gh comments:
Actually it's more like a maze than a cage. The parts to gaming that
are interesting are outside of the game. They are the hacks of the game
and the emotion of the players. Games are vehicles for social
interaction. The structure of video games becomes interesting only
insofar as it reflects a technological/ bureaucratic structure.
The most interesting players are the ones who figure out the cheats for
the games. There is a certain level of conditioning within all games
that tend to re-inforce the existing mores of any society. A classic
example would be the game of monopoly and the mores of capitalism. The
classic game theory algorithm is, "The Prisoners Dillemma." This
encapsulates many levels of game theory and also group behavior.