Uncertainty in GamesBy: Greg Costikyan Series: Playful Thinking How uncertainty in gamesfrom D&D and Super Mario Bros. to Rock Paper Scissorsengages players and shapes play experiences. In life, uncertainty surrounds us. Things that we thought were good for us turn out to be bad for us (and vice versa); people we thought we knew well behave in mysterious ways; the stock market takes a nosedive. Thanks to an inexplicable optimism, most of the time we are fairly cheerful