program code
arguably, program code can be seen as rules for a game. code is highly structured and seems to determine what a player can and can not do in the context of the game. but is all of the code rules? for example, does managing the inputs of the game count as part of the rules?
therefore programming code is not the same thing as the game rules. code embodies the game, but there is not one-to-one correspondence with the rules.
code can share the intrinsic qualities of rules however. it is explicit and unambiguous, shared and repeatable, and binding and fixed. it does limit player action, and uniquely to code, identify what is shaping player behavior.
questions on how code shapes behavior
- how does the player of a digital game take action?
- how does the game respond when the player makes a choice?
- what kind of context does the player have to make choices?