Game, The Definition
What is a game? Why is it fun to play games?
There is no “official”, or at least a commonly agreed-upon definition of a game. Wikipedia offers several definitions, which are all kind of true. Chris Crawford’s definition is probably the best articulated. But all of them lack the “essence” of a game, as the sum of components is not the whole in this case. It’s like defining an elephant as an animal with four pillar legs, a small tail, a trunk and big ears – while true and useful, it does not necessarily add up to an elephant.
Another piece of the puzzle lies in the “play” part. Wikipedia to the rescue again, and we see the same pattern – opinions of what play is are quite divided, and the definitions are rather generalizing than specific of what play is. (more…)