The knowledge hidden in the fog of war
Using computer game metaphors to unfold how we explore the world.
A while back I was thinking about the strategy games and how these relate to making sense of information and new fields. What I’ve been thinking about is the difference between
1. Home territory, (your territory)
2. Fog of war (you see the map but not the activity on it)
3. Terra incognita (you see neither the map nor the activity)
1. Home territory
What you know
In games the home territory is where you see nuances, colors and movement. Because you “own” it its easy to fully understand the difference with
2. Fog of war
The vaguely explored
Some areas on your map might be greyed out. You see the map but not the activity on it. This is the fog of war.
3. Terra incognita
The unexplored
Terra Incognita is the unexplored territory that appears as black on gameplay maps.
Conclusion
To be a true expert you not only have to understand the map but also understand the activity that happens on it.
I’ve been working with cards (MethodKit) the last 3 years. The idea with the cards is to use them as representations. They become an interface that help people to understanding the map by providing the bits and piece of the map. Each on a card.
People need to see the landscape in front of them to be able to make strategic and tactical decisions together.
Good interfaces provide an understanding of the landscape, to enable people from different disciplines to talk with each. It transforms peoples’ terra incognita into fog of war which is good starting point to explore the map (and make fog of war into active territory).
Read more: Pattern Language & Code
