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y
 
Avedon, E. & Sutton-Smith. – The Study of Games, John Wiley &Sons, New York, 1971
 
Berne, E. – The Games People Play: the psychology of human relationships, Andre Deutsch Ltd, London, 1966
 
Gibson, W. – The Bunco Book, Citadel Press, Secaucus, New Jersey, 1986 (2nd ed.)
 
Parlett, D. – The Penguin Encyclopaedia of Card Games, Penguin, London, 2000(2nd ed.)
 
Tilley, R. – A history of Playing Cards, Studio Vista Publishers, London, 1973
 
Games References
 
Avedon E, et al:
 “…the purpose of a game lies in the special character of its dual interaction sequences.  A contest for power, to seize or avoid arbitrary power, to gain power by skill, luck or strategy – could be taken as the central purpose or logic of the inverse patterns of interaction of actors and counter-actors” (Avedon, E. & Sutton-Smith, B. p.405, 1971)
 
“A game is an exercise of voluntary control systems, in which there is a contest between powers, confined by rules in order to produce a disequilibrial outcome” (ibid. p.405)
 
“The following are dimensions which are thought relevant to the behaviour that games may provoke.  “Behaviour” includes the impulses which are stirred up and gratified, the controls which are supported or weakened.” – list of dimensions ensues with extension arguments:
1.        Body Contact
2.        Bodily activity
3.        Skill requirement
4.        Chance determination of success
5.        Competition factors
6.        Use of Space
7.        Time considerations
8.        Props usage
9.        Role taking factors
10.     Rule complexity
11.     Volume and distribution of participation
12.     Leeway for marginal impulse expression
13.     Respite possibilities
14.     Suspense emphasis
15.     Switches between opposition
16.     Pleasure-pain content of winning or losing
17.     Spread of winnership
18.     Rewards – penalties
19.     Institutionalised cheating
20.     Obstacles
21.     Trust dependence
22.     Permanence of alliances
23.     Direct mirroring of life themes
24.     Props
25.     Ritual
(ibid. p.408-414)
 
Features common to all games:
1.        Number of players
2.        Rules of the game
3.        Results or pay-off
4.        Strategies which could be used
Strategy is the element brought by the players rather than supplied by the game (ibid. p.420)
 
Berne E:
The content essential presents a psychological examination of social relationships based on an equivalence between game playing and how we act “normally”.  Author suggests various levels of control over our actions and presents a wide range of scenarios and classifications for groups of actions.  Life is a game, life as a game – possibly this explains why we like to play real “games” as identified and separate scenarios through which we can parallel real experiences in a safe way?
(Berne, E. 1966)
 
Human beings thrive on social intercourse and are damaged/reduced by the lack of it (ibid.p.13-15)
 
Human beings enjoy having programmed social intercourse, enjoy structure and acquire structure at a young age (ibid.p.13-15)
 
We long for stimulus (stimulus hunger) and for structure (structure hunger); the lack of these is detrimental to our wellbeing (see Kirkegaard) (ibid.p.18)
 
Berne develops the idea that there is an intrinsic need for satisfaction which drives our social interactions: “The most gratifying forms of social contact, whether or not they are embedded in a matrix of activity are games and intimacy” (ibid.p.19)
 
Adults have a limited range of ego states:
1.        Parent – you behave as did your parents
2.        Adult – you make autonomous decisions
3.        Child – you behave/react as you did when a child
(ibid.p.23)
 
He breaks down social intercourse into its simplest form or unit – the transaction – when ego states are equal between two participants this can continue (eg. as question/answer) indefinitely; problems arise when the balance is unequal. (ibid.p.30)
 
“A game is an ongoing series of complementary ulterior transactions progressing to a well defined, predictable outcome.  Descriptively it is a recurring set of transactions often repetitious, superficially plausible, with a concealed motivation, or, more colloquially, a series of moves with a snare, or “gimmick”. Games are clearly differentiated from procedures, rituals and pastimes by two chief characteristics: 1. Their ulterior quality and 2. The payoff”. (ibid.p.48)
 
Likening game play to “real” social interaction: “all games have an important and probably decisive influence on the destinies of the players under ordinary social conditions” ie. real life games have serious consequences – using higher game play language. (ibid.p.73)