September 2002
2002.09.16
I thought I was going faster.
10:44 PM PST :: comments: 1I am further behind on my work than I had thought. I have unearthed sections of my syllabi that previously had never seen the light of day. More required readings. More mandatory meetings. Do more in less time. Yipes!
Despite this, I'm still deliriously happy to be back in school.
-wink
2002.09.15
Game Theory
11:12 PM PST :: comments: 3I've been thinking about Game theory a bit this weekend. No, not John Nash-A Beautiful Mind-Economics-Mathamatics Game theory. I'm talking about Hasboro-Milton Bradly-Parker Brothers-Game theory.
I've been trying to figure out what makes a game good. Why have Chess and Go endured for so long, and what makes them both so superior to Checkers? Why did Chinese Checkers and Othello start off as such fun games and why do they now bore me silly?
Why does Monoploy sell so well when the game entails such long stretches of complete teduim? Why are CandyLand and Chutes and Ladders considered classics when they are merely races using dice/spinners? How come the games people make up involving Scrabble pieces are invariably more fun that Scrabble itself?
Sometimes a game can be good mostly due to the jokes and artwork that are the mere decoration of the game and do not actually affect gameplay (e.g. Guillotine). Sometimes it is the sheer gameplay (e.g. Settlers of Catan). Sometimes a game is good because of its complexity (e.g. Axis and Allies). Sometimes, simplicity is everything (e.g. Go).
Maybe next weekend I'll actually think about the mathamatics/economics Game theory.
-wink