---
schema: 1
type: term
title: '**ludology**'
description: >-
  **Ludology** — as used in this channel's material — is the study of _what
  makes a game fun_. It is cited as a field that, unlike coding, has no formal
  language or documented best practices that can explain a game's appeal — “no
  language that explains Super Mario Bros. on a spreadsheet.”
canonical: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ludology-c3f864d2f781'
markdown: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ludology-c3f864d2f781.md'
llms: null
parent: 'https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt'
channel: everyinc
updated: '2026-10-23T22:12:35.346Z'
language: null
children: []
---


# \*\*ludology\*\*

Canonical: https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/explore/term/ludology-c3f864d2f781

Parent: [Channel index](https://liquidgold.cc/channel/everyinc/llms.txt)

## Definition

**Ludology** — as used in this channel's material — is the study of _what makes a game fun_. It is cited as a field that, unlike coding, has no formal language or documented best practices that can explain a game's appeal — “no language that explains Super Mario Bros. on a spreadsheet.”

In this channel's material, **ludology** appears as shorthand for the study of what makes games fun — and specifically as an example of a field that *lacks* the documented best practices Nabeel Hyatt looks for when hunting for AI markets with rich structure at altitude[^aadbfc77-2045-528b-a149-9cf468b23383]. Nabeel contrasts two domains: - **Coding** — decades of books, PRDs, and documented best practices mean models have strong material to draw on. - **Ludology** — as he puts it, “what makes a game fun” (ludology) has *no language that explains Super Mario Bros. on a spreadsheet*. In other words, there is no formalized, shareable theory that captures game fun the way coding knowledge is captured. That gap is why he doesn't treat game design as a ready-made market for AI products that surface best practices — and it motivates his broader point that most AI products zoom straight to a single answer instead of letting users pick among a field's documented approaches[^aadbfc77-2045-528b-a149-9cf468b23383].  - Ludology here means the study of *what makes a game fun*. - It's cited as a field **without** a language of best practices — you can't explain *Super Mario Bros.* on a spreadsheet. - This lack of captured structure contrasts with coding, and illustrates why markets need “best practices captured at altitude” for AI products to work well.