Rules of Play

Rules of Play offers a new paradigm for understanding games and game design. As cultural artifacts, games are as important as film or television, providing endless enjoyment and challenge. Yet game design has lacked a theoretical framework to explain the qualities that make play such an effective medium for telling stories, inspiring action, and nurturing group cohesion. In this book, Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman provide a unified model for the study of all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. They explore the core concepts of play, design, and interactivity in detail, addressing questions such as: How can we recognize play in complex systems? What are the similarities among various kinds of games? What makes play fun? Rules of Play offers a new vocabulary for analyzing the elements that make up interactive media, such as software programs and console-based or online computer games-as well as live events like sports or theatrical performances. By bringing these media under one rubric--the “Rules of Play”-the authors provide an opportunity for innovation that will help the field continue to grow.