Uncertainty in Games

5 x 8 in, 152 pages

English language

Published Jan. 29, 2010

ISBN:: 978-0-262-01896-8

(1 review)

How uncertainty in games—from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors—engages players and shapes play experiences.

In life, uncertainty surrounds us. Things that we thought were good for us turn out to be bad for us (and vice versa); people we thought we knew well behave in mysterious ways; the stock market takes a nosedive. Thanks to an inexplicable optimism, most of the time we are fairly cheerful about it all. But we do devote much effort to managing and ameliorating uncertainty. Is it any wonder, then, asks Greg Costikyan, that we have taken this aspect of our lives and transformed it culturally, making a series of elaborate constructs that subject us to uncertainty but in a fictive and nonthreatening way? That is: we create games.

In this concise and entertaining book, Costikyan, an award-winning game designer, argues that games require uncertainty to hold our interest, and that the struggle to master …

How uncertainty in games—from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors—engages players and shapes play experiences.

In life, uncertainty surrounds us. Things that we thought were good for us turn out to be bad for us (and vice versa); people we thought we knew well behave in mysterious ways; the stock market takes a nosedive. Thanks to an inexplicable optimism, most of the time we are fairly cheerful about it all. But we do devote much effort to managing and ameliorating uncertainty. Is it any wonder, then, asks Greg Costikyan, that we have taken this aspect of our lives and transformed it culturally, making a series of elaborate constructs that subject us to uncertainty but in a fictive and nonthreatening way? That is: we create games.

In this concise and entertaining book, Costikyan, an award-winning game designer, argues that games require uncertainty to hold our interest, and that the struggle to master uncertainty is central to their appeal. Game designers, he suggests, can harness the idea of uncertainty to guide their work.

Costikyan explores the many sources of uncertainty in many sorts of games—from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors, from Monopoly to CityVille, from FPS Deathmatch play to Chess. He describes types of uncertainty, including performative uncertainty, analytic complexity, and narrative anticipation. And he suggest ways that game designers who want to craft novel game experiences can use an understanding of game uncertainty in its many forms to improve their designs.

1 edition

Thom reviewed Uncertainty in Games by Greg Costikyan

Review of 'Uncertainty in Games' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

In this thin volume, noted game designer Greg Costikyan focuses on just one aspect of game design - uncertainty - both its impact on existing games and how it can be used as a design tool to improve future game designs.

After a brief introduction, the author goes through several types of games, both computer and board, pointing out various forms of uncertainty contained in them. He then moves to a chapter covering each in detail, from the perspective of a game designer. In the final section he suggests that while designers make obvious choices to adjust difficulty, refactor strategies, and the like, they may be better off adjusting the levels of uncertainty instead.

This is the first or second book in the Playful Thinking series, "engaging and visually compelling volumes on game-related topics, authored by both scholars and industry luminaries, that are easily accessible to academics, professionals, and laymen …

In this thin volume, noted game designer Greg Costikyan focuses on just one aspect of game design - uncertainty - both its impact on existing games and how it can be used as a design tool to improve future game designs.

After a brief introduction, the author goes through several types of games, both computer and board, pointing out various forms of uncertainty contained in them. He then moves to a chapter covering each in detail, from the perspective of a game designer. In the final section he suggests that while designers make obvious choices to adjust difficulty, refactor strategies, and the like, they may be better off adjusting the levels of uncertainty instead.

This is the first or second book in the Playful Thinking series, "engaging and visually compelling volumes on game-related topics, authored by both scholars and industry luminaries, that are easily accessible to academics, professionals, and laymen from a broad range of backgrounds and levels of experience." I found it interesting, expanding the language of games and game design. I'd like to read one of the other books in the series (11 so far) soon.