What is a Game?

Game is a word that has been defined in many different ways by a variety of scholars, designers, and writers. This ranges from Bernard Suits’ interpretation that games are “voluntary attempts to overcome unnecessary obstacles,” to Jesse Schelle’s interpretation that games are problem-solving activities approached with a playful attitude, to Caillois’ definition of games as goal-directed activities pursued by players in a spirit of play. The difficulty of defining games stems from the fact that they have so many different aspects and features. For example, a game can be played with any number of tools and rules, but enough changes in these elements will result in a different game. This can be demonstrated by the fact that baseball can be played with either real or wiffle balls, but if either one of these features is removed then baseball ceases to be baseball and becomes something else.

Another aspect that is difficult to define is the sense of purpose that a game has for its players. While games can be played solely for entertainment or as a form of therapy, many people play them to achieve a goal and receive recognition for that achievement. This goal can be a simple as winning a championship or more complex, like earning a promotion at work. Similarly, games can be played by individuals or teams; with an audience of non-players, as when spectators watch a sports event; or privately, as when children play a board game such as Monopoly.

While there is no single, definitive answer to the question of what a game is, it can be useful to consider some general principles when creating and designing games. First, it is important to understand the unique appeal factors of your game and how these factors will attract its target audience. Second, it is important to balance the level of challenge and difficulty of your game to ensure that it is both challenging enough to be satisfying and accessible to the majority of potential players. Finally, it is important to plan ahead for any future changes in technology or gaming standards so that your game will remain relevant for a long time.

Although the process of determining what a game is can be difficult, it can be very rewarding. Having a clear, well-articulated game definition will allow you to develop your own game with confidence that it meets the requirements of the gaming world and will retain its popularity amongst players for years to come. If you would like to use this article for educational purposes please check the ‘Copyright Information’ section either on this page or in the PDF for details of the license and re-use permitted. Thank you. -This text is part of a larger research project on game studies and digital culture. For more information on the project, including other articles and references, see the ‘References’ page. If you are interested in contributing to this project please contact us. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.