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The Elements of a System
A system is a set of things that affect one another within an environment to form a larger pattern that is different from any of the individual parts. In his textbook Theories of Human Communication, Stephen W. Littlejohn identifies four elements that constitute a system: Let us take a detailed look at a particular game, Chess. We will first think about Chess as a strictly strategic and mathematical system. This means considering Chess as a purely formal system of rules. Framed in this way, the four elements of the system of Chess are as follows:
The first is objects-the parts, elements, or variables within the system. These may be physical or abstract or both, depending on the nature of the system.
Second, a system consists of attributes-the qualities or properties of the system and its objects.
Third a system has internal relationships among its objects. This characteristic is a crucial aspect [of systems].
Fourth, systems also possess an environment. They do not exist in a vacuum but are affected by their surroundings.[2]
Objects: The objects in Chess are the pieces on the board and the board itself.
Attributes: These are the characteristics the rules give these objects, such as the starting positions of each piece and the specific ways each piece can move and capture.
Internal Relationships: Although the attributes determine the possible movements of the pieces, the internal relationships are the actual positions of the pieces on the board. These spatial relationships on the grid determine strategic relationships: one piece might be threatening another one, or protecting an empty square. Some of the pieces might not even be on the board.
Environment: If we are looking just at the formal system of Chess, then the environment for the interaction of the objects is the play of the game itself. Play provides the context for the formal elements of a game.
But framing the game as a formal system is only one way to think about the system of Chess. We can extend our focus and think of Chess as a system with experiential dimensions as well. This means thinking of Chess not just as a mathematical and logical system, but also as a system of interaction between the players and the game. Changing the way that we frame the game affects how we would define the four components of a system. Framed as an experiential system, the elements of the system of Chess are as follows:
Objects: Because we are looking at Chess as the interaction between players, the objects of the system are actually the two players themselves.
Attributes: The attributes of each player are the pieces he or she controls, as well as the current state of the game.
Internal Relationships: Because the players are the objects, their interaction constitutes the internal relationships of the system. These relationships would include not just their strategic interaction, but their social, psychological, and emotional communication as well.
Environment: Considering Chess as an experiential system, the total environment would have to include not just the board and pieces of the game, but the immediate environment that contained the two players as well. We might term this the context of play. Any part of the environment that facilitated play would be included in this context. For example, if it were a play-by-email game of Chess, the context of play would have to include the software environment in which the players send and receive moves. Any context of play would also include players' preconceptions of Chess, such as the fact that they think it is cool or nerdy to play. This web of physical, psychological, and cultural associations delineate-not the experience of the game -but rather the context that surrounds the game, the environment within which the experience of play occurs.
Lastly, we can expand our focus and think about Chess as a cultural system. Here the concern is with how the game fits into culture at large. There are many ways to conceive of games as culture. For example, say that we wanted to look at the game of Chess as a representation of ideological values associated with a particular time and place. We would want to make connections between the design of the game and larger structures of culture. We would be looking, for example, to identify cultural references made in the design of the game pieces (What is the gendered power relationship between King and Queen implied in their visual design?); references made in the structure and rituals of game play (Was playing Chess polite and gentlemanly or vulgar and cutthroat?); and references made to the people who play (Who are they-intellectuals, military types, or computer geeks?). Framed as a cultural system, the four elements of the system of Chess are as follows:
Objects: The object is the game of Chess itself, considered in its broadest cultural sense.
Attributes: The attributes of the game would be the designed elements of the game, as well as information about how, when, and why the game was made and used.
Internal Relationships: The relationships would be the linkages between the game and culture. We might find, for example, a relationship between the "black and white" sides of the game and the way that race is referenced when the game pieces are represented figuratively.
Environment: The environment of the system extends beyond any individual game of Chess, or even the context of play. The total environment for this cultural framing of Chess is culture itself, in all of its forms.
Note that there are innumerable ways of framing Chess as a cultural system. We could examine the complex historical evolution of the game. Or we could investigate the amateur and professional subcultures (books, websites, competitions, etc.) that surround the game. We could study the culture of Chess variants, in which Chess is redesigned by player-fans, or how Chess is referenced within popular culture, such as the Chess-like game Spock played on the television show Star Trek. The list goes on. [2]Stephen W. Littlejohn, Theories of Human Communication, 3rd edition (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1989), p. 41.
