Uncertainty in games / Greg Costikyan.

By: Material type: TextTextSeries: Playful thinking (Cambridge, Mass)Publisher: Cambridge, Massachusetts : MIT Press, [2013]Description: viii, 141 pages ; 21 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9780262018968 (hardcover : alk. paper)
  • 0262018969 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subject(s): Additional physical formats: Online version:: Uncertainty in gamesDDC classification:
  • 794.8/1536 23
LOC classification:
  • GV1230 .C67 2013
Online resources:
Contents:
Series foreword -- Introduction -- Games and culture -- Uncertainty -- Analyzing games -- Sources of uncertainty -- Game design considerations -- Conclusion.
Summary: "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 suggests 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." Jacket flap.
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Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Books Books Odessa College Stacks 794.8 C842U (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 51994001692468

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Series foreword -- Introduction -- Games and culture -- Uncertainty -- Analyzing games -- Sources of uncertainty -- Game design considerations -- Conclusion.

"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 suggests 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." Jacket flap.

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