What Is a Game?

A game is a system in which players engage in artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome (such as winning or losing). Whether they involve competition against other players, competing with oneself, testing skills against an environment, or achieving some other goal, games are often characterized by the use of tools and tokens. These may be physical items such as a ball, cards or pieces, or intangible objects such as points or money. Some games, such as hide-and-seek or tag, have no obvious tools at all; others, such as chess or baseball, can be played using anything from a traditional king and rook set to a computer.

A player’s success at a game is often determined by his or her ability to learn the rules, overcome obstacles and solve puzzles. This requires a great deal of mental and physical stimulation, and many games are designed to challenge both. They can also serve other purposes, such as educating children or helping people relax.

The most popular video games tend to have high production values, immersive stories, and complex, involving characters. These are often accompanied by a high risk/reward factor, with the ability to win big or lose everything. They are usually aimed at young adults, but there is a growing market for games for older players as well.

There are a wide variety of reasons that people play games, including mental stimulation, the thrill of acting in ways that would be frowned upon in real life, the desire to lose themselves in a fantastic world, the challenge of competition and so on. People who play games for entertainment are generally considered to be gamers, although the definition of “gamer” is sometimes extended to include those who watch or read games.

Games are also a form of creative expression. Many developers create games for their own artistic value, and the medium has even been exhibited in museums, such as The Art of Video Games at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and its tour from 2012 to 2016.

Despite the broad range of reasons that people play, most games have certain things in common. These may be as simple as satisfying the need for competition or a desire to succeed, as complex as delivering an immersive story, or as abstract as allowing people to express themselves in unique ways.

A good game design must provide continuous challenges that are both appropriate to the skill level of the player and designed to satisfy some aspect of a learning objective, such as answering a question or identifying a sample. In some cases, a single challenge will be repeated repeatedly, but a good designer will vary the nature of these challenges to keep the game interesting. These qualities are what distinguish good games from great ones. The best games are those that provide an immersive experience that appeals to a variety of different players. They will be those that are both innovative and timeless, those that have become part of our cultural heritage.