A game by definition is some with 'play activity, formal rules and conflict'. From this there are many other definitions and not every single one is right but they are also, not wrong.
Games are made up of the several principles:
-It is separate, set in space and time but separate from our world,
-Voluntary, The player chooses to play the game,
- Harmless, the user does not come into actual harms way,
-Unproductive, the payer does not earn wealth nor lose it,
-Closed formal system,
-Has an end and a means
-Representation or simulation of events,
-Decision making and
-Uncertain outcomes
The games themselves present with these properties and are completely voluntary to play, the player does not gain wealth nor lose it in the process, all decision making is voluntary and the outcome is unknown to the player while it is effected by how they choose to play the game.
There are still questions in relation to this though, as to whether or not puzzles, such as the Rubik's cube is a game, or role-playing games, both with multiple endings or outcomes.
An important aspect of a game is the formal rules that they have. These make order for the game and how it should be played, stopping users from playing all actions at once and winning the game without any real effort.
Signing off
-AK
images:
Dice images found on pinterest
Hi Alex,
ReplyDeleteWhat type of game do you see the Rubik’s cube as? Do you think games can be defined in multiple different ways? Do you think Ian Schreiber’s term of “Critical Vocabulary” needs to be used by Game Designers in order to learn about games? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Do you think iteration is important in order to make your game better? I look forward to hearing your response.
-Ciaran