On Zero-Player Games

As part of my experiments in the zero-player space, I've compiled the following thoughts and observations. I intend them as field notes for those who wish to follow me into the under-explored and under-theorized world of zero-player games. Lumped together like this, they're somewhere between an inquiry and a manifesto: staking out (according to my tastes and judgment, anyway) what a zero-player game is, what it involves, and what its poetics might be. Note I initially aimed to assemble a book proposal on this topic – and may yet – but, in the spirit of building a critical commons, I figured it's best to release what I have written so far as a public blog post. Please contest anything I say here! I'd appreciate the opportunity to calibrate or hone my arguments. Contents Introduction Zero-Player Experiences Consistent Threads Among the Aforementioned Zero-Player Experiences Splitting Some Hairs: Existing Terms, Definitions, and Descriptions for Zero-Player Games and Where They Err…