Philosophy, game theory. --- .This section is about musings on the theory of games. --- 12/30/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) A game is a model of reality. The question is whether the game is an accurate model of reality. (2) Games transmit values. The question is whether the game transmits positive values. --- 5/7/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) Games with a time limit. Games with a limit of number of moves. (2) Games with no time limit. Games with an unlimited number of moves. --- 9/12/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) How does the game start. Starting positions. (2) How does the game end. Ending positions. What determines who wins the game. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) Number of players. (2) The playing field shape and size. (3) The rules of the game. Moves allowed. Moves not allowed. (4) Scoring. Points. How are points scored? How to determine who is winning. --- 6/9/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) Rules of the game. Moves you can make versus moves you cannot make. (2) Strategy. Principles of play. How to win. --- 4/15/2007
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) Sometimes the pieces have ranks. One piece will outrank another piece in a simple arithmetical way. (2) Sometimes the pieces have powers that relate to each other in more complex ways. For example, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, or Rock Paper Scissors. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) Too hard versus too easy. The game itself, or only the opponent. (2) Not interesting versus engrossing. (3) Interest and difficulty are related. Games that are too difficult or too easy are not interesting. There is a window of difficulty that provides interest. --- 4/24/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- (1) What psychological skills do games develop? Do games develop memory skills, emotional skills, thinking skills? Or do games erode skills? (2) What values do games develop? Does the game develop values of cooperation, competition or conflict? --- 5/16/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Changing sides in games. Changing your mind in games. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Chess. PART ONE. Description of the game of chess. Chess is a game that pits two players against each other. Each player controls sixteen pieces, of six different types, which move on a square grid of sixty four squares. PART TWO. Evaluation of the game of chess. (1) Chess is a martial game. Chess is a war game. The primary move is to "take out", "capture" or "destroy" another piece. The secondary move is to position oneself in order to to destroy another piece. Chess is not a cooperative game. In chess, one does not work together with the other player to achieve a goal. In chess, one does not communicate with the other player. In chess, one does not bargain with the other player. (2) If you grow up playing only chess, you may have a tendency to view everyone as an opponent. If you grow up playing only chess, you may have a tendency to solve problems by "taking out" your opponent. If you grow up playing chess, you may have a tendency to brood in silence while plotting the utter destruction of your enemies. Also, if you grow up playing only chess, you may expect people to behave like chess pieces. (4) Chess is not the only game a person can play. Chess is not the best game a person can play. Chess is not an accurate model of life. Chess is not adequate preparation for life. (5) Chess has been excessively lauded through the ages for its cerebral, strategic and competitive nature. Chess is all skill. There is no random chance or luck in chess. There is no emotion in the chess pieces. However, life is not all skill. There is random chance in life. There is emotion in humans. PART THREE. (1) Some people have a tendency to obsess about chess. Some people think about little else except chess, and do little else except play chess. Some people develop useless chess skills to the neglect of much needed life skills. Some people obsess about chess in the same way that other people obsess about computer games. We can talk about chess addiction the same way we talk about computer game addiction. PART FOUR. The games we play affect how we view life life. The games we play affect how we live life. Chess is not that much different from first person shooter computer games. Get a real game. --- 11/20/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Components of a game: Pieces, Moves, Spaces. Pieces make moves in spaces. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Components of games. Players. Teams. Positions or roles (types of players). Rules. Moves. Field or board to play on. --- 4/24/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games have the potential to be as informative and entertaining as the best movies and novels. Computer games have the potential to be fine art. However, most current computer games have not yet lived up to that potential. --- 9/2/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games, why so popular. Computer games are engrossing and addictive because they are an intellectual challenge and an emotional flood. Computer games stimulate the entire mind. Computer games can provide a sense of social interaction. Computer games also provide a sense of power. Computer games can provide a sense of transgressing taboos, doing evil, killing. Computer games can provide a sense of sexual interaction. --- 5/2/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games, why so popular. There are several reasons why computer games are addictive. (1) Games provide a challenge. The challenge can be psychological, phsycial or both. Psychological challenges can be of memory, emotion or thinking. One type of thinking challenge is problem solving. (2) Games provide an escape. One escapes into the world of the computer game like one escapes into a novel. Computer games provide escape like any other hobby provides escape. Escape in this sense is another term for avoidance, repression and denial. (3) Computer games are fun. Fun can be addictive. (4) Computer games played against an AI opponent provide a false sense of social interaction. Part of this false sense of social interaction is a false sense of social power. --- 11/8/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games, why so popular. Three reasons why computer games are so compelling. (1) Computer games are interactive. Computer games provide feedback. The computer responds to your actions. (2) In the computer game, a player can have an effect far greater than they do in real life. The player has more powers in computer games than they do in real life. (3) Playing the computer. Computer as opponent. Its like another person is there. Thus, computer games can provide the illusion of social interaction. (4) In multi-player games, there actually is social interaction. --- 4/17/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games, why so popular. Why are computer games so compelling? Because when the computer seems to react intelligently to your actions, it seems like attention is being paid to you, and attention can be addictive. --- 4/1/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. (1) Computer games are like crack. Computer games can be addictive. (2) Computer games, which began as a promise of exercising the imagination, became a series of cheat codes and routines. --- 4/15/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Criticism of Freeciv. Freeciv ignores the arts. Freeciv version 1.4 has no categories for literature, music, visual arts, etc. Freeciv think the arts unimportant. Freeciv thinks you can have a civilization without the arts. Freeciv is wrong. People who play Freeciv, and who learn from Freeciv, are learning wrong. --- 10/30/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Criticism of Freeciv. Freeciv tries to be realistic but it is still a game. Freeciv does not exactly mirror how civilizations evolve. And Freeciv does not exactly mirror how civilizations should evolve. --- 3/13/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Criticism of Freeciv. If the best strategy to win a computer game is to build Churches and Military Barracks then that computer game is promoting conservative, right wing values. --- 10/30/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Criticism of Freeciv. PART ONE. Arguments against computer games. (1) Problem: Freeciv, and many other computers games like Freeciv, is addictive. (2) Problem: Freeciv, and many other computer games like Freeciv, is violent. Freeciv teaches people to wage war. It teaches violence and killing. Freeciv is really about militarism, warmaking and killing. Bad Karma. Freeciv should include a sound effect of the screaming of children as they are killed as innocent bystanders when cities and villages are destroyed. (3) Problem: Freeciv, and computer games like Feeciv, teaches people to be imperialists. The goal of Freeciv is to expand. Destroying the huts of indigenous peoples. PART TWO. Arguments for computer games. (1) Some computer games are an exercise in creative problem solving. Think of every strategy you can. Try every strategy you can. See what works and why. (2) Some computer games attempt to model the interplay, on a large scale, of Science/Technology, and Politics/Law, and Economics/Business. Freeciv is a big picture game that deals with large spaces and long periods of time. (3) Some computer games are useful to investigate the theory of games. Studying Freeciv is useful to investigate why computer games are so compelling. Studying Freeciv is useful to investigate how subopitmal cultural mores are promoted through computer games and video games. (4) The analysis skills, strategy skills, problem solving skills, and emotional determination skills that a person develops doing computer games like Freeciv can be applied to other areas like job, relationships, etc. --- 11/7/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Critique of Freeciv. Freeciv is an open source computer game, similar to the computer game Civilization. Freeciv involves each player starting with small civilization a few thousand years ago. As time passes in the game, each player tries to build their civilization by acquiring technology, building cities, and engaging in politics with other civilizations. As with most computer games these days, the entire affair quickly degenerates into a blood bath of killing and war. Freeciv is really a game to teach military tactics, and I would not be surprised if it was used by the military to train soldiers. Freeciv promotes the mistaken view that war is good in and of itself. Freeciv promotes the mistaken view that war is a good way to solve problems. Freeciv promotes the mistaken view that war is a necessary evil. Freeciv promotes the mistaken view that war is inevitable. --- 11/11/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Freeciv compared to The Sims. (1) Freeciv is free of charge. The Sims costs money to buy. (2) Freeciv is a game about civilizations and their relationships. The Sims is a game about interpersonal relationships. --- 3/13/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. How would three kids grow up if they only had computer games to play and limited contact with people and the world? One kid playing Sims. One kid playing Freeciv. One kid playing a first person shooter. --- 3/13/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Playing against the computer. Computers that automatically adjust to suit the skill level of the player. A modified "Turing test" for computer intelligence in the area of games is the following: If you are playing a game against a computer and you cannot tell whether you are playing a computer or another person, then the computer has intelligence. --- 4/24/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Sims. (1) I've decided its time we had a discussion about The Sims. I know you say you already know about the Sims. Let's just have the discussion and then you can decide how you will apply it to your own life. (2) The Sims is a computer game that lets one create a virtual world containing virtual people. The virtual people in the Sims have distinct personalities, roles and behaviors. (3) To what extent does the Sims meet the criteria of Artificial Intelligence? Is the Sims simply a machine that lets the player set a number of settings and then runs in a deterministic fashion? Do the Sims characters reproduce, and if so do the offspring contain heritable attributes that exhibit combinations of both parents? Do the offspring ever have mutations? Do the characters posses any freewill? Is there some degree of randomness in the Sims system? (3) Do the characters in the Sims display any traits of Artificial Life? (4) How do Sims characters portray the human mental abilities of sensation, drive, memory, emotion and thinking? (5) Does playing the Sims help young humans learn about life, the world, other people and themselves? (6) There should be a Sims character called the Philosopher. The Philosopher would have very little drive for money. the Philosopher's behavior would be primarily staring into thin air for hours and hours, occasionally writing on paper. (7) There should be a version of the Sims that family therapists can use to model their patients and their patients families. Then the therapist can give the family the game and the family can role play by playing multiple games where each person taking the role of every other person. (8) If you grow up playing the Sims will it create unrealistic expectations on your part of being able to control other people? If you grow up playing the Sims will it create the expectation that you can control your own behavior in the same way that you can control the characters? (9) How does the Sims model the psychological states of the characters? How does the Sims model social interactions of the characters? How does the Sims model interaction between characters and their nonsocial environment, either the man made environment or the natural environment? (10) Does the Sims mirror the typical American negative values of overconsumption, rampant consumerism, and hyper-religiosity? (11) Is social interaction in the Sims based on an exchange model where each character possesses both values that they have but don't need, and values that they need but don't have? Or is social interaction in the Sims based on a conflict model? (12) Does the Sims discriminate between needs and wants? (13) How does the Sims resolve inter personal conflict? How does the Sims resolve intra personal conflict? (14) What explains the popularity of the Sims? Is it people's desire to watch other people? Is it peoples desire to control other people? Is it people's desire to feel they are interacting with other people? (15) Friend, pet or doll, how should we look at the Sims? (16) Does playing the Sims provide training for real life? What do people learn from playing the Sims? Can playing the Sims develop social knowledge and skills? Can playing the Sims develop psychological knowledge and skills? Up to what point will playing the Sims help you develop? Past what point will playing the Sims stunt your development? (17) Sims attributes. Personality traits: Needs, wants, motives. Emotional moods. Memories. Interests. Skills. Social Factors: Communication interaction. Physical interaction. Friends, mates, kids. Mass media advertising. Neighborhood and community. School and career. Freewill. --- 3/4/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Some people would argue that computer games that contain various playing pieces of various powers are just as complex and important as the game of chess, and thus should receive the same acclaim as chess. However, I think just the opposite is true. It is not the case that computer games are under recognized, but rather that chess is over recognized. Chess is just a game. Too much emphasis is put on chess by society. Chess receives too much recognition and acclaim. --- 10/30/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Computer games. Unconscious metaphors that develop when playing computer games. Some people subconsciously think, "Life is like a computer game." Computer games shape a person's metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. (1) Computer games shape a person's metaphysics when people think that life is like a computer game. (2) Computer games can shape epistemological views. Computer games can be designed to reward curiosity and skepticism. Or the mistake can be made of designing computer games that promote blind belief and blind obedience. (3) Computer games shape a person's values. Computer games can be designed to reward cooperation and altruism and penalize conflict and egoism; or computer games can be designed to do the reverse. --- 9/18/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Cooperative games versus competitive games. Defining a game as only a competitive activity is a very big mistake to make very early on in the analysis of the concept of a game. There are many fun cooperative games. Cooperative games should be taught in school just as much, or even more so, than competitive games, because our society is based on cooperation much more so than it is based on cooperation. Every day you are engaged in cooperation much more than you are engaged in competition. People who over-emphasize competitive games are not in touch with reality. --- 2/18/2007
Philosophy, game theory. --- Create your own game. For example, the game Double Bind, which I describe in the section, Arts, literature, comedy, joke. --- 11/20/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Critique of games. What if you spend all your time playing games? Surely, that is not a good thing. Games can be criticized on the same basis as sports, that is, both games and sports are a frivolous waste of time. --- 1/1/2006
Philosophy, game theory. --- Definition of games. A game is a type of a model. A model is a simplified reality, an abstracted reality. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Fairness in games. People are expected to play fair. Changing rules in the middle of the game is usually considered a no-no. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Five ways to think about games. (1) Games as fun. Games as an enjoyable leisure pursuit. (2) Games as practice. Games as training tools, or a educational tools. (3) Strategy. Principles of play. How to win. (4) Game theory as the logical and mathematical study of games. (5) Philosophical questions about games. Metaphysics of games: games as models of real world. Epistemology of games: games as a way to gain knowledge about the world. Ethics of games: ethics values implicit in games. Aesthetics of games: there can be a kind of beauty in games and play. --- 4/15/2007
Philosophy, game theory. --- Games and models. (1) A game is a model. (2) A model is a small scale abstraction of another thing. (3) If a model was full scale, with no abstraction, then it would be an exact copy of the original. --- 5/12/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Games at various levels of scale. (1) Games on the galactic or planetary level. For example, Konquest. (2) Games on the nation or civilization level. For example, Civilization, or Freeciv. (3) Games on the city level. For example Simcity, or Lincity. (4) Games on the inter-personal level. For example, The Sims. (5) There should be also be games on the intra personal level. Games that explore psychological and philosophical development. (6) There should be a game set at the organism level. A game where you have to balance sleep, diet and excercise in order to keep the various bodily functions working. --- 3/9/2006
Philosophy, game theory. --- Games have rules. Fair play involves following the rules of the game. One assumes the rules of the game are fair. --- 4/4/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- If there are war games, there should also be peace games. Games of pure diplomacy. Games of mediation and arbitration. --- 3/9/2006
Philosophy, game theory. --- Instead of teaching kids to play "Monopoly", teach kids to play "Commune". "Jenny, you landed on my orchard, so please accept this basket of organic fruit" "Thank you, John. In adherence to the principle of reciprocal altruism, please accept this raw, vegan, soy pie." "Thank you." --- 5/27/2006
Philosophy, game theory. --- Life and games. (1) In what ways is life a game? In what ways is life not a game? (2) In what ways is life similar to a game? In what ways is life not similar to a game? --- 10/31/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- Life and games. (1) In what ways is life like a game? There are players. There are rules. There is a scoring system. (2) In what ways is life not like a game? Different value systems yield different rule systems and different scoring systems. --- 6/9/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- Life and games. (1) Life: There is only one life, one world. We are forced to play. (2) Games: There are many games to choose from. You can choose to play a game or not. --- 11/15/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Life and games. Many social situations and social interactions are like games. There are players who make moves. The rules of the game are the societal norms, laws and ethical principles. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Life and games. The view of life as a game assumes that life is a competition and that there are winners and losers. That is not a valid assumption. --- 9/12/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- Life and games. What is the difference between life and games? If we use the definition of game as a wager or bet (see: Philosophy, chance). If we use the definition of a wager or bet as a function having an input and output. (1)(A)(i) A game is a discrete, short-term event. (ii) A game is something that we can choose to take part in or not. (B)(i) Life is a constant series of bets over a long period of time. (ii) Life is something that we must play. That is, having not decided to be born, yet having decided to live, a person provides a constant stream of inputs, for example, that person's time and energy, and the person gets a constant stream of outputs as a result of their inputs. (2)(A) In a bet it is clear whether one has one or lost. (B) In life, it is unclear whether one has one or lost, (i) in part, because each individual supplies their own definition of success and failure, and (ii) in part, because outcomes in life are combinations of positive outputs and negative outputs. That is to say, each result, for each person's point of view, has good sides and bad sides to it. --- 12/14/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- Lincity. Lincity is a computer game that involves balancing money and technology in order to grow a city. Lincity is set a city level scale, rather than the macro-social, civilization scale of Freeciv, and rather than the micro-social scale of households that is found in the Sims. Its interesting to note that Lincity makes the mistake of ignoring the arts, much like Freeciv ignores the arts. There seems to be a pattern of technology devotees who build games with a criteria of success that centers around the acquisition of technology. They give themselves a pat on the back. The games of technophiles are often about fantasies of technology on a grand scale, involving bigger tools, more power and bigger playgrounds. On the positive side, at least Lincity does not involve warfare and killing. Lincity is a game for budding city planners. Lincity lets the player choose between a sustainability strategy versus a pollution strategy. --- 2/15/2006
Philosophy, game theory. --- Literature and games. Arbitrary nature of games and literature. In games you can set the rules to whatever you want the rules to be. In literature you can set the world to whatever you want it to be. --- 11/15/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Other games. Blocks. Lego. Imagination games and non-competitive games. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Other games. Tag. Capture the flag. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Strategies are the various ways to play the game, given the rules of the game. There are winning strategies and losing strategies. In common use, strategy refers to the principles of how to play the game in order to win the game. --- 2/18/2007
Philosophy, game theory. --- Strategies in games. (1) Stealth. Keep your strategy a secret. (2) Power. Amass forces. (3) Speed. (4) Persistence. (5) Intelligence. Find out your enemy's plans. (6) Play your strengths. Shore up your weaknesses. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- The "move set". All the possible moves allowed by the rules of the game, considered at any moment in the game, or through the entire play of the game. Variables include the following: Games with the fewest rules and the most rules. Games with the fewest moves and the most moves. Simple moves and complex moves. --- 12/22/2002
Philosophy, game theory. --- The board. The pieces move into spaces. For example, chess, checkers, backgammon, battleship, monopoly. The spaces can be in a line. The line can be closed to form a square, circle or triangle, like Monopoly uses a square. The square can be filled in to form a matrix (like in chess and checkers. Or the triangle can be filled in to form a triangular matrix like in Chinese checkers. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- The formal analysis of game logic and strategy. Vs. The psychological and sociological analyses of games and play. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Three views. (1) Whoever has the most at the end is the winner. (2) Whoever gets it all wins. (3) Whoever loses all their is out, and the winner is the lone survivor. --- 9/12/2004
Philosophy, game theory. --- Trust and betrayal. Deception and honesty. Open vs. secret. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of board games. (1) One piece. One type of move. For example, what? (2) One piece. Multiple moves based on a roll of the dice. For example, Monopoly, Sorry, etc. (3) Multiple pieces of the same type. One type of move. For example, checkers, or tick-tack-toe. (4) Multiple pieces of different types. Each type of piece making a different type of move. For example, chess. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. (1) Games for pleasure. Games as pretend. Games as not-for-real. (2) Games as practice. (3) Games as for-real. Games with stakes. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. (1) Games that use only mental skill. No physical skill involved. (2) Games that use only physical skill. No mental skill involved. (3) Games that mix mental and physical skill. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. (1) Pure strategy games, such as chess. No chance involved. (2) Pure chance risk or luck games, such as rolling the dice. No strategy involved. (3) Mixed strategy and chance games. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. (1) Single player games. For example, solitaire. (2) Multi-player games where each player is pitted against the other(s). (3) Multi-player games. Forming alliances and breaking alliances. Sharing information and other resources and values. (4) Team games. Opposing teams. --- 12/22/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Computer games. Board games. Card games. Educational games (Math, Vocabulary, etc.). Role playing games (Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering). Physical activity games (sports). --- 4/24/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Games played by children vs. games played by adults. How children play vs. how adults play. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Games with a single goal, or single solution games. Games with multiple goals, or multi-solution games. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Games with a single winner. Games with multiple winners. Games where everyone is a winner. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Games with no clear start. Games with no clear ending or winner. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Games with only one solution path, or a single way to reach the goal. Games with multiple solution paths, or multiple ways to reach the goal. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- Types of games. Simple games involve few pieces, few rules. Example, tic tac toe has one kind of piece. Checkers has one kind of piece. Complex games involve many pieces, many kinds of pieces, and many rules. --- 4/4/2005
Philosophy, game theory. --- Uncertainty in games. Unclear who the players are. Unclear which players are on which sides. Unclear what the rules are. Unclear what moves are allowed. Unclear what the goal is, and who wins and loses. Unclear what the stakes are. --- 12/23/2003
Philosophy, game theory. --- What is a game? (1) A game is a simulation. A game is a virtual reality. A game is pretend, not real. (2) A game is practice, an exercise. (3) A game can be a contest or competition. --- 7/14/2006
Philosophy, game theory. --- What is a game? (1) Game as fun. (2) Game as a puzzle or test. (3) Game as model or practice. (4) Game as competition or contest. --- 4/24/2005