Beginning a Taxonomy for Discussing Games Design

Games, when played, allow the players to explore one of many paths through the game space. To map out every decision, in a game would lead to very complex diagrams which would be difficult to interpret. A simplified diagram of the players journey through the game space would be helpful for comparing and designing games.

To understand game design, we need to find the common elements in games. Game rules provide a record of possible actions for the players to take. Categorising these actions will allow an understanding of the games and their relationships to each other.

Using Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne and Catan as case-studies we will examine which of their rules refer to choice events or random events. Then create charts demonstrating how these change throughout the play of the game before reflecting on unseen patterns which may provide insights for new types of play.