What Is Game Design?
A game is basically a structured form of active play, normally undertaken for fun or entertainment, and at times used as a teaching tool. Games are very different from work, which typically are performed for monetary reward, and from fine arts, which are more typically an expression of artistic or aesthetic elements. The work is built on systems of logic, while games are more about the creative process and the application of ideas in a non-realistic setting. The two types of activities have a lot in common, even though they are very different from one another in many ways, especially when it comes to structure. Both involve a group of people interacting in some way, with the interaction guided by a common purpose.
Game theory is the study of how people choose to make choices in order to achieve a specific goal, often monetary. In business, game theory helps to guide the allocation of resources so that the most profit can be made. The field is particularly important in economics because it applies to all forms of economic activity, including marketing strategies, management, investment, public policies and the distribution of wealth. Game theory is also used in mathematics, in the creation of probability models and in other areas where the analysis of probabilities is critical to understanding the behavior of complex real-world situations. In the game theory field, there are two main areas of concentration: reinforcement and bargaining.
Reinforcement theory states that a player is more likely to cooperate when given the opportunity to do so, and that the two players should share the same incentives. This is why most economic models that deal with bargaining include the element of Reinforcement. Once these two players agree upon the terms of the contract, then everyone in the game has the opportunity to either cash in their points or roll over their capital, gaining or losing in the process. Once everyone has accrued points or cash, then the game is considered over.
The second area of concentration within the game design is bargaining. In this section, the game designers take into consideration the factors involved in contracting with others. When a player knows that he is up against equally powerful competitors, then everyone needs to be careful about how they play their contracts. The rules of the game can be modified accordingly in order to ensure that there is a fair and even playing field.
The computer game designer, meanwhile, uses a sophisticated algorithm to determine how each piece of software will interact with its neighbors and other programs on the screen. Every piece of the board has an effect on every other piece, as well as every other program on the screen. The results of these interactions determine who comes out on top, who loses, and how much each player is able to win or lose. In a computer program, a game can be played according to simple rules or according to very complicated rules. The rules may change according to the audience, the type of game, or even according to the preferences of the game designers.
In general, many people are of the opinion that gamification is a very useful theory. It is used in a variety of different contexts. It can be used to determine whether a certain game design makes sense for a specific audience, to test the theories of economics or business, to decide the success of a film or book, or to improve employee productivity. As we can see, it can be applied not only to board games but to games that involve complex interaction among players. Gamification helps in a great way to improve the quality of human interaction and to make it easier for players to succeed.