Imagine a world without spoken language. No words. No thoughts expressed as a series of interpretable sounds. And instead, people communicated in the language of game logic.
A sunset wouldn’t be beautiful. Rather, it would be a numerical advantage over a lesser sun position. The pride you feel when watching your son take his first step, that’s not pride anymore. That’s just a couple of digits increased on a mobility stat.
This is the world that Michael W. Clune inhabits in his memoir, Gamelife. As he says early in the book: “When I was eleven, computer games taught me how to imagine something so it lasts, so it feels real. The secret is numbers. Imagination fumbles outside reality like a child at a locked door…[numbers are] the secret to making imaginary worlds real.” (pg 29) (more…)