I guess I disagree because to me, those people on Deviant art and Flickr are the artists.  I guess I'd rather reclaim the word for good use than abandon it.

I suppose some people don't like the idea of notgames for the same reason?  They'd rather just reclaim the word games with experiences that follow the same intentions instead of adopting a new one?

Is the notgames tumblr the blog that Michael was referring to?

Thanks 

I look forward to seeing what you guys come up with

[I Wish I Were The Moon]

I'm so glad you have Majesty of Colors here.  I loved playing that.

I Wish I Were The Moon
http://www.kongregate.com/games/danielben/i-wish-i-were-the-moon
Gregory Weir himself admitted that Majesty of Colors was heavily inspired by Daniel Benmergui's I Wish I Were The Moon.  Like Majesty of Colors, you simply explore the result of your interactions, and similar to a puzzle you can try to guess all the endings if you want.

For me, Majesty of Colors and I Wish I Were The Moon were experiences that were so influential that it's hard not to make something like that sometimes.  In fact, I even had a dream which was basically a game with those mechanics that I'd want to make some time.  Having strong influences like that often makes me wonder whether or not I should have experienced them.

My favorite part about the game is going through the neighborhood and reading the stories.  The searching mechanic is a little too simple to have much effect on me personally.

Not really.  I got side-tracked when I was commissioned to make the sermon thing.

I'd like to return to it some day, though.  Maybe later this year?

My main point is expressed by the 3 diagrams.  You can create something and then remove elements to see what changes.

Welcome!  I can't wait to see your game.  And I hope to have some meaningful discussion with you in the future. ^_^

I would call this a notgame.  There's no real goal, just interesting things that happen when you interact with the environment.  I guess you could call this a simulation.

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=10560.0

I've been working on something somewhat similar, though more focused on music, and I found this inspiring.  Maybe you guys will, too.

I think this is a borderline notgame.  Technically, the goal is to collect all the characters, although it's not required.

http://www.kongregate.com/games/mirosurabu/tanakas-friendly-adventure

A simple game, but it's still charming and focuses more on the experience of searching/exploring and discovering identity than anything typically game-like.

Nice work guys, I feel like I learned some deeper meaning about your theories here.

I created a crude prototype of a narrative environment last summer.  The intent was that you could explore the environment while someone was giving a lecture, and in that way you'd help to visualize what the speaker was saying.

My very rough prototype was pretty linear, but my vision for it was similar to what is being discussed here:
http://www.godatplay.com/2009/05/interactive-sermon-tool-prototype/

Earlier last year, I was working on some "meaningless games."  It was sort of a notgames experiment, so I thought it might be of interest here.

I started thinking about how you could create meaning in interactive experiences by deconstructing your creations, removing specific elements, and then finding out what meaning was removed.  If you deconstructed something enough, you could match up a meaning with an individual element.  Then you could use that element intentionally to create the intended meaning.

More info, with diagrams here:
http://www.godatplay.com/2009/04/starting-development-on-meaningless-games/

[Small Worlds]

Axcho, pretty much all of these so far are regular games.  It looks like the intention is just to talk about things you've played that had elements that inspire thoughts of notgame-like experiences.  Don't be afraid to just post notgame moments you've experienced.

Small Worlds
http://jayisgames.com/cgdc6/?gameID=9
Depending on your definition, this could be a notgame.  It's purely exploration-based, with only 4 "levels" and no explicit goal.  The zoom-out-as-you-uncover-the-fog-of-war mechanic enhances your feeling of discovery.  Despite the low-res pixel graphics, David Shute manages to create a lot of character and atmosphere in an otherwise small world.

Labuat
http://soytuaire.labuat.com
This is mostly an interactive toy, but because of its expressiveness, I think it borders on a notgame.  It's basically an interactive music video; I've had visions of something just like this, so it's pretty inspiring to see it already created here.

Today I Die
http://ludomancy.com/games/today.html
Daniel Benmergui created what is essentially a poem-as-game.  You rearrange words in a poem to create actions in the game world.  It's a puzzle game, but it's very tastefully done and has more adult themes.  Not a notgame per se, but definitely a mature game.

Judith
http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=3844.0
This is pretty much a game, but it has given me one of the most emotional experiences I've ever had playing a game.  It's a gothic horror game based on an opera.  After I played it, I felt the same feeling I imagined someone felt after seeing a Hitchcock movie back in the 40s/50s - adrenaline-filled horror.  Despite being a game, it has mature themes and aspires to operate on the same level as notgames.

BirdyWorld is a recent example of world persistence.  It's a regular game, but it has a co-op world building element.  Whenever someone defeats the boss of a dungeon, that opens up the next dungeon to be built.

You can leave the world and then when you come back, it has expanded and maybe even gained a dungeon.

Thanks for linking those, that was a very interesting discussion. 

Another technique could be unveiling a new clue immediately before/after examining the first clue.  Has anyone tried this?  That could keep you examining the world out of sheer curiosity.

For example, maybe you're exploring a realistic world and see a figure pass by a doorway.  You follow where you think the figure went and find an artifact.  Once you examine the artifact, you see the figure again and put the artifact down to follow the figure.  Maybe the next time it's an audio cue or an object falls over.