What Makes A Game A Game?

There are a lot of games in the world, from Monopoly to Gears of War, and that raises a deceptively simple question; how do you define something as a game? This article aims to examine this question and attempt to answer it. 

The Question

In the past few decades, there has been a tremendous upsurge in the number and diversity of video games on the market, from online casino games available at sites like Jackpotcitycasino.com to the plethora of games available for the variety of consoles you can now purchase. However, it is clear and apparent to each and every person that plays them that these are, in fact, games. This is where the question arises. How do we know that these are games, what is needed to categorically define something as a game, and why? 

This is not an examination of what the best games have in common. The question is, what do games, as a concept, have in common and what is required for something to be classified as “a game”?  

An Aim

The starting point to any game is most likely summed up in its objective. For it to exist at all, there must be some fundamental purpose driving the game itself forward and, more often than not, its players along with it.

It is safe to say then that an aim, a fundamental purpose to the experience, is quintessential to the game’s existence. Without it, there would be no direction, no change in the starting positions, and nothing to move towards. The game would be dead in the water. It wouldn’t be a game at all, just an occurrence. 

Mechanics

What is needed next, then, is a way to move towards this aim. Mechanics. The building blocks of the game and the rules by which it is played. Take Monopoly, for example. You roll dice to move, pay money for property and take money from those who land on your property. These are all fundamental to the playing of the game. The mechanics by which it operates are vital to the existence of the game itself. They are how the players move towards the objective of the game and the only way that it can be played. 

An End Point

The final aspect of a game that truly completes the experience is some predefined condition that will bring the game to a close. This isn’t to say that there necessarily needs to be a “lose” or “win” condition for the game; there simply needs to be a point at which you will no longer play.  

This is what the mechanics of the game move towards, the aim of a game will likely trigger its end point, but that does not necessarily have to be the case. For example, a game that requires you to keep a ball in the air ends when the ball hits the ground, the opposite of the game’s objective. 

In all, these seem to be the three fundamental aspects that all games must include. However, isn’t it incredible how much more a game can be?