What is a Game?

 What is a Game?

Most people are introduced to games when they begin playing them.  We are often nostalgic for some of the first games we’ve played. Especially the ones that we’ve shared with family, friends, and colleagues, as well as the game that we are playing now.

But one of the hardest and most difficult questions that can be asked about games is what they are and how they are defined. The answers, responses, and philosophies regarding these big questions are as diverse and varied as those who have sought to define them.

Therefore, this article will attempt another take on defining games and discussing their meaning and interaction for the people that play, define, apply, and share them.

A definition of games will be offered as well as different philosophies and interpretations of what games are. Specific game characteristics will be argued in this article which will be explored in greater depth in the following sections.

Games as models for interaction will be discussed as well as how choices, choice architecture, and decisions are offered to players through play. Games and rules are explored as a form and structure for players to follow, as well as how game players interact with each other and the game.

All of this is taken in context of the “magic circle” or the ludological agreement that players make when they decide to play a game. This includes the consent to accept different rules and behaviors that are condoned and accepted in the game; but may not necessarily be emulated in the real world. The result of these interactions within the magic circle are what shape the overall player experience.

This experience in the game is what is in-part shaped by the goals and challenges set by designers and players alike. Especially how the result of those frameworks creates separate and unequal outcomes for players. 

Finally, this article will close out with some of the interpretations of games: such as games as pieces of art as well as applied games in simulations, serious games, and games-based learning. The results of which are examined in how players and designers can interpret games as an ever evolving medium.

Games Defined 

There are many ways to approach defining games. But most of the accepted definitions include a form of structured play or activity that is taken freely by players for their own enjoyment and often entertainment. Games also usually have various goals, roles, and challenges; and can sometimes involve several different players. 

It’s important to understand that the definition and context of games can be incredibly broad and applied in various contexts. As such, games include sports, board games, card games, video games, mobile games, and more.

The significance in defining a game is situated in finding and segmenting various items with the shared traits. This includes games as structured activities where players freely engage in the pursuit of various goals, roles, and challenges for different outcomes.

Often, many definitions games focus on the activity and importance of mechanics, objectives, and rules as some of the most defining characteristics. While mechanics and rules do make up part of the formal elements and the ludological agreement of games, there are still other aspects to consider.  

One of those aspects includes games as goal-directed activities which are intentionally chosen and pursued; but done so through inefficient means. This indicates that games possess different challenges and goals; but that the formal elements and the ludological agreement of play means that players cannot take the most efficient and effective path towards achieving a goal. Rather, they must play in accordance with the rules of the game, which is often an inefficient method of achieving such a goal. 

Bernard Suits appropriately defined game plays as the “voluntary attempt to overcome these unnecessary obstacles.” This addresses the freedom for players to choose to play the game; but through that choice they also consent that they will play within the “magic circle” of the game and adhere to the games’ rules and expectations. 

Despite these common characteristics, the definition of games is still a fractured concept. This is because what constitutes a game for one person might not be the same consideration for another, due to differences in individual experiences and perceptions.

Therefore, we must also accept that the very concept of “games” is constantly evolving.  The development, play, and iteration of applied games in concert with new artists and designers constantly pushes the boundary of traditional game definitions.

Philosophy of Games

Because there are so many ways to define games, it’s helpful to start with an overview on the philosophy of games and how they have been interpreted by others over time. Perhaps one of the best interpretations of games is the aforementioned one by Bernard Suits as the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles. This interpretation is in line with the magic circle of games; the agency of players to choose to play; and the rules of most games which constricts the means in which players surmount game challenges.

Roger Caillois on the other hand defined games as fun, separate, uncertain and overall non-productive activities governed by rules. Similar to Suits, Caillois defines games as something of an activity that is governed by the rules of the magic circle. Sid Meir focuses his definition on games as a series of interesting decisions. This take focuses more on the agency of players and the choices that they face when playing a game and having the freedom and the determination to make a choice; but an interesting one at that.

Keith Burgun builds on Meir’s definition by indicating games as a series of rules in which agents (players) compete by making ambiguous; but meaningful decisions. In this case, an emphasis is placed on the roles of players in games and the decisions that they make. This is done so that they may compete against the interests of other players or progress as a single player along the path of play.

This path of play is indicated in Jesse Schelle’s definition of games in which his situates it as a problem-solving activity that is approached with a playful attitude. So, like Caillois, an emphasis is placed on fun with the attitude posed towards play; but Schelle diverges from Caillois as game-play can be interpreted as a productive activity for the purposes of problem solving.