If you have read my previous blog entries you will know that I find rules systems fascinating and absolutely fundamental to what we do as lawyers. Like the law itself, we have traditionally thought about rules as being neutral systems which aspire toward fairness, objectivity and equal treatment. Like law, we must realise that the rules of games (including sport) reflect particular cultures, points of view and values.
This exercise seeks to de-naturalise rules and to ask students to think about rules systems as discourses – they were designed by a historically situated someone (or evolved via a community of someones) and prioritise different values. Is it a game of skill, chance or strategy – each element competes in the design arena for focus and attention.
These exercises also look at a lot of the practices around rules systems – playing the limits, cheating, adjudication and so forth as well as the importance of the stakes riding on the outcome of a game. If nothing else this should illustrate the idea of rules as culturally constructed, fallible and evolving social artifacts. To take games seriously, without taking out the fun.
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