Rules, rules, rules, and more bloody rules!

Right, so lately in class we were discussing the topic or rules in games.As we contemplated over what exactly rules were, a few words came into focus.We suggested that rules are constraints,or ideas that govern or limit our behaviour.Rules dictate what we can and cant do,or what we are and we are not supposed to do.

We discussed the game of x’s and o’s,its explicit rules and also its unwritten rules.These unwritten rules being I guess the assumptions we bring with us into the game.For instance an explicit rule for x’s and o’s is that players take alternative turns. An unwritten rule for the game is that a player must make their play in a reasonable amount of time.Who defines what the reasonable amount of time is? Each player could have a different perception of what constitutes a reasonable amount of time. Also this rule could be abused and allow a player that has no chance of winning to defer playing and therefore effectively leave the game in a draw.

It was suggested that it would be impossible to create a rule for every situation that may present itself in a game.After all, suppose we state that a move must be made within 5 minutes, then suppose your opponent falls victim to a crippling disease and cannot make his move.Surely we have to create a rule then for this type of situation where the players inability to move is out of his/her control.In this situation,each rule becomes the parent of more rules and so on and so forth.