticulous academic scholarship, taking in theories as diverse as Bernie de Koven’s notion of a ‘well-played game’ and Robert D. Putnam’s work on civil engagement and social capital, before grounding them in the realities of game design and civic efficacy.
The case studies in the second part of the book provide a fascinating insight into how these three dimensions work in practice, with Stokes evaluating a selection of local community games that vary greatly in their size, mechanics, and fit. From the social policy of Macon Money (in which residents of Macon, Georgia matched separate halves of an in-game currency before exchanging it for vouchers to be spent in the local area) to the civic reporting of Commons (in which residents of New York City identified social concerns and overlooked local assets via their smartphones), these case studies are rigorously, and honestly, evaluated, thereby establishing the validity and robustness of the three-dimensional framework, while also providing further useful advice for how local community games can (and should) be implemented and evaluated.
By introducing an interdisciplinary approach to evaluating the fit of these local community games, Stokes is also able to provide several insights that will be of great benefit to game designers, city planners, and also game studies scholars, for whom this field of research would appear to be especially fertile. In particular Stoke’s work on network positioning and bridge builders is ground-breaking in demonstrating how social network theory can best be used to identify those players who have the potential to connect to and with groups that are not normally connected. Other standout segments include the advice that is provided for how cities might reclaim large-scale commercial games such as Pokémon Go (through a process of embedding, anchoring, and even re-writing such games), as well as the author’s proposition that “embracing a certain amount of difficulty rather than eliminating it is part of what makes games both effective and distinct” (p. 175).
Locally Played will serve as a useful introduction to game studies scholars wishing to better understand what local community games are, and the potential roles that they can play in serving local needs. It should also be considered an essential manual for any game designers and/or urban innovators who want to develop games that are a good fit for their community and are thus well placed to build on and ultimately strengthen existing networks.