Book Review: The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games
Book Review: The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games
Book Review: The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games
Bea Livesey-Stephens
December, 15, 2024
Summary
In The Rule Book: The Building Blocks of Games, Jaakko Stenros and Markus Montola explore the foundational aspects of games through a constructionist ludology lens. They introduce five categories of rules—formal, internal, social, external regulation, and material rules—to analyze game structures. Using examples like pick-up sticks, the authors demonstrate how these categories apply across various game types. They emphasize the evolving and negotiated nature of rules, particularly internal rules, and challenge traditional views on formal rule frameworks. Accessible yet thorough, this work offers invaluable insights for both scholars and game designers.
Reference
Livesey-Stephens, B. (2024, December 15). Book review: The rule book: The building blocks of games. Analog Game Studies. https://analoggamestudies.org/2024/12/book-review-the-rule-book-the-building-blocks-of-games/