The Center for Ludic Synergy
= CENTRVM VBIQVE EST =
The Center for Ludic Synergy exists to foster ludism, or
philosophy as it applies to games and gaming. This includes such
questions as:
- Should we play games? If so, why?
- Why do people have an innate urge to play?
- What makes a game good?
- Can lessons learned in games be used in life, and vice versa?
- Is life in fact a game?
The CLS sponsors a number of projects related to ludism and
bringing people together to talk about ludic topics; see the section
CLS Projects. The CLS will attempt to incorporate as a
non-profit corporation eventually, but one thing we can do for game
designers and philosophers right now is offer them advertising-free
web space, and optionally a Linux shell account with email access.
You do not need to subscribe to Ludism as a philosophy
(see below) in order to take advantage of this offer; you just need to
be a game designer or thinker. If you aren't, but still want free web
space and email, we recommend you try Yahoo! or similar sites. If you are,
however, and would like an account, please contact Ron Hale-Evans at
rwhe@ludism.org.
Capital-L Ludism versus small-l ludism
Ludism with a capital 'L' is a particular philosophy
of gaming being developed by the founder of the CLS, Ron Hale-Evans. He is writing an
explanatory essay on the subject; meanwhile, you can read about it on
a previous
version of this page if you don't mind high-flown speculation.
Ludic synergy is one of the
principles of capital-'L' Ludism.
Other pages hosted by the CLS
Game Links ... Links to
pages about unusual games that might be of interest to people who like
to have their brains stretched.
Ludology Links ...
Ludology encompasses not only the mathematical discipline of
game theory, which focuses on pure strategy, but also game design,
game variants, the study of mutators and operators, and so on.
Basic Ludist Reading List
... Some very good books with a Ludist slant (note the capital
'L').
Supporting the CLS
The CLS and Seattle Cosmic Game Night are associates of Funagain
Games. This means that 5% of your purchase there goes toward
supporting us if you buy games via the links on our pages or via
the Funagain logo at the bottom of this page.
Even if you don't want to buy the games, the Funagain pages
often contain lengthy, useful game reviews.
If you think the CLS is doing good work and would like to make a
contribution of time, skills, materials, or money in some other way,
please contact Ron Hale-Evans at rwhe@ludism.org.
Maintainer: Ron Hale-Evans, rwhe@ludism.org
Page last updated 30 October 2006.
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CLS Projects
Here are some of the projects fostered by the CLS. While all of
them involve some form of ludism (lower-case 'l'), not
all of them endorse Ludism (capital 'L').
Seattle Cosmic
Wiki ... Seattle Cosmic Game Night (a.k.a. Seattle Cosmic)
meets weekly in the Seattle area.
We started out playing Cosmic Encounter, but now we play a lot of
other games. Our wiki contains
newsletters from previous game nights (with photos), reviews of games
we've played, and other stuff of interest to gamers.
seattle-cosmic
... the mailing list for Seattle Cosmic members.
EGGS
... EGGS (Experimental Game Genesis of Seattle) is a game design group
that meets monthly in the Seattle area.
Game Design
Wiki ... This wiki was
established to support the collaborative development of the principles
of game design, and in particular, a pattern language of game design.
Games to the
Rescue ... a philanthropic project of the CLS and Seattle
Cosmic Game Night. The aim is to provide game equipment
and a book of game rules to hospitals, for use by patients and
visitors.
gamestotherescue
... The mailing list for Games to the Rescue.
Glass Bead Game
Wiki ... A wiki for
exploring Hermann Hesse's concept of the Glass Bead Game, and "Glass
Bead Game playable variants".
Kennexions
... This is the "Glass Bead Game playable variant" created by
Ron Hale-Evans.
Mentat Wiki
... A wiki for
exploring ways to become a better thinker. Topics explored on the wiki
include memory techniques, mental math, critical thinking,
brainstorming, shorthand systems, notebook systems, and smart
drugs. Other relevant topics are welcome as well: how have you made
yourself smarter? This wiki also hosts the
Mind Performance Hacks support page.
moratics ... A
mailing list that studies generalised lines of strategy and tactics in
games.
of-like-mind
... A mailing list for solipsists and sympathisers, including people
who endorse the idea of Life as Game.
Piecepack
Wiki ... The piecepack is to board games what
a standard deck of cards is to card games. This wiki is a place
where the piecepack community can work on game rules and exchange
reviews in a collaborative space.
Positive Revolution FAQ
... The Positive Revolution is a non-partisan political movement aimed
at making a global difference for the better, without violence.
Ron's Info-Closet
and Ron's Info-Closet Annex
... The home page and blog (respectively) of Ron Hale-Evans, founder of
the CLS, maintainer of these websites, and author of the book
Mind Performance Hacks, published by O'Reilly Media.
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