Game analysis Robin Burke GAM 206

Outline o Quiz (30 min) o Game analysis o Rules o Play o Culture

Quiz

Game analysis o We want to use games as sources o primary sources related to particular periods o What can we learn? o what questions do we ask to understand a game?

Framework o Rules o formal structure of the game o how the game works o how outcomes are determined o Play o what it is like to play the game o Culture o how the game makes contact with society o If this topic interests you, consider taking GAM 224

Rules o Rules come in two forms o operational rules o what the players do to play o constitutive rules o the inner logic of the game o what makes the game work o you can play without knowing o Constitutive rules o are the formal structure of the game

Examining Rules o Complexity o Information o Feedback

Complexity o Some games are clearly more strategically complex than others o tic-tac-toe vs go o what about medieval chess vs modern? o how can we answer this question analytically? o "A game is a series of interesting choices" – Sid Meier

Interesting choices o Coupling o If a change in one feature o requires a change in another o Chess o must consider the network of relationships between pieces when moving o Context o If the value of options o changes with the game context o Football o a timeout has a different value at the end of the fourth quarter o Non-linearity o If small differences in input o produce large differences in output o Chess o one square could be the difference between safe and checkmate

Medieval Chess o Without dice o With dice

Information o Incomplete information makes for interesting gameplay o why playing cards have a front and back o Types of information o public o known to all o private o known to one player o hidden o not known by any

Information economy o Games of information often have an "information economy" o a system through which o hidden information is revealed o private information becomes public o Like all economies o based on exchange o Example o hearts

Feedback o Feedback is a mechanism for a system to link its current state to its behavior o Example o thermostat o measures the temperature of the room o if too low o turn on the heat o if OK o turn off the heat

Two Types o Negative Feedback Loop o "inhibition" o As the state changes, the loop acts to move it in the direction of its previous state o Example o thermostat o Positive Feedback Loop o "excitation" o As the state changes, the loop acts to move it in the direction that it is moving o Example o automobile turbocharger o home team advantage

General principles o Negative feedback loops o increases system stability o makes the game last longer o magnifies late successes o Positive feedback loops o destabilizes the system o makes the game shorter o magnifies early success o Positive feedback is usually essential o propels a player to victory o otherwise, game can go on forever o one reason that three-player games are difficult to design

Questions to ask o What is the formal structure of your game? o How are the player's choices made interesting? o Is there a knowledge economy? o What feedback mechanisms exist?

Experiential o What is the game like to play? o cannot be answered by analysis o you must play the game o not always enough? o Example o awari o What makes a game "fun"?

Core mechanic o What is it that players do? o move pieces o draw cards, discard o run around a field o Are decisions easy to make? o game moves faster o Briscola o Do they involve strategic calculation? o game moves slower o Chess o Do they involve private information? o players may try to guess the others' situation o players may try to deceive each other o Poker

Roles / Simulation o Does gameplay involve roles that players take on? o Tapp Tarock o President o Does it simulate or abstract some real activity o Diplomacy o Fun may be in doing these roles o performance o wish fulfillment

Narrative o Game take place over time o can be said to have narrative structure o For example o every chess game starts the same o but ends (generally) differently o there is a story in there o Simplest example o Rock-Paper-Scissors o For some games this narrative is the whole point o Game of Life

Questions to ask o What makes the game fun? o What do players do to play? o Are there roles? o What degree of performance is involved? o What is the narrative structure of the game? o Is it delineated in advance or emergent?

Cultural o What can we learn from a game about its creators and players? o Some obvious places to start o they enjoy its core mechanic o they enjoy the roles that the game provides o they enjoy its narrative structure

More in-depth o Cultural / societal factors o Predispose players to enjoy these things? o Yalom's argument o chivalry o mariolatry o existing role models o predisposed players to accept a powerful queen piece