A line in the sand

I'm a very linear thinker. That seems like a pretty innocuous statement, but the more I've thought about it, the more I realize just how many things in my life were and are affected by it. I approach things in a very linear fashion, but more importantly, I tend to enjoy things that work in a linear fashion as well. I realize now that this contributed to my interest in:

• playing music (follows a strict set of rules, has patterns, repetitions, and a very predictable outcome)
• cooking (follows a strict set of rules, just follow the recipe and get a largely predictable outcome)
• computers (see above)
• mathematics (as I say to my son, it's all about patterns)
  
• and of course, games

Games have simple, linear mechanics that result in a very predictable outcome - that is, someone wins and someone loses. And yet for all their simplicity, they can go down an almost infinite variety of paths. Chess and Go are probably the best examples of simple game mechanics with very complex strategy and infinite paths. I love that. "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master" as the tagline goes. At the same time I enjoy games with random-generated elements as well (War anyone?). I think I'm happiest with games that strike a balance between the two. Backgammon, for example; lots of dice rolling, but also lots of strategy in how you move your pieces.

Some of you are probably asking "What's the big reward in a very predictable outcome? There are very limited possibilities; what's the big thrill of playing if you know how it ends?" Well, that's part of what this blog is all about, so don't get huffy.