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Other Kinds of Rules
Often, when we investigate a particular quality of games, we compare them to other forms of culture. Comparison helps situate games within a broader context and also highlights the qualities of games that make them unique. One of our primary intentions is to understand what makes games distinctive and what makes game design unique as a field. But that does not mean that the only kind of comparisons to make are the ones that set games apart from everything else. Case in point: in trying to figure out exactly what game rules are, it is helpful to ask, Are rules unique to games? The answer is both yes and no. There are certainly "rules and regulations" in many kinds of activities. For example, conventions of etiquette are behavioral rules; so are laws of a state or the international "rules" of war. A sign to "keep off the grass" communicates a rule, and so does a memo about a school policy that forbids cheating on tests. Some might define science by saying that it uncovers hidden rules of nature, that molecules, for example, obey certain rules when they combine. If rules are guidelines that guide and direct behavior, there are many contexts in which people or phenomena do seem to "follow the rules." The word "rules," like the words "play" and "game," can be used in many different ways. For the purposes of game design, it is important to consider in what ways games make use of rules. Perhaps a better question than "Are rules unique to games?" is, "What is unique about the rules found in games?"
Games are artificial systems, separate in some way from ordinary life. The authority of game rules only holds sway within the limited context of the game. The laws of a state, on the other hand, permeate the lived experience of its citizens in a much less limited way. It is true that laws are a social construct, as are game rules. However, from a formal point of view, the artificiality of games keeps their rules from having an impact outside the magic circle of the game. As game designer and philosopher Bernard DeKoven states, "I consider a game to be something that provides us with a common goal, the achievement of which has no bearing on anything that is outside the game."
