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 games

Game and Watch Gallery, 144–145

game design, 60–67, interactivity

and 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 designers

culture at large as, 41

and experiental play, 67, 316

focus of, 1, 66–67

game development process

Caribbean 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 theory

basic 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

Gauntlet

conflict, 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

Go

conflict, 432, 433

emergence, 164–165

information, 210

interactivity, 61

and Ironclad, 297

rules, 103–104

goals

and 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

grids

of 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

guessing

in crossword puzzles, 198

and information theory, 194–195

and probability, 104–195

repeated, 158

Gygax, Gary, 81