System games
I read an interesting article by Matt Horn about system games at Gamefest Weblogs.
According to this article, system games are:
“where each person develops a region of their own and decides which path to take to (ultimately) victory. Other players do the same, without any real regard for what each other is doing.
Games like Mull & Money (Industrial Waste), Puerto Rico, San Juan, Princes of Florence, and Anno 1503 all qualify, in my mind, as systems games.”
I don’t like the term “system games” much, although I can’t think of anything better offhand.
It’s an interesting observation about this type of game. There are some good replies too, particularly from Scott Low.
I like Gamefest’s new daily weblogs coming from seven different people (one for each day of the week). Of them, Matt Horn has surprised me by having the most thoughtful and thought-provoking articles. This is the guy behind Spielboy, right? He’s obviously got more than lap dances on his mind. I hope we see more of his writing.
Mark Johnson
25 Jun 04 at 15:54
Yes, the Gamesfest weblogs are pretty good. I only read them because they had an rss feed. I think Rick Thornquists’s original weblog was good too, but no rss…
I was a bit suprised about Matthew Horn’s writing too, but there is some genuinely good content on Spielboy (and I’m not talking about the women), so it’s not such a shock.
Iain
25 Jun 04 at 16:33
“System Games” is slightly annoying to me because it already means somthing else – different games that use the same game system, common in wargames like OCS or We the People. Or perhaps Settlers “system” games like Starfarers or Settlers Nurnburg. This seems a more apt usage of “system” as gamers understand it.
I’ve taken to reading the GameFest blogs occasionally, but I’ll probably stop soon I think. Some good stuff, but it’s too inconsistant, too much of a mixed bag. I like Matt Horn and Rick Thornquist, but many of the others are to me usually more or less content-free. Maybe I’m just not in the target market.
Chris
8 Jul 04 at 18:42
At some point, someone will think of a cunningly suitable term for these games, but I’m not clever enough to do it.
I think the Gamefest blogs offer different things to different people. I, like you, prefer Matt Horn and Rick Thornquist, but there are enough people in this hobby to enjoy the different offerings from the others. For instance, I cannot stand puzzles, but many do and they’ll enjoy Aaron Weissblum’s posts. I find blogging a very personal thing. What works for me, won’t work for others. I just wish there were separate newsfeeds for each blogger, so I could tune out of what/who disinterests me.
Iain
8 Jul 04 at 22:52