[game_edu] Pinball machines useful in teaching game theory?

Ian Schreiber ai864 at yahoo.com
Fri Nov 7 14:15:08 EST 2008


When you say "game theory" I assume you still mean game design/development, not that offshoot branch of economics/business/psychology that deals with human decision-making and the Prisoner's Dilemma and all that, right? Because any connection between Game Theory and pinball would be tenuous at best :)
 
For development, I think their greatest asset is in their history and evolution. Some ideas:
 
* How the innovation of player-controlled flippers changed the game from one of mostly luck to one of mostly skill;
* How the history of arcade games started out with electro-mechanical devices like pinball, then transitioned to fully digital games, and now they're coming full circle by adding on mechanical devices (guns, bike pedals, dance pads, etc.). Meanwhile, pinball itself has gone the other way, adding more and more digital effects (backlit displays, digitized voice and sound effects, etc.);
* Relationship between pinball and video games (consider crossovers, like Caveman and Baby Pac-Man which were pinball machines with a video screen attached, versus fully-digital pinball simulations like the Pinball game that comes with Windows, and weird digital hybrids like Sonic Spinball);
* Dealing with player exploits: how did early pinball machines prevent the player from using a magnet or physically tilting the machine to direct the ball (especially important for those machines that would actually pay you money if you got a high enough score)?
* At their heart, games are games, no matter what the medium! The same basic principles of game design that are applied to board games and video games should be applicable to pinball as well. What is good table design? What did innovative mechanics like drop targets, bumpers, timed objectives, ramps, jackpots, multiball, etc. add to the genre?
 
Mostly, though, it's about having fun and being a bit nostalgic. You could also probably justify it as additional exposure for your department -- a pinball game grabs attention these days since they're relatively rare (especially on campus), so it's a prime opportunity to make sure students are aware that you have game-related classes :)
 
A word of warning: pinball machines are loud, and the mechanical ones do tend to break and require repairs from time to time. Make sure you've got a good space to put them, and that you have the budget not just to acquire the machines but also to maintain them.
 
- Ian

--- On Fri, 11/7/08, Taghavi-Burris, Akram <ataghaviburris at occc.edu> wrote:

From: Taghavi-Burris, Akram <ataghaviburris at occc.edu>
Subject: Re: [game_edu] Pinball machines useful in teaching game theory?
To: "IGDA Game Education Listserv" <game_edu at igda.org>
Date: Friday, November 7, 2008, 1:56 PM



I know that we talk about pin ball machines in my game history course. We disscus how these popular game systems had already a strong player base, and how Atari would their pong arcades in places where pin ball machines where. You could also mention gameplay and how pin ball like video games required skill, had set rules and an overall objective.
I hope that gives you some ideas.

--Akram Taghavi-Burris

On Nov 7, 2008, at 12:29 PM, "Blackledge, Michael" <mblackledge at lafilm.com> wrote:




Hello,

Curious if anyone here would be able to share their insight on how pinball machines can be used to teach [or illustrate] game theory. Seems I find myself in a situation where I need to ‘sell’ the idea of having 1 or 2 machines to our Uber-Administration. My thinking is that the pinball machines convey a healthy game culture and appreciation for conventional game play. Thoughts?


Thanks in advance!

Michael




--
Michael Blackledge | Program Director, Game Production | The Los Angeles Film School |
T 323.960.3776  | F 323.960.3771
6363 Sunset Blvd | Hollywood, CA 90028



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