Suspend & Resume

Ludic Temporal Structure persistence_reversibility · suspend_resume

The process state survives an interruption of the temporal framing. The game is paused, not ended – the frame “this is a game” is suspended and re-entered later. Suspend & Resume concerns persistence, not reversibility: one returns to the same point, not an earlier one.

Design question – Can the process be safely interrupted and continued later at the same point – or does an interruption punish players?

Reference example – Chess: in an adjourned game the next move is sealed in an envelope, and play continues the next day. Monopoly: the board stays out overnight and play resumes the next day. Nintendo Switch: sleep mode pauses any game mid-jump.

Compatible with

• Plateau (DU-03) – The course tolerates pauses without loss of tension.
• Cyclical (DU-11) – Resuming session by session.
• Iterative Narrative (NA-12) – Each session a chapter.