Old Ideas, New Visions

By Margaret Ruse

Playing with Reality is by Kelly Clancy, who has doctorates in physics and neuroscience (take note, Big Bang Theory fans), and concerns how our representations of reality through games influences how we behave in real life. There is some fascinating background in the beginning, from how far Greek philosophers would go to suppress knowledge of irrational numbers to preserve the harmony of their philosophy to the true extent of gambling addiction in history. She writes with refreshing clarity and insight about the pros and cons of how we play, even when we play very seriously.

Kreigsspiel was designed to help German officers think tactically, and it worked really well.  During WWII, German officers game played out their invasion of Russia, developing a strategy that nearly destroyed all known Russian forces.  At that point, they ended the simulation, deciding they could defeat Russia before winter. However, the Russians had also game played out a German invasion and realized they would be defeated, so secretly built-up reserve forces. We all know how that turned out. 

Yet Clancy also takes “game theory” to task. The “prisoner’s dilemma” is an interesting thought experiment, but that game and others like it are very artificial circumstances. Just as my father and I play cutthroat chess but negotiate what to watch on TV, forcing people to choose from artificially limited options reveals less about people than academics suppose. Game theory assumes a goal-oriented life, when many of the things that make life worthwhile are ends in of themselves: music, love, art, friendship, even a flavorful meal instead of just a nutritious one. 

Children’s games are practice for the adult world.  Allowing neighborhood kids to play pickup games can teach them social skills. They often demonstrate compassion such as letting the younger kids have more chances to kick the ball. When these games are taken over by adults, the kids still learn teamwork, but the adults take over all the decisions and the rules become inflexible. These two situations teach kids different rules of life, one of negotiation and fairness and the other of authority and victory.

I’ve never played SimCity, but I hear it’s a lot of fun.  Versions of the game have been used in other context. SimRefinery helped white-collar workers understand the jobs of blue-collar workers; SimHealth was built upon libertarian principles and soon no one in the game had health insurance and the game fell apart.

Computer games may seem trivial to people who don’t care about the games in question, but games like chess are useful experiments in computer programming because they are more clearly defined than reality. The resulting technology allowing computers to process the options for games like chess and go now allow computers to decode our genetics. When AlphaGo mastered go, the Chinese government decided the time had come to invest in A.I., eventually totally $100 billion, one fifth of global funding for AI research.

 In the end, she warns us that our future is already being manipulated by people who treat our lives as means to their ends, like we were just pieces on a game board. All they care about are maximized results, whether it be profits, votes, or even just “engagement.” We have to remind them that we are people, too, not just pawns.

Old Ideas, New Visions