Best definition of game, How to design effective learning activities, Three rules for great copywriting

Weekly I/O #98: Five Definitions of Game, CCAF Instructional Design Model, Three Rules for Great Copywriting, Keynesian Beauty Contest, Man in the Arena

If you're new to Weekly I/O, I share five things I've learned each week to help you and myself better understand the world and live more fulfilling lives.

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Hi friends,

I've been down the rabbit hole of game design recently and decided to jot down some definitions of games (related to the language game and Hooked we learned in the last two weeks).

Also, thanks to Adam Bignell for introducing me to the concept of The Keynesian Beauty Contest. Noted in point 4.

As always, feel free to send me any interesting ideas you came across recently. Happy learning!

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Input

Here's a list of what I learned this week.

1. Best definition of Game: A problem-solving activity, approached with a playful attitude. Alternative: A rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome.

Book: The Art of Game Design

Although there's no perfect definition of games (or perfect definition of anything; see Language Games and Family Resemblance), good definitions have value if they give you some insight into making better games. There are several different attempts to define what a game is.

Sid Meier, the game designer behind the Civilization series, has a simple definition:

"A game is a series of interesting choices".

Ernest Adams and Andrew Rollings's in Andrew Rollings and Ernest Adams on Game Design:

"One or more causally linked series of challenges in a simulated environment."

These two definitions remind me of Steve Jobs's "taste is a byproduct of the number of decisions you make", but a bit too abstract to be useful.

Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman define game in their Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals:

"A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome."

And Jesper Juul in his book Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds defines game as

"A rule-based formal system with a variable and quantifiable outcome, where different outcomes are assigned different values, the player exerts effort in order to influence the outcome, the player feels attached to the outcome, and the consequences of the activity are optional and negotiable"

But my favorite one is from Jesse Schell in The Art of Game Design:

"A game is a problem solving activity, approached with a playful attitude"

I like this definition because it provides more philosophical depth compared to Jesper Juul's definition, which feels more prescriptive. It captures the essence of the game while allowing game designers the flexibility to establish their own rules

Jesse Schell also defines a Good Toy as "an object that is fun to play with", Fun as "pleasure with surprises", and Play as "manipulation that indulges curiosity".

2. The CCAF Instructional Design Model: Engaging and meaningful learning experience requires Context, Challenge, Activity, and Feedback (CCAF).

Book: Michael Allen's Guide to E-Learning