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Games
A game is a structured or semi-structured activity, usually undertaken
for enjoyment and sometimes also used as an educational tool. (The term
"game" is also used to describe simulation of various activities e.g.,
for the purposes of training, analysis or prediction, etc., see "Game
(simulation)".) Games are generally distinct from work, which is usually
carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with
the expression of ideas. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and
many games may also be considered work and/or art. An example of a game
is chess. You use your brain(s) to solve the game and win the game. Key
components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interactivity.
Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both.
Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise,
or otherwise perform an educational, simulational or psychological role.
Known to have been played as far back as prehistoric times, games are a
universal part of the human culture.
Definitions
Ludwig Wittgenstein was probably the first academic philosopher to
address the definition of the word game. In his Philosophical
Investigations,[1] Wittgenstein demonstrated that the elements of games,
such as play, rules, and competition, all fail to adequately define what
games are. He subsequently argued that the concept "game" could not be
contained by any single definition, but that games must be looked at as
a series of definitions that share a "family resemblance" to one
another.
French sociologist Roger Caillois, in his book Les jeux et les hommes
(Games and Men)Caillois, Roger (1957). Les jeux et les hommes. Gallimard.
, defined a game as an activity that must have the following
characteristics:
* fun: the activity is chosen for its light-hearted character
* separate: it is circumscribed in time and place
* uncertain: the outcome of the activity is unforeseeable
* non-productive
* governed by rules: the activity has rules that are different from
everyday life
* fictitious: it is accompanied by the awareness of a different reality
Computer game designer Chris Crawford attempted to define the term
game[2] using a series of dichotomies:
1. Creative expression is art if made for its own beauty, and
entertainment if made for money. (This is the least rigid of his
definitions. Crawford acknowledges that he often chooses a creative path
over conventional business wisdom, which is why he rarely produces
sequels to his games.)
2. A piece of entertainment is a plaything if it is interactive. Movies
and books are cited as examples of non-interactive entertainment.
3. If no goals are associated with a plaything, it is a toy. (Crawford
notes that by his definition, (a) a toy can become a game element if the
player makes up rules, and (b) The Sims and SimCity are toys, not
games.) If it has goals, a plaything is a challenge.
4. If a challenge has no “active agent against whom you compete,” it is
a puzzle; if there is one, it is a conflict. (Crawford admits that this
is a subjective test. Some games with noticeably algorithmic artificial
intelligence can be played as puzzles; these include the patterns used
to evade ghosts in Pac-Man.)
5. Finally, if the player can only outperform the opponent, but not
attack them to interfere with their performance, the conflict is a
competition. (Competitions include racing and figure skating.) However,
if attacks are allowed, then the conflict qualifies as a game.
Crawford's definition may thus be rendered as: an interactive,
goal-oriented activity, active agents to play against, which any player
(including active agents) could interfere one another, and which is
designed to make money for the creator.
Crawford also notes (ibid.) several other definitions:
* “A form of play with goals and structure.” (Kevin Maroney)
* “A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make
decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the
pursuit of a goal.” (Greg Costikyan)
* “An activity with some rules engaged in for an outcome.” (Eric
Zimmerman)
Gameplay elements and classifications
Games can be characterized by "what the player does."[2] This is often
referred to as gameplay, a term that arose among computer game designers
in the 1980s but as of 2007 is starting to see use in reference to games
of other forms. Major key elements identified in this context are tools
and rules which define the overall context of game and which in turn
produce skill, strategy, and chance.
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