Game Rules

In chapter 5 Neilsen goes into the subject of rules in games and why they hold a value or importance to a game. He talks about a different typology that is suggested by Salen and Zimmerman which also has a different set of rules which is what I am going to cover. Those rules are Operational rules, constitative rules, and implicit rules. Operational rules are your typical rules of the game for which the basis of the game is laid out. Constitative rules are the formal structures of a game. Implicit rules of a game are unwritten rules that people may take for granted when playing a game. These 3 types of rules describe the rule of non digital games. He argues that for video games, this typology still works be not as well when you actually use it. He claims that for video games there are two types of rules which are interplay and evaluation. Interplay relates to the physical laws of the game. This includes rules combines with player input that can determine what happens in the game. Second, evalaution rules determind the rewards and punishments in the game. So if you were to complete a certain motion or task, you would gain or lose points for instance.

I agree with Nielsen when distinguishing between the different types of gameplay. Video games do require a different set of rules completely because the game is just simply more interactive. Non-digital games are pretty cut and dry when it comes to gameplay and so the set of rules that goes along with it should be as well. Lets take chess as an example. The game play is pretty straightforward, so the set of rules that goes along with that should mirror the type of game it is. Digital game though requires a much more interactive input from the player that has a higher level of decision making based off of all of the choices that the player is given throughout the game.