Game Types
The table below summarizes the four main game types, each characterized by a
different game action. They are as follows:
|
Game Type
|
Your Task
|
|
1. Ordering
|
Arrange characters in a sequential order. |
|
2. Choosing
|
Select a smaller group of characters from a larger
group. |
|
3. Placing
|
Distribute characters into different groups. |
|
4. Linking
|
Match up two or more characteristics of the characters in the
game. |
In addition, a single game may involve multiple game actions—for example, you
may be asked to choose a smaller group from a larger set and then arrange the
selected entities in order. We’ll call these Combination games.
Either way, you’ll always see four games, and there’s no way to tell what mix
of games you’ll get. Perhaps you’ll get two Ordering games, a Choosing game, and a
combination Placing/Linking game. Or you may get two Placing games and no Choosing
games as part of the four-game set. You won’t, however, see a section consisting
entirely of one game type, such as four Choosing games. They usually mix it up
pretty well, so your best bet is to get comfortable with all types.
Your first order of business for tackling any logic game is to recognize the
game type—that is, determine the action of the game. Now that we’ve identified the
four basic game types, let’s get some practice doing just that.
Every logic game begins with a solid understanding of the
game’s action. Without this, you’ll just get more and more lost as you venture
further into the game, so make sure not to skimp on your initial analysis of the
situation.
Examine the game introductions below. Note that rules are not included here.
You should be able to determine a game’s action from the introduction alone. Let’s
take a look.
1. Ordering Games
|
Seven works of art—P, Q, R, S, T, V, and W—will be
exhibited at a local gallery opening. A short lecture will be
delivered by the creator of each work during the gallery
opening. No two lectures will be delivered at the same time. The
sequence of lectures must satisfy the following requirements:
|
The phrases “at the same time” and “sequence of
lectures” are sure giveaways that this is a straightforward
Ordering game. The goal is to put the characters in sequential order in
accordance with the rules.
Ordering games, whether the characters are in a line, in a circle, or
otherwise, involve the following issues:
- Where characters must be in the ordering
- Where characters can be in the ordering
- Where characters cannot be in the ordering
- Which characters can or must be next to which other characters in the
ordering
- Which characters cannot be next to which other characters in the
ordering
- Which characters come before and after which other characters in the
ordering
- How many spaces apart two characters are in the ordering
2. Choosing Games
|
Maggie must select exactly three introductory
courses for the upcoming semester. The available introductory
courses are biology, communications, English, French, history,
literature, and philosophy. Her selection must accord with the
following conditions:
|
Here we’re presented with seven courses and the requirement to choose
exactly three. Whenever you begin with a group of characters and are asked to
form a smaller group from that initial group, you’re dealing with a Choosing
game.
Choosing games involve the following issues:
- Which characters must be chosen
- Which characters can be chosen
- Which characters cannot be chosen
- Which characters must be chosen with which other characters
- Which characters cannot be chosen with which other characters
- How many characters may be chosen under various circumstances
3. Placing Games
|
The participants of two economic seminars, one on
free trade and one on venture capital, are to be assigned from
among six company employees—Jobson, King, Lee, Manute, Nora, and
Orson. King and Nora are vice presidents; the rest of the
employees are middle managers. Each employee must participate in
at least one seminar. The following rules govern the assignment
of employees to seminars:
|
The fact that each character must participate in at least one seminar
means that we’re asked to take six people and split them in some way into two
groups. We can’t leave anyone out, so distributing the characters among the
groups is the action here. That means this is a Placing game.
Placing games involve the following issues:
- Which characters must be placed in which groups
- Which characters could be placed in which groups
- Which characters cannot be placed in which groups
- How many characters are placed in each group
- Which characters must, could, or cannot be placed with which other
characters
4. Linking Games
|
Six children—Edel, Francie, Gillian, Holly, James,
and Kayli—attend a birthday party. Three of the children are in
nursery school, two are in first grade, and one is in second
grade. Each child eats either pizza or a sandwich at the party.
No child eats both kinds of food. The following must
obtain:
|
In this one there are two things we need to figure out about the children:
the grade they’re in and the food they eat. So this is a Linking game in which
children, grades, and food items will be matched up according to the rules. We
have six characters (the children) and two characteristics (grades and food) to
assign them. That’s how Linking games work: You need to figure out who the
characters are and what characteristics those characters have.
Linking games involve the following issues:
- Which characters must be matched to which characteristics
- Which characters can be matched to which characteristics
- Which characters cannot be matched to which characteristics
- Which characters must, can, or cannot have which characteristics in
common
Now that you’re familiar with the kinds of games you’ll see, let’s move on
to the method you’ll use to solve them.
