(anyway, in the meantime while i wait to hear back from sylvie...)
what i mean by 'double entendre design element' is something which serves two purposes - this is absolutely not a new idea but it still feels special when one element serves two purposes. i've chosen 'double entendre' because those tend to have two meanings: a public, obvious meaning; and a second hidden meaning.
it's helpful to think of them in this tiered, hierarchical way, because then each meaning has its own role; they aren't equals, they don't have to be the same, they can't be compared... the FIRST is public, visible, obvious. the SECOND private, hidden, secret, rewarding.
but.
they are both important. aside from their place in the hierarchy, each one must also be a fully-fledged design element in its own right for the most beautiful double entendre to blossom. if the FIRST is not well-developed, then it appears to be a dull veil. if the SECOND is not well-developed, then it is not enough to feel worth discovering. but if both are well-developed... well, that's what i aspire to.
note that this is not purely 'game design-y' purposes. in fact i think it's more interesting, more intuitively appealing to me, when a design element's double entendre crosses from game design to thematics.
when both meanings are of roughly equal viability, close but different enough that depending on my mood either one or the other may appear primary or dominant, the element gains a significant degree of longevity. . . i can consider one meaning to overshadow the other one day, but the next i may need to reconsider my position. in this way, an element becomes something which i can't fully put down right away, and because of this i think about it more, and my relationship to it becomes more deep.
i'll try to give some examples next.
what i mean by 'double entendre design element' is something which serves two purposes - this is absolutely not a new idea but it still feels special when one element serves two purposes. i've chosen 'double entendre' because those tend to have two meanings: a public, obvious meaning; and a second hidden meaning.
it's helpful to think of them in this tiered, hierarchical way, because then each meaning has its own role; they aren't equals, they don't have to be the same, they can't be compared... the FIRST is public, visible, obvious. the SECOND private, hidden, secret, rewarding.
but.
they are both important. aside from their place in the hierarchy, each one must also be a fully-fledged design element in its own right for the most beautiful double entendre to blossom. if the FIRST is not well-developed, then it appears to be a dull veil. if the SECOND is not well-developed, then it is not enough to feel worth discovering. but if both are well-developed... well, that's what i aspire to.
note that this is not purely 'game design-y' purposes. in fact i think it's more interesting, more intuitively appealing to me, when a design element's double entendre crosses from game design to thematics.
when both meanings are of roughly equal viability, close but different enough that depending on my mood either one or the other may appear primary or dominant, the element gains a significant degree of longevity. . . i can consider one meaning to overshadow the other one day, but the next i may need to reconsider my position. in this way, an element becomes something which i can't fully put down right away, and because of this i think about it more, and my relationship to it becomes more deep.
i'll try to give some examples next.