Rules of Play Quotes

“I think one of the changes of our consciousness of how things come into being, of how things are made and how they work . . . is the change from an engineering paradigm, which is to say a design paradigm, to a biological paradigm, which is a cultural and evolutionary one. In lots and lots of areas now, people say, How do you create the conditions at the bottom to allow the growth of the things you want to happen?—Brian Eno”
― Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

“Suits discusses the game of Golf:   Suppose I make it my purpose to get a small round object into a hole in the ground as efficiently as possible. Placing it in the hole with my hand would be a natural means to adopt. But surely I would not take a stick with a piece of metal on one end of it, walk three or four hundred yards away from the hole, and then attempt to propel the ball into the hole with the stick. That would not be technically intelligent. But such an undertaking is an extremely popular game, and the foregoing way of describing it evidently shows how games differ from technical activities.7”
― Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

“In a very basic sense, the magic circle of a game is where the game takes place. To play a game means entering into a magic circle, or perhaps creating one as a game begins. The magic circle of a game might have a physical component, like the board of a board game or the playing field of an athletic contest. But many games have no physical boundaries—arm wrestling, for example, doesn’t require much in the way of special spaces or material. The game simply begins when one or more players decide to play.”
― Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

“No game is an island.”
― Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

“In this sense, a game’s goal is the death of play, the mark of the end, foretelling the moment the magic circle will disappear.”
― Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals

“What lies at the border of the game?”
― Katie Salen, Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals