Whether it is admitted or not, the popularity of desktop games once spread all over the network, prompting board game shops all over the country to mushroome. As early as before the epidemic, the online game mode of "werewolf killing" has developed, which is no longer the grand occasion of that year. Although the game variety that became an online explosion is still in operation, it has gradually faded out in the field of mass media. As a desktop game, "Wolf Man Killing" has gradually begun to return to niche positioning. This party game with a long history, with the extensive participation of e-sports anchors and variety promotion, began to be standardized in the form of online app; However, after it officially became a "competitive" game project, it went into silence and decline at a faster speed-the popularity of the network, the opening of offline board games shops and the operation of online app mode did not make this game develop in a large-scale and normal situation. As a leader in e-sports and board games that have embarked on the road of formal competition in recent years, the popularity and silence of "Wolf Man Killing" is like the epitome of a post-modern period: gorgeous, trembling and fleeting. After the rapid construction with a set of rules and structures, it immediately encountered deconstruction, so as a competitive project, the short-lived vitality could not be continued.

Undoubtedly, the motivation of cultivating "Wolf Man Killing" into a competitive game is that "Wolf Man Killing" is a "logical game" with universally applicable rules and logic. This preconceived judgment seems to be transcendental: the core gameplay of some party games, such as "killing game", which is the predecessor of "werewolf killing", is obviously not "logic" and rules, but the participants' ability to control their emotions and psychology, which can even be traced back to the oldest party game "Truth or Adventure", which tests the participants' ability to lie and face their inner thoughts.

Then, why should "Wolf Man Kill" be placed in the position of "competitive game" to open its popular road? What kind of "logic" and structure did "Wolf Man Kill" produce? Can this "logic" and structure stand the test of participants and time? The capital promoter's behavior of transforming the party game with "emotion" as the core into the competitive game with logical deduction as the core seems to remind us of the ubiquitous "myth" of this era-it seems that we can see the birth and disillusionment of the scientism myth belonging to our era in the heyday and decline of Wolf Man Killing.

The Basic Framework of Game Design: Narrative Grafting

Werewolf Killer, which was born out of a "killing game" featuring policemen, killers and civilians, was originally an "information piece" or "DLC" (downloadable extension) of the "killing game" and a "paradigm" interpretation of the main work, so we can see a clear parallel grafting in the role setting: the killer naturally hides among civilians. However, when the "killing game" with the basic narrative mode of investigation, solving cases and mutual reporting is transformed into "werewolf killing" with magical color, the "grafting" of game design must complete two tasks: one is the corresponding magical narrative construction of the magical identity of "werewolf"; Second, reinterpret the detective mode narrative of "the murder happened at night, the suspects reported to each other during the day, and the police investigated the murderer". For the first job, werewolf killing developed a more complicated magic character system: a "witch" who can save people or poison people with two bottles of medicine; A "hunter" or "white wolf king" who can shoot and kill after being sentenced to death; A "guard" who can stop werewolves from killing people in the middle of the night; Cupid or wolf beauty who can make a couple die together, knight who can expose the identity of werewolf in person, and so on. Although these characters make Wolf Man Kill more like a "magic game" in narrative, the most fundamental purpose is actually the second point to be mentioned next: to transform the narrative of "detective" and adapt to the new narrative rhythm of "witch hunting".

In the narrative construction of Wolf Man Killing, the killer is a supernatural creature "werewolf", so theoretically there will be no criminal flaws during the day. Therefore, the game removes the detective investigation logic of multiple "police" roles and "killing game", leaving only a "prophet" who can see his identity clearly and a "sheriff" who leads players in democratic discussions during the day. That is, in "Game of Killing", the "investigation mode" in which suspects are investigated and tortured by detectives, and suspects report to each other is transformed into the "witch hunting mode" in which villagers hold democratic and open councils during the day to reveal secrets to each other and villagers publicly judge "werewolves".

The most fundamental narrative grafting in the game design of "Wolf Man Killing" is the transformation of narrative mode from "suspect investigation" to "witch hunting public trial"-in the narrative paradigm of detective structure, the primary goal of participants is to "find the murderer", but in the mode of witch hunting public trial, the primary goal of participants is to "eliminate suspects, clear their minds" and win public trust. That is to say, in theory, compared with The Killing Game, Wolf Man Killing actually expands the emotional, psychological and eloquence aspects of the game, rather than expanding the original basic rules and logic of The Killing Game. In the "killing game", it is often the murderer who faces irrefutable facts. However, in the world of "werewolf killing", even if the logic has pointed to the inevitable exposure, wolves have the opportunity to make a comeback through public speeches and incitement. In fact, compared with the "killing game" based on the contemporary detective narrative mode, the extended package of "Wolf Man Killing" actually advances to the more distant Middle Ages in the narrative mode. Its depiction of villagers' democratic appraisal and public trial meetings during the day strictly follows the paradigm of "witch hunting" and "religious trial" in the medieval religious atmosphere-this grafting not only points to planned and systematic modernity, but also points to emotion, psychology and psychology.

In fact, when the mode of "witch hunting public trial conference" is established, a basic game rule of "werewolf killing" and "camp cooperation" can be questioned: in the atmosphere of "witch hunting", it is difficult to consider the fact-based "camp cooperation"-as an innocent civilian who is threatened by personal survival and in urgent need of self-help, what is the motivation and motivation for choosing? In the daily "democratic parliament", it may be more important to sort out your heart and concentrate on survival than to analyze the situation on the field, which seems to be more in line with the "humanity" of the player's role; Similarly, why do "werewolves" who obviously hold powerful supernatural forces enthusiastically participate in the rules of human self-organizing meetings while paying the price of their own kind's possible death, and even often pretend to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the team? In fact, the premise that "the truth (victory or defeat) is more important than the survival of the character" is not established in the grafting of this game narrative.

Of course, players will feel that this meta-narrative question is meaningless. As a more interesting and complicated "expansion package" of the "killing game", it is this narrative transformation that brings higher requirements to the participants' language ability, psychological quality and emotional expression, and promotes the popularity and popularization of "killing by a werewolf". In other words, the design of "Wolf Man Killing" retains the core of the most basic logic and rules of the original "Killing Game", and extends the transformation of language functions, which enhances the social and gathering properties of "Wolf Man Killing", enhances the experience of communication and dialogue between people, and makes it stand out as a popular and popular desktop game leader-all this is related to whether "Wolf Man Killing" is a "logic"

Then, it is a bit absurd to construct "werewolf killing" into "logical game"

Transcendental construction of gameplay: "speculation" becomes "rule" and "hegemony"

The online "werewolf killing" community with online app as the carrier is generally not very friendly to "newcomers". As a party table game, "Wolf Man Killing" should not have too many requirements for newcomers who participate less. In fact, although "Wolf Man Killing" adds some rules than "Killing Game", it is still relatively easy to understand on the whole, and anyone can quickly master and join the game. So, why do players generally "reject" newcomers? Their reason seems to be "high-sounding": "These newcomers don't understand the rules of the game/don't follow them". Of course, the "rules" that the newcomers mentioned by the old players don't follow are not the "basic rules of the game" such as handball and out-of-bounds, but many "hidden rules" that have emerged after years of development within the player group. Give the following examples:

1. To get the Prophet, you must run for sheriff and tell all players exactly who you want to check in the next two rounds. One of them must run for sheriff, and the other cannot run for sheriff. If the prophet doesn't run for sheriff, or if his remarks about running for sheriff don't follow the above logic, then even if other players choose a werewolf as sheriff, the prophet must take responsibility for the failure of the game;

2. Running for the sheriff can be disguised as a prophet, but once you claim that the person you are investigating has never run for the sheriff, you automatically lose the qualification of camouflage, and your identity is either a true prophet or a werewolf. If you are a good person, you must be responsible for it.

As a witch, you must save people on the first night, otherwise you will be regarded as not contributing to the good camp, not respecting your own cards and games.

4. If you are eliminated in the daytime speech and voting, you must refute and analyze the situation on the field to be regarded as a good person. If you accept your fate, you must be a werewolf.

……

Rules such as these should not only be "observed" in the course of the game, but more strictly speaking, players must also speak on the basis of respecting and recognizing the above rules in the game-once there is any speech against or questioning the above rules, it will naturally be considered as "bad speech" and its status will be immediately degraded by the audience. Countless new players who have just entered the industry are basically ignorant of these internal "hidden rules". Even if they know something, they just regard it as a reference and will not follow suit, and they often make comments that question this rule. However, once this new player who "doesn't follow the rules" appears in the game, other players' reaction to it is very negative. These newcomers will be regarded as deliberately destroying other people's game experience, so it seems "natural" to be criticized, accused or even abused. This kind of scene has been constantly staged in the development of "Wolf Man Killing" for many years, and the rage has been hanging over all players like a dark cloud. Even in the eyes of many people, this "hidden rule" is the "hegemony" of new players, which is also an important reason why "Wolf Man Kill" is no longer so popular.

Why do these various "hidden rules" come into being? Theoretically speaking, this is essentially a kind of "speculation" after years of game experience: because in the player's view, only by following these rules can a good camp win. These so-called hidden rules are essentially a summary of the experience of "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages": the prophet, as the sheriff, can let the good people who can see the situation best grasp the highest number of votes in the good people camp, thus gaining an advantage in the voting process, so the prophet must win over the sheriff; Because the probability of werewolf suicide on the first night is extremely low, saving people on the first night is the best choice for a good camp, so witches must save people; Players who disguise their identities are likely to confuse other players, so players who set a "red line" and break through this "red line" must pay the price; Because it is best to clarify the identity of the eliminated person to help Shanying analyze the situation, "resignation" is absolutely not allowed. ...

In fact, these hidden rules finally point to a core goal: to eliminate all other interference factors in the game process, to ensure that the core conflict point of the game lies in the discrimination of the "true prophet" and to ensure that the game continues with a "logical" rational modality. Once the players don't "seek advantages and avoid disadvantages" in the game and are not driven by the camp interests of individual characters, the game will easily fall into the confusion of unknown friends and enemies, thus destroying everyone's game experience-but the logical problem is that the "setting" of these rules is not simple and clear. For many newcomers who just joined the game, they can't clearly establish these rules and "respect the game and respect their own role interests". Of course, most players respect their own roles. Fundamentally speaking, why should a game with unlimited development possibilities be bound by these "positivism" of "the best chance for a good person to win"? It is true that if these rules are abandoned, the probability of werewolf winning may be greatly improved, but is the most important goal of this game winning or losing? These "transcendental constructions" are essentially just a popular law of "speculation" for victory. In fact, they are constantly presenting a hidden ideological operation: that is, "werewolf killing" must and will always be a "logical game"

Under the influence of these hidden rules, in fact, as a social gathering game, "werewolf killing" has been basically eliminated from the participants' emotional, psychological and language abilities, showing the following mechanical state: everyone only makes comments related to whether they can win, and then when everyone speaks appropriately, the loser must be because there are loopholes in the speech that are not in line with the rules and logic. So as to be keenly captured by other players, so as to distinguish the winners and losers-this is also the reason why many players emphasize that "werewolf killing" is a "logical game" and a "verbal game": in their ideal game state, the outcome of the game depends only on whether your words conform to the principle of "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages". Your speech is watertight, so even if you are a werewolf, you deserve to win; If your speech does not conform to this principle, then whether you are a good person or not, failure is inevitable, and you must be responsible for the failure of the game.

This is a process of transforming a party game into a "competitive event", which can be diversified, fully display the freedom and different personalities of the participants, take the fun of the participants as the first priority, and turn it into a "competitive event" with clear and direct rules, and take the participants' compliance with the rules of the game as the criterion. The way to make "Wolf Man Killing" a "logical game" is very simple, that is, all the gameplay and behaviors beyond the original logic are judged as "illegal". All the changes and fun are no longer important. As a popular "competitive event", it is only necessary to judge whether the participants' speeches abide by the rules-just as the rule of football is that the ball should cross the goal line, the birth of these "transcendental rules" points to the goal of incorporating and regularizing "Wolf Man Killing" into a competitive sports suitable for the needs of contemporary commercial development-a transformation from pluralism to unity and from generation to stagnation.

The Internal Fracture between "Logic Game" and "Scientism Myth"

It seems that we can accurately criticize the soft underbelly behind the transformation of "werewolf killing" into "modern hegemonic operation" of competitive events. First of all, it is a regrettable fact that if the competitive elements of "werewolf killing" are separated from the winning and losing relationship, and if the players speak according to the unspoken rules of "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages", such competitive games do not seem to be "good-looking" and the enjoyment is not good. Looking back at the "Wolf Man Killing" programs held by major online platforms in recent years, we can find that the game with fierce competition is either that the players are too excellent, and the winners and losers are quickly separated when most viewers have not seen the situation clearly; Either the offensive and defensive sides have no flaws in multiple rounds of play, and they have entered a "deep push" situation that can only rely on intuition and blind speculation. Although the scene is anxious, it is also boring, even for three hours, and there is no program effect at all. The "classic games" left by these variety shows are often based on the players' major mistakes and the chaotic and strange situation caused by not obeying the "hidden rules". In fact, the goal of transforming "Wolf Man Killing" into a competitive event directly related to the outcome is contradictory to recording the "Wolf Man Killing" competition into a variety show with wonderful effects, and there is a gap between these two demands. If players focus on competition and winning or losing, the game will not look good; On the contrary, even if the players make many mistakes or even don't follow the "hidden rules" at all, they can create unexpected program effects. In the long run, the variety shows that were originally intended to promote the competition of "Wolf Man Killing" will be despised and abandoned by "senior" Wolf Man Killing players. In order to solve this problem, the recording of variety shows will pay more attention to the competitive dimension with weak appreciation-the programs are getting uglier and uglier, the audience's enthusiasm for "Wolf Man Killing" is getting lower and lower, and the vicious circle is endless.

Why is there such an obvious audience level fracture just after a competitive event is put into broadcast and variety show recording? I'm afraid this must be traced back to the logical internal fracture of "werewolf killing" as a "logical game" mentioned above. Under the narrative mode of "witch hunting public trial conference", it is impossible for any role or participant to focus on the victory or defeat of the whole camp, and it is impossible to make sacrifices for the overall situation actively. In other words, in such a "life-and-death" crisis, it is almost impossible to ask everyone to strictly abide by the rules and act purely for a single "reason". As a "killing game" and an "information piece" aimed at enhancing players' emotional and psychological control and testing players' language mastery, Wolf Man Killing adopts a design form similar to "square speech" and "witch hunting trial" in the Middle Ages, and all its construction bases point to the pre-modern: so, in such a narrative environment, what are we talking about "pure rational judgment" and "logic"? I'm afraid it's only at the design level that the understanding gap between the gameplay and the internal structure of the game is exposed: in the face of a game that must rely on rhetoric, emotional control and psychological quality to ensure the process operation, if all participants respect a fixed logic that is not firm and completely reliable like robots, then the playability and appreciation of this "logic game" can be imagined.

What's more noteworthy is that after players sum up a set of "hidden rules" to help good people win by "seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages", such rules subtly realize the shaping and discipline of the game itself, and by extension, realize the control and discipline of old players to novice players. The original "werewolf killing" with rich gameplay and changeable situation has been disciplined into a gambling game in which both sides jump the prophet, and has become a "competitive event" with the sole goal of guessing who is true and who is false and judging everything by the quality of words. Many "werewolf killing" fans are addicted to it, but they also take this opportunity to introduce the terms, rules and gameplay to new players, thus realizing a strong desire for control over novice players. In the end, it even pointed to the fascist thorough discipline of other people's minds-many games that did not conform to the "hidden rules" were accused, abused or even attacked, which not only created a deformed hostile atmosphere within the circle of "werewolf killing" players, but also made more and more players choose to leave, which made the games lose little competitiveness because of the single play, and more thoroughly demonstrated the indelible negative impact of a single social trend of thought on the free development of human nature.

The problem we encounter is that there seems to be an invisible hand that represents both players and capital. In the illusory castle in the air, a transcendental competition standard of "werewolf killing" is constructed, which creates the myth that this is a "logical game". In fact, this standard, whether external design or internal planning, has the mechanism of "scientism myth" since the last century.

Now, to re-evaluate the game "Wolf Man Killing", we must return to the humanity of its gathering and gathering games, to its free and diverse game design core, and to the emotional and linguistic categories that can truly "liberate" human thinking. Although "scientism", which judges the transcendental scientism structure of everything in the world, seems to have disappeared in the academic field in 2 1 century, it still seems to be "very energetic".

In this regard, we must remain vigilant and have a sensitive and sympathetic mind.

Proofreading: Liu Wei