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Message: <blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8621909" data-attributes="member: 71699">This question comes out of <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/d-d-isnt-a-simulation-game-so-what-is.687541/" target="_blank">the thread discussing whether D&D is simulationist</a>. The question relates to an envisioned categorisation of games into gamist, explorative or simulationist, and dramatic or narrative. There is some disagreement over the qualities or meaning of these categories, but I think one can say they are defined by some combination of goals (or decisions or desires) and techniques (or mechanics) depending on how welded one feels the latter are to the former. Example models bear the three-letter acronyms GDS, GNS, and GEN.In the simulationist thread, folk called out this or that game or mechanic as gamist and therefore not simulationist, without having an appealing definition of gamism to sustain the disjunction. Ease of play and engagement (or interest) were called out. Does one therefore suppose that narrativist games are perforce not easy to play, and not engaging or interesting!? That seems unlikely. FWIW I am more drawn to the camp that do not count techniques (such as distribution of power) as necessarily welded to goals (such as resolution of premises).So I wondered, if we say that D&D is gamist, what does that mean? And perhaps more importantly, in what ways is gamism appealing or valuable? Why is D&D gamist (if it is?) Some terms I thought of were fairness, balance, diversity, and creativity. I think many would argue for challenge or competitivenss, but that seems to me an unsophisticated idea about what gamism necessarily amounts to. Gamers who identify themselves as such may enjoy more cooperative play, for example. Not all require GM as adversary. Is gamism even one impulse?! Is it one mode, or many bundled into one just because of insufficient scrutiny or understanding.Again, do we say D&D is gamist? What does that mean? And what are its appealing benefits?</blockquote>

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