powergaming

Ron Edwards on Powergaming:

"This technique is all about ramping a system's Currency, Effectiveness, and reward systems into an exponential spiral. As a behavior, it can be applied to any system. . . .

"Powergaming doesn't necessarily destroy the enjoyment of play, and . . . it may even remain functional in full-blown Hard Core form. Some Exploration may well be maintained, at least minimally, and the effectiveness-spiral might play a strategic role rather than to dominate fellow players. However, it's fair to say that powergaming is only functional if everyone is committed to it. . . .

"To prevent powergaming, many game designers identify the GM as the ultimate and final rules-interpreter. It's not solution at all, though: (1) there's no way to enforce the enforcement, and (2) even if the group does buy into the 'GM is always right' decree, the GM is now empowered to Powergame over everyone else. . . .

"Powergaming reveals vulnerable points in game design that are then Broken. Trying to prevent this one-two combination of behavior has led many game designers mistakenly to provide endless patch rules, full of exceptions to cover the exceptions, none of which accomplishes anything except to open up even more points of vulnerability."

from "Gamism: Step On Up"