------------ Chapter 9: The Magic Circle ------------

Leading questions:

  - What does it mean to enter the system of a game?
  - What makes of the boundary of a game?
  - How do we get into and out of the play or game?

Games tend to have definable boundaries:

  - chess: you set up the board, and then "enter play"
  - bball: The whistle blows and you enter play


These boundaries may depend on the schema
  - cultural:  the "game" of bball includes the trading of players,
        coaches, stadiums, etc...:  the whole season?
  - play/experiential:   This can include the pre-game and post game
  - rules/formal:  Whistle blow to final buzzer.

Magic Circle:  the idea of a special place in time and space created by a game.

The formalized nature of games makes the magic circle explicit.

Some games have physical boundaries:  bball court, football field.
Some games do not have physical boundaries:  arm wrestling, jacks 

Inside the magic circle objects can take on new meaning.
Example: a nice chess set can be viewed as art when not playing,
but when playing the pieces become an extension of the player.


The magic circle can be and open or closed system depending on schema:

  - rules:  closed, formal rules
  - play:  both:  closed if restrict focus to play behavior intrinsic 
           to the game, open if allow how the player currently relates
		   to the outside world (he was off his game because he is having
		   marital problems...)
  - cultural:  very open!

Interesting observation:

  * "In anything but a game the gratuitous introduction of unnecessary
    obstacles to the achievement of an end is regarded as a decidedly
	irrational thing to do, whereas in games it appears to be an absolutely
	essential thing to do"  [Benard Suits]

A "lusory" (i.e. ludo, or homo ludens) attitude is needed for players 
to enter into a game.   A player must commit an act of "faith" to invest
in the games special meaning.  Eg: chess, RPGs!  

Examples:

  - golf: we accept that we are hitting a tiny ball with a stick and it has
    meaning.
  - Bowling: just why the heck should we roll a heavy ball down to hit pins?
  - TKD point sparring: we accept that we do not hit the face, nothing
    below the belt.  These are "obstacles" compared to a real fight.  Why
	are they there?
  - Soccer: we can't use our hands?  Why?

  => Players take on this lusory attitude for the pleasure of play itself.

** We must design a game to encourage the lusory attitude.  The restrictions
   we put in place must be acceptable by the players for the pleasure of play.




------------ Chapter 10: The Primary Schemas ------------

A game design schema is a a way to conceptually frame game from 
distinct perspectives.

A schema is a "lens" through which we view the game.

Three primary schemas:

1) Rules:  the formal intrinsic mathematical structure of the game.

2) Play: the players experience:  interaction with the game and other players.

3) Culture:  the cultural context in which the game is embedded
   and the two way affect of:   culture <=> game


Schemas are NOT defined concepts, rather, they are a way of allowing
us to understand games in different ways, which then allow us
to design better games.


Rules:   the formal mathematical structure of games.  The
  set of rules that must be followed.

  Consider a two game of "go".  

     a) One played in ancient china, the other in today's NYC.
	 b) One played between two friends where one is teaching the other,
	    the second game a competition between two grand masters.
	 c) One white dominates, the other is a close game.
	 d) One is played with plastic pieces on a cheesy board, the other
	    with jade on a fine wooden board.

  The two games are very different, but, from a RULES point 
  of view they are identical.

  Question:  what do the differences point to:  

    a) difference when viewed by cultural schema 
    b) difference when viewed by play/experiential and cultural
    c) difference when viewed by play/experiential 
    c) difference when viewed by experiential  and cultural


Play:   the actual EXPERIENCE the player has

  - play only exists as an experience, the rules guide the play,
    but it is not the same thing.

  - The play might be a social experience, a narrative experience,
    or an experience of pleasure.

Culture:  The relationship between a game and the cultural context in 
   which it is embedded.

   - The movie Rollerball
   - The movie Running Man
   - Chess, intellectual, Deep Blue
   - marbles and the school yard culture
   - football and the high school culture



Exercises:

  1) Chose a common/popular computer game, either present or "classic".

	 For each of the 3 primary schemas:
       a) Explain how one enters/exits the magic circle.  
	   b) Explain what the player must "buy into" to create
	      the play experience, i.e. what do they have to accept/believe
		  to get the most pleasurable experience?

  2) Propose a computer game that you want to create.
     The answers to the below should be 2 pages at most.

     A) Give a 2 or 3 paragraph description.

	 B) Specify the game with formal rules.

	 C) Describe the actions and how the are discernible and integrated.

	 D) Describe how one enters the magic circle with your game.  What
	    does a player have to buy into in order to "get into" the game.