Performative game or theatre gamification? What a gameformance is and why interactive theatre should be interested in it

Abstract

The following reflection aims to explore the concept of gameformance and some of its definitions based on the analysis by the researcher and designer Sebastien Deterding (game studies) on the scope of gamification in contemporary theatre creation. Beyond undertaking an exercise in taxonomy, it is interesting to look at some elements taken from the construction of game theory that have been applied in different ways to the creation of co-creation theatre devices by several creators and artistic collectives. The identification of certain concepts, applicable in practical terms, can eventually enable the task of those creators who embark on the construction of a theatre that seeks to be “playable”.