Reddit reviews Thinking in Systems: A Primer

Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella H. Meadows

Check out systems theory... best counter to critical theory. You will never regret reading this primer and if you are an extroverted thinker, you won't be the same. No ideology, pure scientific problem solving. Thinking in Systems: A Primer https://www.amazon.com/dp/1603580557/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ulEozbF168304

I suggest you read Thinking in Systems: A Primer

Thinking in Systems

It's not about administration per se, but it is about systems by one of the top people in the field. I found it very useful in updating my thinking based on smaller systems that could be authoritatively managed to large distributed systems where you have less power to direct the system.

Maybe this post on different kinds of risk can be interesting? It points at this book "Thinking in Systems", does it seem to be the kind of thing you are looking for?

This is a good book, though a bit old now. If you're interested in agent-based simulations, a lot of great work has been done since then -- I'd suggest starting with something like Growing Artificial Societies, or reading up in general on Sugarscape and the models that have followed it.

Both these and The Limits to Growth lead to "systems thinking," which Meadows wrote about in Thinking in Systems. That book in turn (along with many others) was a big influence on my game designs, and on my book about game design and systems thinking. Understanding how systems and games work together is vital, IMO, for building virtual worlds.

That was a funny solution a Cracked writer proposed to the whole debate, to free multiplayer games from singleplayer games so they can quit hassling each other. It solves some problems, creates others.

Technically my reading list moved away from game academia a while ago. I'm just a hobby writer, I don't worry about the same issues they do. I was a game critic for 3 years at Popmatters while I was in law school and I steadily got more interested in rule theory. That's most of what I do now in my writing.

I don't really know where someone could start with that...probably by studying systems. This is an outstanding intro book for it. Something bit more sophisticated on rule systems would be this one on how they are presented

I can start rattling off the legal philosophers but they are such boring old farts...Greg Lastowka wrote what is probably the best book on game design and law.

Did you read Thinking in Systems: A Primer?

I'm glad you're calling it a system, even if your only reference to such is the typical cliche at this point. But it is a system, and as such its behavior can be understood and altered.

Some basic elements to the system:

• Human/animal nature: it's in the very basic programming of every living organism to try to maximize the benefit extracted from one's environment. This is how living organisms are successful, from the day-to-day, individual scale to the species scale on up. Just about every civilization has followed the pattern of growing until the local resources are exhausted, and then collapsing (as you alluded). Therefore, when the carrying capacity for a given group is limited not just by the local resources, but the resources of the planet as a whole, some very effective measures are needed to combat that basic instinct and encourage longer-term thinking.
  
  
• Cancerous growths: due to the condition above, certain institutions within society are essentially hijacked by individuals who shift the institution's priority from serving society (as nearly every societal institution is created to do) to serving the will of the individual in charge. Lately this has taken the form, by and large, of companies whose primary goal is pleasing the shareholders instead of the customers.
  
  
• Unprecedented potential for aggregation of power: The internet is a fantastically powerful tool- it could conceivably be used as the infrastructure for a global democratic forum, empowering those who have never before had a voice in the political process; or it could conceivably be harnessed, censored, and monitored by an incredibly small group of people. It's the responsibility of every concerned citizen to work against the realization of the latter, because some very powerful people want that very much.
  
  There are a number of effective leverage points in the system, unfortunately many of them are being pushed in the wrong direction at the moment- education, for instance...
  
  In any case, there's a really great introductory book on systems theory- Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows. That would probably give you the best perspective for understanding how each of these issues came to be the way they are.
  
  That and evolutionary psychology. Read lots of that.

Games are a combination of systems, I recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557

I'm telling you... you do not have to wait to become a web designer especially if you have any CS chops. It sounds like you need some kind of validation lol? In design you have to be an entrepreneur, design your own experience, find out some people who are doing design x software email them... surprise them, designers love surprises and something different... make your own luck.

As far as Amazon good books, you really want to aim for a whole view of design at this point. Think of it like you wouldn't learn run before you can walk, there is A LOT out there.

• https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466034268&sr=8-1&keywords=thinking+in+systems
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Inmates-Are-Running-Asylum-Products/dp/0672326140/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466034307&sr=8-3&keywords=alan+cooper
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Media-Extensions-Marshall-McLuhan/dp/0262631598/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466034386&sr=8-1&keywords=marshall+mcluhan+understanding+media
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466034432&sr=8-1&keywords=don+norman

Winning goes to the winners---in any system.

A great book that explains this by Donella Meadows: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557

Winners use their winnings to consolidate and grow their wins. Ever play monopoly?

The only reason that nearly every matured market has exactly 2 dominate players is anti-monopoly laws.

Coke and Pepsi, McDonalds and Burger King, PC and Mac, Android and iPhone, Facebook and Twitter, Wal Mart and Target.

It's a meritocracy, yes--but winning goes to the winners. Meritocracy over time equals monopoly.