1. Elements of a System Formal system Experiential system Cultural system
Objects
Pieces, board, cards
The players
The whole game
Attributes (properties)
Rules: moving pieces, win, draw, capture
Pieces player controls; state of game
Designed elements (Tolkien’s books)
Internal relationships
Actual positions in the board, location of sauron,
Strategic interaction, psychological
Heroes (hobbits), mages, bad guys (sauron)
Environment
Actual game play
Context of play: I rather see u loose!
Book, movies, games

2. Play, Game, System Play: jumping
System: highway system (no artificial conflict)
Game:
Rules are the most common element
Least mentioned characteristics:
“Art”
Conflict or contest

3. Digital Games, non Digital games
Automated complex systems: capability to maintain and execute sophisticated processes (e.g., maintaining the state of the world in Civilization)
Semi-automated non-digital complex systems: Dungeons and Dragons. Board, cards are used in a clever way to maintain lots of information
Anatomy of choice:
What happened before the player was given a choice?
How is the possibility of a choice conveyed to the player?
How did a player make a choice?
What is the result of choice? How affects future choices?
How are the results of choice conveyed?

4. Meaningful Play
Meaningful play: player’s actions have a discernable and integrated outcome
Example of meaningful play: Tekken
Discernable: When Nina lands a hit you see it
Integrated: Opponent looses hps; when hp reach 0 Nina wins
Example of non meaningful play:
Squashing rodents in Diablo, Word of Warcraft
Relation between Lusory Attitude and Meaningful play
If there is no meaningful play, player will not be willing to overcome artificial obstacles in the game. Therefore, looses the Lusory Attitude

5. Game as Open and Closed Systems
As a closed system (no interaction with outside environment), rules are the formal schema of the system
Playing is an experiential schema.
Play can be both closed (following the rules of the game) and open (social experience)
Culture is the contextual schema of the game
(word: “zerging”. From here)
Magic circle is the time and space where game occurs
Separates the game from the “real” world
Contains everything relate dot the game as a closed system
And the experiential part of the game as an open system

6. Final Words
Average: 79/100
This time I took a ‘lusory attitude” correcting the test
For Test # 2 and Final exam, I’ll be looking for clarity and precision in your answers