Undergraduate /
U of Chicago Essay Option 4 - Games [5]
Essay Option 4. From game theory to Ultimate Frisbee to the great Chicago Scavenger Hunt, we at the University of Chicago take games seriously. We bet you do, too. Even if "just a game," sport, play, and other kinds of games seem to share at the very least an insistence that we take seriously a set of rules entirely peculiar to the circumstance of the game. You might say in order to play a game we must take it seriously. Think playfully - or play thoughtfully - about games: how they distract us or draw us into the world, create community and competition, tease us and test us with stakes both set apart from and meaningful to everyday life. Don't tell us about The Big Game; rather, tell us about players and games.This is an extremely rough first draft, and it's a bit on the short side. I also have yet to write a conclusion, but I'm kind of stuck... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you for reading!
Games are a reflection of the world. Each is run by a set of rules and the stakes are called by bosses, presidents and referees. There are prizes and penalties, promotions and consequences. Somebody always wins, and somebody always loses. There is no such thing as a perfect win-win situation, unless you're cheating.
So, why bother playing games? For the thrill of winning and the rewards that come along with winning, and the distraction it offers from everyday life. There are new friends to be made through games, a new community to belong to, and when this community fails you, you can turn off the computer and walk away. Games present an alternate universe where the problems of this world don't matter so much. There are different problems, different obstacles. It's always easier to deal with bankruptcy in Monopoly and backstabbing level 3 mages. You can always start a new game.
Games also tease us with opportunities to 'win big' and sometimes, those prizes can help us through everyday life. We earn power, prestige, even money. These prizes foster competition between players, driving them to play their best. Sometimes, the competition goes so far as to promote cheating. However, games weren't meant to be unregulated free-for-alls where players can cheat and lie to their hearts' content. There's always a catch, always a guideline. Somebody's calling the shots, whether it is a professor, an umpire or a fellow player. If the rules are broken, there are penalties that must be paid. For example, robbing banks is against the rules. Whether we're talking about Monopoly or Wall Street, robbing banks is wrong, and you have to pay, with either ejection from the game or jail time. People can't take whatever they want. When they agree to play the game, they agree to follow the rules, regardless of how restricting they are.
