Ebook: Uncertainty in Games

In this book Costikyan argues that games require uncertainty to hold our interest, and that the struggle to master uncertainty is central to their appeal. Game designers, he suggests, can harness the idea of uncertainty to guide their work. He explores the many sources of uncertainty in many sorts of games-from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors, from Monopoly to CityVille, from FPS Deathmatch play to Chess. He describes types of uncertainty, including performative uncertainty, analytic complexity, and narrative anticipation. And he suggests ways that game designers who want to craft novel game experiences can use an understanding of game uncertainty in its many forms to improve their designs. --;Series foreword -- Introduction -- Games and culture -- Uncertainty -- Analyzing games -- Sources of uncertainty -- Game design considerations -- Conclusion.