Given a behavior in others that one desires to curb, one can respond in three ways:

1. Prohibit
2. Discourage or Disincentivize
3. Prevent

(This is the negative way of looking at the problem, by framing it as behavior to be curbed. For desirable behaviors, of course, the equivalent three choices are 1. Require, 2. Encourage or Incentivize, 3. Force. But since I am feeling like a Negative Nellie today, we’ll go with the negative angle.)

As a person who spends a lot of time (too much time, really) thinking about the rules of games, I find myself drawn to the second option. A well-designed game has a minimum of rules and a maximum of incentives. Players then have more freedom to play by their own style. The rules are quickly comprehended and internalized, and never intrude into the game play. This is why, say, chess is such a timeless game. There are…