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Sia Jeong

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Do games really make a better world?

Does really games makes better world?

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Topics: better life gaming
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  • Henry Maldonado

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    Aug 9 2012: I imagine you are thinking about Game Theory--the mathematics of strategic actions.

    I think of something like chess in this regard. Has chess improved the world since its inception? I cannot really write yes. Sure, it provides better understanding in strategic actions but it does not replace human relationships.
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      Fritzie Reisner 100+

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      Aug 9 2012: Could chess not have built or reenforced human relationships between people who enjoyed it together?

      • Henry Maldonado

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        Aug 9 2012: Completely. I was going to write that but I wanted someone else to come to that conclusion. Thumbs up.

      • Cyler Sullivan

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        Aug 27 2012: chess is a game of silence, of war, of strategic thought alone and in some instances communicating while playing is against the rulus and serves as a forfeit
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          Fritzie Reisner 100+

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          Aug 27 2012: That may be true in competition, but I have noticed people often remember the person who taught them to play chess and have an important relationship with those with whom they regularly play. I have seen elderly people play chess with each other in a park or boardwalk, elderly and young people play chess together, children play chess with friends, grandparents play chess with their grandchildren, campers play chess with each other. I have seen this positive spirit of joint immersion in strategic thought build and maintain relationships between people.

    • Barry Palmer 50+

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      Aug 14 2012: If I had 20,000 characters available, I could not tell you all the lessons I have learned from chess.

      Here is one that many people never think of when they contemplate chess:

      When you first learn chess, you cannot help but learn the vast difference between the ideal and the real. When playing chess, each player has perfect information; absolutely nothing is hidden. In the real world, most of the information that can affect your decisions is purposefully hidden or unavailable. Contrasting these situations gives you a much better understanding of the real world. You learn that you cannot make decisions about the real world in the same way that you make decisions about chess moves. You must factor in risk, and the cost of obtaining more and/or better information.

      You also learn that even if you have perfect information, this does not necessarily lead to the best decision. Just sitting at a chess board and playing both sides by yourself, you can learn humility in the face of complexity. And compared to real life, chess is just a simple game.

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