What Is a Game?
The term game can be a broad one, and is applied to any number of things, from a competitive activity like football or chess to a board or card game. It can also be used to refer to a particular device or system that is designed for playing games, such as a computer or mobile phone. It can also be used figuratively to refer to any number of activities that might be considered fun, including gambling or sex.
The meaning of the word has shifted over time, with some arguing that it is an activity or piece of entertainment that requires the participation of at least two people, and that it must be interactive. Others, however, argue that the term is a much more fluid concept, and that it may be applied to any kind of entertainment or activity that involves both an element of risk and a desire to overcome challenges. For instance, a game can be considered to be a form of art if it is created for its own beauty or entertainment value, or even a work of science if it aims to solve problems such as climate change.
There are many different definitions of game that have been proposed, and that are often debated in the context of video games. Some of the more notable ones include those by Bernard Suits and Roger Caillois. Suits argues that a game is an activity that encourages the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles, and that this spirit of adventure, along with the rules that define most games, creates the magical circle of play. Caillois, on the other hand, focuses on the agency of players and their ability to choose to play a game, and that this choice creates a contract or ludological agreement with the designers and the rules of the game that govern how they are played.
Regardless of the specifics of these definitions, most agree that a game is an activity that can be enjoyed by a group of people for either entertainment or achievement. It can be played alone or with friends, by amateurs or professionals; it can be a single occasion or part of a long-term commitment to the activity. It can also be played purely for enjoyment, or with some kind of reward, such as a championship trophy or a gold medal.
Another important aspect of a game is the level of complexity of the challenge. Some games are quite deterministic, such as chess or Go, and these are usually described as having perfect information because the player knows exactly what their opponent is thinking, and their decisions will determine the outcome. Other games, however, are very luck-based, such as Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders, and these can be described as having imperfect information because the result of a particular roll of the dice or card is completely unpredictable. These are not considered to be games by the majority of designers.
