Playing in a Virtual World: Exploration and Aspects of Play

My research is concerned with ´explorable virtual worlds´, usually those that are ´artworks´, dealing with aesthetic and affective domains. Whilst developing theoretical enquiries I have come across a number of issues of terminology and word use. Particularly problematic are terms such as ´game´, ´games´, and ´play´. This paper is a broad survey of some of those issues and key theorists in the field.