But unless you set the system in motion, you cannot
observe certain important qualities of the engine as
a whole??”namely, its primary function of producing
motive power. When the system is started, however,
these qualities emerge as a consequence of the interaction
of all the elements.
Game systems are much the same. All of the
elements we have laid out previously form a potential
that remains nascent until the game is played.
What emerges in play is something that cannot be predicted
from examining each of the elements separately.
The game designer needs to be able to look at a game
system not only as separate elements but also as a
whole in play. Chapter 5 will look at games as dynamic
systems and describe a number of key concepts for
working with the system elements in your own games.
Defining Games
world. Within the game, you might have slaughtered
your best friend, or she might have slaughtered you.
But that was within the game. Outside the game,
these actions have no real consequences. What we
are describing is the fact that game systems are separate
from the rest of the world; they are closed.
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