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StrategyBoardGaming

UPDATE: After thinking about this some more and my goals and desires for the AYE Conference. I (AlanSmith) will no longer be setting up this BOF or available to participate. I realized that I needed one evening to be involved in something someone else was setting up and that I would be more interested in the Photography BOF than this one.

-- AlanSmith 2004.10.07

If there are enough people interested, I'll bring some board games for people that would like to play. Some examples of strategy games would be games like Torres or El Grande. I will bring mostly german games that take 60-90 minutes to play.
If interested, please sign up below.

1. AlanSmith ( will coordinate)

I don't think these games contribute much to my esteem though. Perhaps social strategy games are a different kettle of fish. I recall playing chess in a pub, after the club games had finished. Passing the time chatting, playing a little chess and having a few pints was fun.

I am thinking about how we maximise our learning from these games, and apply them in real life strategy. For example, Peter Senge (5th discipline) talks of 'virtual worlds' for business practice.

-- HuwLloyd 2004.08.20

I'd be interested in discussing what it is about strategy games that we find appealing.

Shall we engage on this topic? Who is willing to muster their thoughts and field their views? --HuwLloyd 2004.10.07

I find that I can try to lead on too many fronts and end up not doing well on any of them.

As far as strategy games, I find appealing the exercise of trying to come up with a strategy that anticipates others behaviors. (In my MBA program, I have learned this is actually called game theory) I also like that the risks are low for learning about others behavior and that the results are known in a relatively short amount of time.

--AlanSmith 2004.10.07

First, I think a strong element of the gaming element is the cognitive challenge. One of the continual challenges of strategy games is achieving maximal (relative) growth from the resources available. In other words it is a search for leverage points within the game environment. Common elements to this are:

i) How much effort/resources it takes to secure a given future resource.
ii) Risk taking at over-stretching resources, by limiting your ability to regulate your own resources.
iii) Discovery and learning of the domain and its rules.
iv) The seeds of growth, evaluating a position that has much potential growth, such as spotting an ideal starting environment.
v) Tactics, strategies and political planning.
vi ) Dealing with local difficulties, things that obstruct your plans.
vii) Achieving and maintaining a dominant position. The more dominant our position becomes the more influence we have over our competitors, thus reinforcing our dominant position. (Hence, even when we are ahead, we continue to play in order to satisfy the earlier goal of getting ahead, i.e. tipping the balance of power in your favour.)

Second, there are some emotional traits that can motivate us to play. Some of these may be characteristic of solo games.

i) Playing the game is time spent DoingNothing. Although I think there are better ways to 'do nothing'. We may find the notion of playing appealing as it can satisfy a need of our self-esteem - time to ourselves, or arguably we are sufficiently important that we can waste a little of our time pampering ourselves.

ii) We are in control. The game itself is a battle for control, we obtain more control the more dominant we become. We also control our own environment, because we are doing something that is not easily interruptible. Sadly however, as is the case with many control dynamics, the more control we exert, the more we are controlled by our subjects - we end up reacting to events in order to strengthen or maintain our control.

By difficult to interrupt, I am referring to the easy flow of the game dynamics. Interaction with the game is close to being a closed system. If interruptions occur, flow is not disrupted as the game is very easy to get back into. I think this is because the evaluate-decision-response cycle is quick.

iii) We feel engaged. The easy flow of the game coupled with challenging events of a sufficient 'absorbing' difficulty generate a dialogue that maintains our interest, hence we are entertained.

iv) By practicing in this sand-pit we may gain confidence to make decisive decisions elsewhere in our lives, or to think strategically.

v) We remind ourselves that we're important as were obviously clever, because were better than our competitors. Unfortunately we're not clever enough to fool our self-esteem for long, so perhaps we ought to play again just to drill the message home so it sticks - but this time lets make the game more difficult.

Going back to my original statement. My contention, is that there are better and more effective ways of achieving the emotional needs i, ii, and v. Which, I think, are principally feelings of importance and independence.

I feel there is the potential for an 'addiction dynamic' going on here. In the short-run my self-esteem may be heightened, in the long run its often a little depressed. Usually because I feel I have wasted valuable time. I am referring to the hypnotic element of these puzzles, perhaps related to flow. This is one reason why I prefer chess, it is a distillation of strategy, and yet its duration is finite, its also understood the world over. And besides lots of clever people play it, so I must be clever too.

However, I am by no means certain of these thoughts and feelings. I wonder too whether in playing these games I am allowing my mind to meditate on other real life issues. In playing with the toys perhaps my subconscious is toying with future actions. Listening to oneself is quite a subtle thing.

No doubt we can apply these and other considerations to other domains. Strategy is after all a keen interest for generalists as well as for Generals.

I hope I'm not offending anyone by these thoughts and assertions. And besides, if I can write about these things I must be really clever. Except this time theres more merit in it, right?
-- HuwLloyd 2004.10.15