What Is a Game?
A game is an activity that involves rules for competition and amusement, such as musical chairs or a game of chess. Games can also be a kind of gambling, or an event with an objective like a political race, and may include an audience of spectators who are not playing the game. Animals are thought to have invented some games, such as mock fighting and hunting, but human societies have adopted many more. A game can be played alone, with a group, or online; by amateurs or professionals. The aims of the game can be competitive, social, or purely personal, and may involve a high degree of luck or skill. Games can be based on real events, fiction, or invented by the players.
A video game is an electronic entertainment system that uses a computer, console, or handheld device to output graphic images for play. They are typically accompanied by audio, which may be produced by internal speakers or external headphones, and can provide tactile feedback by vibrating the controllers. Some video games also support additional forms of user input such as microphone and webcam for in-game chatting or livestreaming.
Most modern video games use the computer to process and display graphics in an external video format such as a cathode-ray tube television or newer liquid-crystal display (LCD) television with built-in screen, a computer monitor, flat-panel display on handheld devices, or virtual reality headsets. In addition, they can utilize the computer’s memory to store and execute a sequence of instructions, which are then displayed in real time. Some systems have built-in screens and audio speakers, while others require a special game platform with attached output hardware.
The definition of game can vary significantly depending on context, and has been the subject of much debate. Some scholars have argued that only activities that have a predetermined goal are games, while others have proposed that the concept of game extends to any type of artificial conflict with a defined set of rules.
Another issue in the definition of game is that some activities, such as a sports match or a poker tournament, have a clear objective and outcome but are not considered to be games because they do not involve a competition between opposing entities. In addition, some people use the term “game” to describe a kind of behavior that is used to manipulate or cheat to gain an advantage in some way, as in:
The word game can also be applied figuratively to mean someone who is willing to do something new or risky. For example, “She’s game for a hike through the woods.” The etymology of this expression is unclear, but it may be derived from an earlier meaning, referring to the kind of wild animals that could be hunted and killed as a sport. See also: