Paidea vs. Ludus & Types of Game

In James Newman’s Book “Videogames” he discusses Roger Caillois’s notion of Paidea and Ludus games and four different types of “play”. In this blog post, I will be talking about these two things and some of the games that fit those descriptions.

Paidea and Ludus Games

Paidea Games

Paidea games allow the player to enjoy freedom and control over the game. These games will not force the player to follow a large set of rules or pushed to follow one specific path, but allows the player to do what they want and creates a more relaxed and laid back feel to the game.

A good example of a Paidea game would be “The Sims” series where the player is allowed to develop their neighbourhood however they wish and can control the people or “Sims” in the game to shape their lives however he or she chooses.

The game will not force you to do specific things and provides a variety of options for you to customise the game for your own pleasure. You are allowed to create your own goals and make your own ways of reaching them, with only some optional direction to help you choose what to do, however that can be easily dismissed without any penalty.

Sandbox games are also very much Paidea games as they will allow you to openly develop your game and you can do as much or as little as you want, however you want. There is not specific target outcome for these games or a way to win the games.

Ludus Games

Ludus games are the opposite of Paidea games as they will be more constrained by rules with a clear outcome or way to win. These games often have a story to tell as the player progresses through the game and will guide them forward towards specific goals.

The “Call of Duty” franchise is a good example of Ludus games as the player will need to take on a set list of missions as they progress through the game and each mission will have a set of objectives that need to be completed.

Whilst the game does contain some optional objectives to complete and a small amount to explore, it mainly guides the player allow one set path throughout the game. There are also various rules throughout the game that limit the player to stop them from breaking away from how the game was designed to be played.

However, most games are not completely a Paidea or Ludus game and will often have aspects of both. For example, the “Grand Theft Auto” games allow the player to freely explore the game as they choose. However, there are also many missions to be played that will have rules for the player to follow and set goals for them to achieve.

Types of Game

Newman discusses different aspects of games using four terms that Caillois adapted from Huizinga. These four terms are:

• Agon – Competition, games that often require skill where the player will try to beat the game, other players or both.

• Alea – Chance/Randomness, these games rely on probability and luck which will be used to help determine the winner of the game.

• Ilinx – Movement, games that are based on how you move in the game itself or move yourself physically to play it.

• Mimicry – Simulation/Role-play, games that are designed to simulate something and for the player to truly feel that they are part of that world.

Below, I have created a table with examples of games that will fit into the types of game I mentioned above and Ludus or Paidea.

	Paidea	Ludus
Agon	Civilization	Call of Duty
Alea	Terraria	Poker
Ilinx	Euro Truck Simulator	Assassin’s Creed
Mimicry	Minecraft	Dirt