Index
G
gain, 75
game(s)as culture, 538 (see also cultural environment)definitions, 73–81, 572
entry into, 333
formal vs. informal, 74
gaming the, 475–478, 489
identity of, 134–136, 139
non-adversarial, 74
open-ended, 83, 538–544, 552 (see also player-as-producer)
vs. play, 72–73, 75, 83, 303, 311
vs. puzzles, 80–81, 83
and reality, 295
as signal processing systems, 204 (see also systems)theories about, 4
utility, 331–333
See also arcade games; board games; digital games; fighting games; racing games; real-time strategy (RTS) games; single-player games; war gamesGame and Watch Gallery, 144–145
game design, 60–67, interactivityand choice, 61–66 (see also choice)complexity, 156–158 (see also complexity)conflict, 254–255 (see also conflict)and cultural environment, 584–586 (see also cultural environment)and cultural rhetoric, 516–517, 534
curriculum, 9
cybernetics, 222–228 (see also cybernetic systems)decision trees, 234–235, 245
definition, 80
degenerate strategies, 241, 246, 271–274, 285
as discipline, xv, 1
emergence, 165–171 (see also 329, 333–334, 336, 339–341 (see also engagement)fundamentals, 6–7
and information theory, 198–199, 201 (see also information theory)(in)stability, 224–225
iteration, 11–12, 15, 17, 485
magic circle, 94–99 (see also magic circle)and meaning, 41
meaningful play, 32–36 (see also meaningful play)of metagames, 484–485
open play, 537, 538, 540, 552
parameter selection, 17–18
and player expertise, 412
player focus, 41, 136
by players, 539–544
and player styles, 270–271, 284
and probability, 177–179, 186–187, 194–195
prototyping, 12, 148
resources, 602–603
and rule-breaking, 281–282, 285
saddle points, 241, 246
schemas, 5–6
as second-order design, 168, 171
space of possibility, 66–67, 69 (see also space of possibility)
see also interactivity
game designersculture at large as, 41
and experiental play, 67, 316
focus of, 1, 66–67
game development processCaribbean Star, 592–599
Ironclad, 292–297
Lord of the Rings Board Game, 26, 27
Sibling Rivalry, 110–115
Sneak, 494–495
gameLab, 463
game play, 303–305, 309–310
at long-distance, 89
narrative about, 411–413
recording/editing, 414–415
See also meaningful play; play
Games as Social Play (exercise), 21
game state, 218
game systems, 17, 546–550
scripted, 23–24
See also systems
game theorybasic concepts, 232, 245
decision trees, 232–235
and design, 243–244
strategy, 235–237, 245
utility, 237–238, 245
zero-sum games, 239–242, 246, 255
game theory games, 236–243
Cake Division, 239–241
Matching Pennies, 242
Prisoner’s Dilemma, 242–243
Gard, Toby, 524
Gardener, Martin, 161
Garfield, Richard, 293, 482
See also Sibling rivalry
Gas Powered Games, 548–550
Gauntletconflict, 253–255, 258
social play, 466
space, 394
Gearheads, 166–167
Geertz, Clifford, 511, 532
gender, 522–526, 532, 534
in modifications, 560, 562
website, 567
generalized simulation, 445–448, 457
Gielens, Jaro, 602
Gin, 205–206
Girl Games movement, 532
Girlich, Uwe, 414
Glass Bead Game, 296
Goconflict, 432, 433
emergence, 164–165
information, 210
interactivity, 61
and Ironclad, 297
rules, 103–104
goalsand competition, 258
in LOOP, 259
and narrative, 385–387, 418
example, 405–407
and pleasure, 337, 342–344, 361
short term, 343–344, 361
of Sim City, 83, 254
Goffman, Erving, 454
Gold, 348
Goldstein, Kenneth, 185, 267, 268, 475
Golf, 97, 546
Gonzalez, Jesus M., 545
Gonzo, 110
good sports. See sportsmanship
Gorfinkel, Elena, 451–452
Goth subculture, 521–522
Grand Theft Auto III, 364, 402, 510
Gran Turismo 3, 413–414, 441, 452
graphics, 602
The Grid, 156–157
gridsof decisions, 239–240, 246
game definition elements, 79
payoff matrices, 239–241, 246
of play categories, 308
for player roles, 464
rhetorics of play, 519
war games, 443–445
Gross-Out, 34
Grusin, Richard, 452, 456, 458
GTA III, 402, 408, 510
guessingin crossword puzzles, 198
and information theory, 194–195
and probability, 104–195
repeated, 158
Gygax, Gary, 81