Game

{{Short description|Structured form of play}} {{Other uses}}{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} <!--Please don't add types of games to this hatnote per WP:RELATED-->{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} [[File:Gaming Board Inscribed for Amenhotep III with Separate Sliding Drawer, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.,49.56a-b.jpg|thumb|Ancient Egyptian senet game board inscribed for Amenhotep III with separate sliding drawer. Created between 1390 and 1353&nbsp;BC; made of glazed faience, dimensions: 5.5 × 7.7 × 21&nbsp;cm. Held in the Brooklyn Museum, (New York City).]] A '''game''' is an activity defined by a challenge and a set of rules,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mitchell |first=Briar Lee |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Game_Design_Essentials/UZglGi-MDZIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game%22%20purposes%20rules%20chance&pg=PT16&printsec=frontcover |title=Game Design Essentials |date=2012-03-05 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-23933-9 |language=en}}</ref> typically done for enjoyment, competition, or development. Games may be played informally or in professional competitive settings before audiences. Popular formats include board games, card games, video games, and sports, distinguished from unstructured play by having rules.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Farquhar |first=Lee K. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Esports_Motivations/4UmAEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game%22+distinguish+%22unstructured+play%22&pg=PA38&printsec=frontcover |title=Esports Motivations: What's Driving the Fastest Growing Sports Phenomenon? |last2=Rogers |first2=Ryan |date=2024-02-14 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-216-33854-3 |pages=38 |language=en}}</ref> Scholars have long debated the essence of games, with no single definition achieving universal acceptance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaneda |first=Toshiyuki |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Simulation_and_Gaming_for_Social_Design/KppXEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game%22+debate+no+single+definition&pg=PA76&printsec=frontcover |title=Simulation and Gaming for Social Design |last2=Hamada |first2=Ryoju |last3=Kumazawa |first3=Terukazu |date=2022-01-03 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-16-2011-9 |pages=76 |language=en}}</ref>

Games are a universal feature of human culture. The Royal Game of Ur and Senet are among the oldest known games, dating back to at least 2600 BCE.<ref name=":2" /> Throughout history, games have served as tools for entertainment, teaching, ritual, and socialization.<ref>{{Cite book |last=David |first=Bonilla Carranza |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Interdisciplinary_Approaches_to_Game_Des/B9OxEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game%22+entertainment+socialisation+education+ritual&pg=PA300&printsec=frontcover |title=Interdisciplinary Approaches to Game Design in Healthcare and Education |last2=Pérez |first2=Negrón, Adriana Peña |last3=Marco |first3=Pérez-Cisneros |date=2026-01-09 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=979-8-3373-4659-5 |pages=300 |language=en}}</ref> In the modern era, the global video game industry has grown to surpass both film and music in annual revenue, reflecting how central games have become to contemporary life.<ref name=":3" />

Philosophically, games have attracted attention as a test case for the nature of rules and meaning.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blagden |first=David William |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Games/JHaIDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ludwig%20Wittgenstein%20game%20Philosophical%20Investigations&pg=PA51&printsec=frontcover |title=Games: Conflict, Competition, and Cooperation |last2=Rond |first2=Mark de |last3=Gibson |first3=Janet |date=2019 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-44732-4 |pages=53 |language=en}}</ref> Psychologists link play to cognitive development in children and to the intense, satisfying concentration called flow in adults.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hardyment |first=Richard |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Wellbeing_Purpose/33tqDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Mihaly+Csikszentmihalyi+flow+concentration+satisfaction&pg=PT103&printsec=frontcover |title=The Wellbeing Purpose: How Companies Can Make Life Better |date=2018-09-03 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-00102-1 |language=en}}</ref> Game theory uses the structure of games to model decision making in fields such as economics and evolutionary biology.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bryan |first=Christiansen |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Economic_Behavior_Game_Theory_and_Techno/yFsrAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game+theory%22+model+decision-making+economics&pg=PA48&printsec=frontcover |title=Economic Behavior, Game Theory, and Technology in Emerging Markets |last2=Muslum |first2=Basilgan |date=2013-11-30 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-4666-4746-6 |pages=48 |language=en}}</ref>{{TOC limit|3}}

==Definitions== {{Wiktionary|game}}

===Ludwig Wittgenstein=== Ludwig Wittgenstein is well known in the history of philosophy for having addressed the definition of the word ''game''. In his ''Philosophical Investigations'',<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blagden |first=David William |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Games/JHaIDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Ludwig%20Wittgenstein%20game%20Philosophical%20Investigations&pg=PA51&printsec=frontcover |title=Games: Conflict, Competition, and Cooperation |last2=Rond |first2=Mark de |last3=Gibson |first3=Janet |date=2019 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-108-44732-4 |pages=53 |language=en}}</ref> Wittgenstein argued that the elements of games, such as play, rules, and competition, all fail to adequately define what games are. From this, Wittgenstein concluded that people apply the term ''game'' to a range of disparate human activities that bear to one another only what one might call family resemblances.

=== Bernard Suits === Bernard Suits offers this definition of games in ''Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia'' (1978). "To play a game is to engage in activity directed towards bringing about a specific state of affairs, using only means permitted by rules, where the rules prohibit more efficient in favour of less efficient means, and where such rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity." He calls players' state of mind lusory attitude, accepting unnecessary obstacles in order to play.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tekinbas |first=Katie Salen |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Rules_of_Play/UM-xyczrZuQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=suits+activity+directed+towards+bringing+about+a+specific+state+of+affairs&pg=PA76&printsec=frontcover |title=Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals |last2=Zimmerman |first2=Eric |date=2003-09-25 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-24045-1 |pages=76 |language=en}}</ref>

===Roger Caillois=== French sociologist Roger Caillois, in his book ''Les jeux et les hommes (Games and Men)''(1961),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Georgoulas |first=Stratos |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Critical_Criminology_of_Leisure/IJ9dKrDttsIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Roger+Caillois+Games+and+Men+uncertain+non-productive&pg=PA39&printsec=frontcover |title=Critical Criminology of Leisure: Theory, Methodology and a Case Study |date=2009 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=978-3-643-10350-5 |pages=39 |language=en}}</ref> defined a game as an activity that must have the following characteristics: * ''fun'': the activity is chosen for its light-hearted character * ''separate'': it is circumscribed in time and place * ''uncertain'': the outcome of the activity is unforeseeable * ''non-productive'': participation does not accomplish anything useful * ''governed by rules'': the activity has rules that are different from everyday life * ''fictitious'': it is accompanied by the awareness of a different reality

===Other definitions=== * "A game is a form of art in which participants, termed ''players'', make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal." (Greg Costikyan)<ref name="no words">{{Cite web |last=Costikyan |first=Greg |author-link=Greg Costikyan |year=1994 |title=I Have No Words & I Must Design |url=http://www.costik.com/nowords.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080812015347/http://www.costik.com/nowords.html |archive-date=12 August 2008 |access-date=17 August 2008}}</ref> According to this definition, some "games" that do not involve choices, such as Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, and War are not technically games any more than a slot machine is. * "A game is a form of play with goals and structure." (Kevin J. Maroney)<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Maroney |first=Kevin |year=2001 |title=My Entire Waking Life |url=http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/MyEntireWakingLife.shtml |journal=The Games Journal |access-date=17 August 2008 |archive-date=21 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121181715/http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/MyEntireWakingLife.shtml |url-status=usurped }}</ref> * "A game is a system in which players engage in an artificial conflict, defined by rules, that results in a quantifiable outcome." (Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman)<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Salen |first1=Katie |title=Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals |title-link=Rules of Play |last2=Zimmerman |first2=Eric |publisher=MIT Press |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-262-24045-1 |page=80 |author-link=Katie Salen |author-link2=Eric Zimmerman}}</ref> * "A game is an ''activity'' among two or more independent ''decision-makers'' seeking to achieve their ''objectives'' in some ''limiting context.''" (Clark C. Abt)<ref name="Abt1987">{{Cite book |last=Clark C. Abt |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=axUs9HA-hF8C |title=Serious Games |publisher=University Press of America |year=1987 |isbn=978-0-8191-6148-2}}</ref> * "At its most elementary level then we can define game as an exercise of voluntary control systems in which there is an opposition between forces, confined by a procedure and rules in order to produce a disequilibrial outcome." (Elliot Avedon and Brian Sutton-Smith)<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Avedon |first1=Elliot |title=The Study of Games |last2=Sutton-Smith |first2=Brian |publisher=J. Wiley |year=1971 |isbn=978-0-471-03839-9 |page=405 |author-link2=Brian Sutton-Smith}}</ref> * "When you strip away the genre differences and the technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation." (Jane McGonigal)<ref>{{Cite book |last=McGonigal |first=Jane |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780143120612 |title=Reality is Broken |publisher=Penguin Books |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-14-312061-2 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

== History == thumb|Royal Game of Ur The history of games goes back millennia. The Royal Game of Ur, from ancient Mesopotamia in roughly 2600 BCE, is among the oldest known board games.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Becker |first=K. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Guide_to_Computer_Simulations_and_Ga/8ANpsNuSL3gC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Royal+Game+of+Ur%22&pg=PA42&printsec=frontcover |title=The Guide to Computer Simulations and Games |last2=Parker |first2=J. R. |date=2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-00923-9 |pages=42 |language=en}}</ref> A cuneiform tablet from the 2nd century BCE contained its rules, representing the earliest recorded game design.<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Connor |first=Philippe |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Craft_and_Science_of_Game_Design/_GMGEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Royal+Game+of+Ur%22+rules+cuneiform&pg=PT24&printsec=frontcover |title=The Craft and Science of Game Design: A Video Game Designer's Manual |date=2020-11-19 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-28683-0 |language=en}}</ref> Senet, a board game played in ancient Egypt, was important enough to be portrayed in tomb artwork with fragments of the board found from approximately 3100 BCE.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Heron |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Demystifying_Game_Studies/-9mYEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Senet+3100+BCE+tomb&pg=PT231&printsec=frontcover |title=Demystifying Game Studies |date=2025-12-26 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-040-65699-0 |language=en}}</ref> A game board inscribed for Amenhotep III (c. 1390-1353 BCE) survives intact.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Solis |first=Daniel |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Graphic_Design_for_Board_Games/ZdkZEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Senet+intact+%22Amenhotep+III%22&pg=PA187&printsec=frontcover |title=Graphic Design for Board Games |date=2024-10-03 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-040-12063-7 |pages=187 |language=en}}</ref> Both were race games and precursors to backgammon. Senet had religious significance with the board representing the pathway through the netherworld.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Totten |first=Christopher W. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Architectural_Approach_to_Level_Design/PQqWDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Senet%22+Ur+race+mechanics+religious&pg=SA1-PA27&printsec=frontcover |title=Architectural Approach to Level Design: Second edition |date=2019-04-25 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-351-11628-2 |pages= |language=en}}</ref> thumb|A game of Go in progress In East Asia, the board game Go has written accounts as early as the Spring and Autumn period.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Li |first=Xiaobing |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Modern_China/_BXHEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Go%22+Weiqi&pg=PA333&printsec=frontcover |title=Modern China |date=2015-11-23 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-61069-626-5 |pages=333 |language=en}}</ref> Go's strategic complexity resisted computation until deep learning advances in AlphaGo.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reddy |first=C. Kishor Kumar |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Interplay_of_Artificial_General_Intellig/-3d5EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=alpha+go+game+computation&pg=PA17&printsec=frontcover |title=Interplay of Artificial General Intelligence with Quantum Computing: Towards Sustainability |last2=Joseph |first2=Shenson |last3=Joshi |first3=Herat |last4=Ouaissa |first4=Mariya |last5=Hanafiah |first5=Marlia Mohd |date=2025-08-12 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-87931-9 |pages=17 |language=en}}</ref> Other ancient games include mancala, a count-and-capture game with Neolithic versions found in Jordan from approximately 6900 BCE.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Flanagan |first=Mary |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Critical_Play/brhNEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=ancient+%22Mancala%22+count+capture+Egypt&pg=PA64&printsec=frontcover |title=Critical Play: Radical Game Design |date=2013-02-08 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-51865-9 |pages=64 |language=en}}</ref>

Chess traces back to the Gupta Empire of India around the 6th century CE<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/On_the_Explanation_of_Chess_and_Backgamm/eLscEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22chess%22+Gupta+Empire+India+6th+century+CE&pg=PR25&printsec=frontcover |title=On the Explanation of Chess and Backgammon: Abar Wizārišn ī Čatrang ud Nihišn Nēw-Ardaxšīr |date=2021-02-08 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-46062-1 |language=en}}</ref> with chaturanga a likely ancestor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cazaux |first=Jean-Louis |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_World_of_Chess/0O02DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22chess%22+%22chaturanga%22&pg=PA338&printsec=frontcover |title=A World of Chess: Its Development and Variations through Centuries and Civilizations |last2=Knowlton |first2=Rick |date=2017-10-17 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-9427-9 |pages=338 |language=en}}</ref> It spread through Persia as chatrang,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Murray |first=H. J. R. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/History_of_Chess/1zHmEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22chatrang%22+Persia+chess&pg=PR8-IA7&printsec=frontcover |title=History of Chess: Enriched edition. Unraveling the Chess Saga: A Journey Through Strategy, Culture, and Origins |date=2023-12-16 |publisher=Good Press |language=en}}</ref> and entered Europe via the Moorish Spain,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Campbell |first=Gordon |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Grove_Encyclopedia_of_Decorative_Art/i3Od9bcGus0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Europe+Islamic+9th+century+chess&pg=PA229&printsec=frontcover |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts: Two-volume Set |date=2006-11-09 |publisher=Oxford University Press, USA |isbn=978-0-19-518948-3 |pages=229 |language=en}}</ref> approaching its modern form by the 15th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=O'Sullivan |first=Daniel E. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Chess_in_the_Middle_Ages_and_Early_Moder/LEbxD0Ygz-EC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22chess%22+%22modern%22+15th+century&pg=PA87&printsec=frontcover |title=Chess in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Age: A Fundamental Thought Paradigm of the Premodern World |date=2012-07-30 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-028881-0 |pages=87 |language=en}}</ref>

Playing cards may date to Tang dynasty China (618–907 CE),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Riotto |first=Maurizio |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Korea_and_the_Others/F7UXEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Playing+cards%22+%22Tang%22+dynasty&pg=PA139&printsec=frontcover |title=Korea and the “Others”: Studies on Korean Actions and Reactions Towards the Rest of the World |date=2024-08-19 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG |isbn=978-3-11-132259-9 |pages=139 |language=en}}</ref> reaching Europe via the Mamluk Sultanate in the 14th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Seville |first=Adrian |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Playing_with_Maps_Cartographic_Games_in/5NT7EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Playing+cards%22+Europe+Mamluk+Sultanate+14th+century&pg=PA11&printsec=frontcover |title=Playing with Maps: Cartographic Games in Western Culture |last2=Depaulis |first2=Thierry |last3=Bekkering |first3=Geert H. |date=2023-07-31 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-68114-9 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref> With mass production, standardized regional decks eventually evolved.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Play_in_Today_s_Society/eL91AwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=standardized+%22decks%22+card&pg=PA290&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Play in Today′s Society |date=2009-04-02 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-4522-6610-7 |pages=290 |language=en}}</ref>

Pachisi, played in the Mughal court, served as the basis for Parcheesi and Ludo.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Mark J. P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Video_Games_Around_the_World/pZb5CAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Pachisi+India+Mughal+Parcheesi+Ludo&pg=PA236&printsec=frontcover |title=Video Games Around the World |date=2015-05-01 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-52716-3 |pages=236 |language=en}}</ref> The Aztecs in Central America played a race game called patolli.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Livingstone |first=Ian |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Board_Games_in_100_Moves/r8bhDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=patolli+race+game&pg=PA32&printsec=frontcover |title=Board Games in 100 Moves |last2=Wallis |first2=James |date=2019-09-17 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-4654-9871-7 |pages=32 |language=en}}</ref>

In the 20th century, developments included the rise of mass-market tabletop games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, Clue, and Trivial Pursuit<ref>{{Cite book |last=Engelstein |first=Geoffrey |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Building_Blocks_of_Tabletop_Game_Design/cnNYEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22tabletop+games%22+Monopoly+Scrabble&pg=PT23&printsec=frontcover |title=Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design: An Encyclopedia of Mechanisms |last2=Shalev |first2=Isaac |date=2022-03-02 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-53924-0 |language=en}}</ref> and the emergence of video games.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Corsbie-Massay |first=Charisse L'Pree |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/20th_Century_Media_and_the_American_Psyc/imP9DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22video+games%22+%2220th+century%22&pg=PT128&printsec=frontcover |title=20th Century Media and the American Psyche: A Strange Love |date=2020-10-13 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-33317-7 |language=en}}</ref> Pong, the first commercially successful arcade video game appeared in 1972.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kowert |first=Rachel |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Video_Game_Debate/z-FzCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Pong+1972+%22first%22+commercially+released+arcade&pg=PT11&printsec=frontcover |title=The Video Game Debate: Unravelling the Physical, Social, and Psychological Effects of Video Games |last2=Quandt |first2=Thorsten |date=2015-08-27 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-56716-5 |language=en}}</ref> In the 21st century, the global video game industry had grown to surpass film and music in annual revenue.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Resources |first=Management Association, Information |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Research_Anthology_on_Game_Design_Develo/hH6iEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=global+video+%22game%22+industry+surpass+%22film%22+%22revenue%22&pg=PA965&printsec=frontcover |title=Research Anthology on Game Design, Development, Usage, and Social Impact |date=2022-10-07 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-6684-7590-4 |pages=965 |language=en}}</ref>

==Gameplay elements and classification== {{main|Outline of games#Game elements|Game classification|List of game genres}}

Games can be characterized by "what the player does".<ref name="craw">{{Cite book |last=Crawford |first=Chris |title=Chris Crawford on Game Design |title-link=Chris Crawford on Game Design |publisher=New Riders |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-88134-117-1 |author-link=Chris Crawford (game designer)}}</ref> This is often referred to as gameplay. Major key elements identified in this context are tools and rules that define the overall context of game.

===Tools=== [[File:Game pieces.jpg|thumb|A selection of pieces from different games. From top: Chess pawns, marbles, Monopoly tokens, dominoes, Monopoly hotels, jacks and checkers pieces.]] Games are often classified by the components required to play them. Common categories include tabletop games (using boards, cards, tokens, dice, or other items),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fowler |first=Allan |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Game_Jams_History_Technology_and_Organis/0mqgEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=boards+cards+tokens+dice&pg=PA63&printsec=frontcover |title=Game Jams – History, Technology, and Organisation |last2=Khosmood |first2=Foaad |date=2022-12-07 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-15187-3 |pages=63 |language=en}}</ref> card games (using a standard deck or game-specific cards),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wang |first=Wallace |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Structure_of_Game_Design/gEXGEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22card+game%22+%22deck%22&pg=PA176&printsec=frontcover |title=The Structure of Game Design |date=2023-06-19 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-32202-0 |pages=176 |language=en}}</ref> dice games, video games (using electronic hardware),<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Mark J. P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Video_Games/eRnOEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22video+games%22+%22electronic+hardware%22&pg=PT218&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Video Games: The Culture, Technology, and Art of Gaming [3 volumes] |date=2021-05-24 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-216-16182-0 |language=en}}</ref> and games with no equipment like hide-and-seek.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stearns |first=Peter N. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Childhood_in_World_History/45oqEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=game+no+equipment+hide+and+seek&pg=PT69&printsec=frontcover |title=Childhood in World History |date=2021-06-09 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-39178-7 |language=en}}</ref>

Game tokens are the means used to manage resources and achieve goals. Pieces in a board game, cards in a card game, and characters in a role-playing game are tokens.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Tekinbas |first=Katie Salen |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Game_Design_Reader/bzA3AgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=game+design+%22token%22&pg=PA200&printsec=frontcover |title=The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology |last2=Zimmerman |first2=Eric |date=2005-11-23 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-30317-0 |pages=200 |language=en}}</ref>

The ball has been a popular game piece for millennia,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dunmore |first=Tom |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Historical_Dictionary_of_Soccer/1PN3EQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22ball%22+game+popularity+worldwide&pg=PA2&printsec=frontcover |title=Historical Dictionary of Soccer |date=2011-09-01 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-216-29834-2 |pages=2 |language=en}}</ref> resulting in a worldwide popularity of ball games such as rugby, basketball, soccer (football), cricket, tennis, and volleyball. Other tools are more idiosyncratic to a certain region. Playing cards in Europe had decks with suits that varied from country to country before standardization.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Play_in_Today_s_Society/jLqXM3U_pzEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=countries+Europe+unique+standard+decks+playing+cards&pg=PA290&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society |date=2009-04-02 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-1-4129-6670-2 |pages=290 |language=en}}</ref> Other games, such as chess, may be traced primarily through the development and evolution of their game pieces.

===Rules and aims=== Game structures include boundaries, rules, goals, and scoring systems.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rovegno |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Elementary_Physical_Education/HNdyCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=games+%22rules%22+%22scoring%22+%22goals%22&pg=PA394&printsec=frontcover |title=Elementary Physical Education |last2=Bandhauer |first2=Dianna |date=2016-02-15 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers |isbn=978-1-284-07798-8 |pages=394 |language=en}}</ref>

Game rules specify how actions are allowed to work.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Zubek |first=Robert |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Elements_of_Game_Design/Lr_4DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=game+design+rule+action+allowed&pg=PA43&printsec=frontcover |title=Elements of Game Design |date=2020-08-18 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-04391-5 |pages=43 |language=en}}</ref> The rules of a game may be distinguished from its aims.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Schwyzer |first=Hubert |date=October 1969 |title=Rules and Practices |journal=The Philosophical Review |volume=78 |issue=4 |pages=451–467 |doi=10.2307/2184198 |issn=0031-8108 |jstor=2184198}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> For most competitive games, the ''ultimate'' aim is winning: in this sense, checkmate is the aim of chess.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kemp |first=Gary |date=2007 |title=Assertion as a practice |journal=Truth and Speech Acts: Studies in the Philosophy of Language}}</ref> Common win conditions are being the first to amass a certain quota of points or tokens (as in Settlers of Catan), having the greatest number of tokens at the end of the game (as in Monopoly), or some relationship of one's game tokens to those of one's opponent (as in chess's checkmate). Intermediate goals can provide motivation when long-term goals may be far off.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith |first=Tom |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Anatomy_of_Game_Design/NkshEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game%22+design+%22intermediate%22+layered&pg=PT68&printsec=frontcover |title=Anatomy of Game Design |date=2024-10-31 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-040-14895-2 |language=en}}</ref>

An aim identifies a sufficient condition for successful action, whereas the rule identifies a necessary condition for permissible action.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Marsili |first=Neri |date=12 June 2018 |title=Truth and assertion: rules versus aims |url=http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/127177/7/MARTAA-35v1.pdf |journal=Analysis |volume=78 |issue=4 |pages=638–648 |doi=10.1093/analys/any008 |issn=0003-2638}}</ref> For example, the aim of chess is to checkmate, but although it is expected that players will ''try'' to checkmate each other, it is not a rule of chess that a player ''must'' checkmate the other player whenever possible. Some games include rules about changing rules. In Nomic, invented by philosopher Peter Suber, players' turns include proposing rule changes and voting upon them.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Resources |first=Management Association, Information |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Game_Theory_Breakthroughs_in_Research_an/hfYoDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=games+rules+changing+Nomic&pg=PA309&printsec=frontcover |title=Game Theory: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice |date=2017-06-19 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-5225-2595-0 |pages=309 |language=en}}</ref>

===Skill, strategy, and chance=== thumb|A backgammon board from Lebanon. Games are commonly classified along the chance/skill spectrum.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Mazur |first=Joseph |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/What_s_Luck_Got_to_Do_with_It/opjqt3SbE9MC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=game+spectrum+from+pure+skill+to+chance&pg=PA198&printsec=frontcover |title=What's Luck Got to Do with It?: The History, Mathematics, and Psychology of the Gambler's Illusion |date=2010-05-17 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-3445-7 |pages=198 |language=en}}</ref> Winning in chess is based on skill, while in Candy Land, it is based on luck.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bergen |first=Doris |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Handbook_of_Developmentally_Appropri/ueQUEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Chess+Candy+Land&pg=PA185&printsec=frontcover |title=The Handbook of Developmentally Appropriate Toys |date=2021-03-20 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |isbn=978-1-4758-4921-9 |pages=185 |language=en}}</ref> Most games are in between. Backgammon combines strategy with the chance of dice roll.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bray |first=Chris |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Backgammon_For_Dummies/0SoloeOOtSkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Backgammon%22+%22strategy%22+dice&pg=PA35&printsec=frontcover |title=Backgammon For Dummies |date=2011-02-14 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-99674-3 |pages=35 |language=en}}</ref> Settlers of Catan offers several paths to victory, and players may switch strategies, increasing their perceived autonomy.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yamada |first=Shoko |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Mitigating_the_Skills_Gaps/ZL7MEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22settlers+of+catan%22+strategy+skill+difference&pg=PA179&printsec=frontcover |title=Mitigating the “Skills Gaps”: A Realist-Constructivism Analysis of Work Competencies in the Global South |date=2026-03-30 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-981-95-7968-6 |pages=179 |language=en}}</ref>

==Types== {{main|List of game genres}}

[[File:Tug-of-war.jpg|thumb|Tug of war is an easily organized, impromptu game that requires little equipment.]] Games can take a variety of forms, from competitive sports to board games and video games.

===Sports=== {{Main|Sport}}

thumb|Association football is a popular sport worldwide.|alt= Sports are competitive games involving physical skill with accepted rules.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ron |first=Woods |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Social_Issues_in_Sport_3rd_Edition/IaqZCgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Sports%22+games+%22physical+skill%22+standard+rules+competitive&pg=PA7&printsec=frontcover |title=Social Issues in Sport-3rd Edition |date=2015-09-24 |publisher=Human Kinetics |isbn=978-1-4504-9520-2 |pages=7 |language=en}}</ref> Many sports require special equipment and dedicated playing fields, leading to the involvement of a community much larger than the group of players. A city or town may set aside such resources for the organization of sports leagues. Association football (soccer) is the world's most popular sport by participation, with 250 million players in over 200 countries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Newman |first=Amy |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Building_Leadership_Character/d39ZDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Association+football+world's+most+popular+sport+250+million+players&pg=PT81&printsec=frontcover |title=Building Leadership Character |date=2018-03-28 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-5443-4310-5 |language=en}}</ref>

Spectator sports have been part of human culture for thousands of years.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Quinn |first=Kevin G. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sports_and_Their_Fans/Z_v-KNa3nJgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22spectator%20sports%22%20%22fans%22%20develop&pg=PA29&printsec=frontcover |title=Sports and Their Fans: The History, Economics and Culture of the Relationship Between Spectator and Sport |date=2014-01-10 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5328-3 |pages=29 |language=en}}</ref> Local and national sports teams are arenas for group identity,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Molnar |first=Gyozo |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sport_Exercise_and_Social_Theory/uTbwm2x4_XQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Local+national+sports+identity+rivalries&pg=PA75&printsec=frontcover |title=Sport, Exercise and Social Theory: An Introduction |last2=Kelly |first2=John |date=2013-05-07 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-47639-6 |pages=75 |language=en}}</ref> promoting civic pride in the home team in municipal rivalries.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Collins |first=Tony |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sport_in_Capitalist_Society/DiqSGkDmxdUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=sports+rivalries+proxies+civic+pride&pg=PA51&printsec=frontcover |title=Sport in Capitalist Society: A Short History |date=2013-04-12 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-135-08199-7 |pages=51 |language=en}}</ref>

Lawn games spread in the late 19th century as outdoor recreation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=McLean |first=Daniel |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Kraus_Recreation_and_Leisure_in_Modern_S/ivR4S1mLp50C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22lawn+game%22+between+recreation+sport&pg=PA56&printsec=frontcover |title=Kraus' Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society |last2=Hurd |first2=Amy |date=2011-02-09 |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Publishers |isbn=978-0-7637-8159-0 |pages=56 |language=en}}</ref> Croquet, bocce, and boules provide leisurely competition and social interaction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Play_in_Today_s_Society/jLqXM3U_pzEC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=croquet+bocce&pg=PA91&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society |date=2009-04-02 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-1-4129-6670-2 |pages=91 |language=en}}</ref>

===Tabletop games=== {{Main|Tabletop game}}

Tabletop games are designed to be played on a table, including board games, card games, and dice games.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Daniels |first=Ruby |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Entertainment_Hobbies_Music_Magic_Theate/k9KCEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22tabletop%22+board+game+card+game+dice+game&pg=PA18&printsec=frontcover |title=Entertainment Hobbies: Music, Magic, Theater & More: Music, Magic, Theater & More |date=2025-12-15 |publisher=ABDO |isbn=979-8-3849-3054-9 |pages=18 |language=en}}</ref>

====Board games==== {{Main|Board game}}

[[File:Clann.jpg|thumb|right|Parcheesi is an American adaptation of a Pachisi, originating in India.]] Board games use as a central tool a board on which location, interactions, and choices are tracked.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rogers |first=Scott |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Your_Turn/CP7ZEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=board%20game%20design%20resource%20%22track%22&pg=PT288&printsec=frontcover |title=Your Turn!: The Guide to Great Tabletop Game Design |date=2023-09-27 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-119-98160-2 |language=en}}</ref> Abstract strategy games, such as chess and Go, are entirely determined by player moves not chance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Manea |first=Florin |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sailing_Routes_in_the_World_of_Computati/hA9mDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=chess+go+entirely+calculation&pg=PA152&printsec=frontcover |title=Sailing Routes in the World of Computation: 14th Conference on Computability in Europe, CiE 2018, Kiel, Germany, July 30 – August 3, 2018, Proceedings |last2=Miller |first2=Russell G. |last3=Nowotka |first3=Dirk |date=2018-07-23 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-94418-0 |pages=152 |language=en}}</ref> Race games such as Parcheesi and backgammon incorporate dice rolls,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Braman |first=Arlette N. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Kids_Around_the_World_Play/fNnoxIfJg5UC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=race+games+Parcheesi+backgammon+dice&pg=PA88&printsec=frontcover |title=Kids Around the World Play!: The Best Fun and Games from Many Lands |date=2002-07-01 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-23508-8 |pages=88 |language=en}}</ref> while Settlers of Catan involves resource management, trading, and negotiating with other players.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bringas |first=Pablo García |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/International_Joint_Conference_16th_Inte/UiXTEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=trading+negotiation+Settlers+of+Catan+resource+management&pg=PA250&printsec=frontcover |title=International Joint Conference 16th International Conference on Computational Intelligence in Security for Information Systems (CISIS 2023) 14th International Conference on EUropean Transnational Education (ICEUTE 2023): Proceedings |last2=García |first2=Hilde Pérez |last3=Pisón |first3=Francisco Javier Martínez de |last4=Álvarez |first4=Francisco Martínez |last5=Lora |first5=Alicia Troncoso |last6=Herrero |first6=Álvaro |last7=Rolle |first7=José Luis Calvo |last8=Quintián |first8=Héctor |last9=Corchado |first9=Emilio |date=2023-08-26 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-42519-6 |pages=250 |language=en|author-link5=Alicia Troncoso Lora}}</ref>

Board games have grown more dynamic in the 21st century,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cubbage |first=Jayne |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Media_Industries_Society/tWDKEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=21st+century+grown+board+games&pg=PT287&printsec=frontcover |title=Media, Industries, Society: Diverse Foundations in Mass Communication |last2=Coleman |first2=Loren Saxton |last3=Jenkins |first3=Cheryl D. |date=2026-03-27 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-040-70466-0 |language=en}}</ref> with Eurogames emphasizing efficient resource management over direct conflict.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rye |first=Sara |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Transformative_Learning_Through_Play/ARFDEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Eurogame+resource+management+over+direct+conflict&pg=PA161&printsec=frontcover |title=Transformative Learning Through Play: Analogue Games as Vehicles for Educational Innovation |last2=Sousa |first2=Micael |last3=Sousa |first3=Carla |date=2025-01-31 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-78523-8 |pages=161 |language=en}}</ref> Tens of thousands of tabletop games have launched on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, with projects raising funds to pay for a game's production.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sax |first=David |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Revenge_of_Analog/dDbXCwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=new+board+game+thousands+crowdfunding&pg=PA91&printsec=frontcover |title=The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter |date=2016-11-08 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=978-1-61039-572-4 |pages=91 |language=en}}</ref>

====Card games==== {{Main|Card game}}

{{further|Collectible card game}} [[File:Kaartspelers, Theodoor Rombouts, 17de eeuw, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen, 358.jpg|thumb|''Playing Cards'', by Theodoor Rombouts, 17th century|alt="A group of men in 17th-century attire play cards at a table, surrounded by food and drink"]] Card games use a deck of cards as their central tool. Standard 52-card decks support many varieties of games<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rigal |first=Barry |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Card_Games_For_Dummies/YwNRBhrODQ4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22standard%22+52-card+many+variety+games&pg=PA103&printsec=frontcover |title=Card Games For Dummies |date=2011-03-04 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-05476-5 |pages=103 |language=en}}</ref> including trick-taking games such as bridge and whist.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Play_in_Today_s_Society/eL91AwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22standard%22+52-card+deck+bridge+whist&pg=PA90&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Play in Today′s Society |date=2009-04-02 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-4522-6610-7 |pages=90 |language=en}}</ref> Uno was originally played with standard decks and has since been commercialized with customized decks.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walsh |first=Tim |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Timeless_Toys/jftapGDTmYUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Uno%22+game+reverse&pg=PA225&printsec=frontcover |title=Timeless Toys: Classic Toys and the Playmakers Who Created Them |date=October 2005 |publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing |isbn=978-0-7407-5571-2 |pages=225 |language=en}}</ref> Variations of the standard deck exist across the world such as "French-suited" 32-card decks, tarot-derived 78-card decks,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carlisle |first=Rodney P. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Encyclopedia_of_Play_in_Today_s_Society/eL91AwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=games+32-card+decks&pg=PA292&printsec=frontcover |title=Encyclopedia of Play in Today′s Society |date=2009-04-02 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-4522-6610-7 |pages=292 |language=en}}</ref> and Italian 40-card decks.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Morehead |first=Albert H. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Hoyle_s_Rules_of_Games_3rd_Revised_and_U/Ae6-tBj7mi8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Italian+games+40-card+decks&pg=PA49&printsec=frontcover |title=Hoyle's Rules of Games, 3rd Revised and Updated Edition: The Essential Guide to Poker and Other Card Games |last2=Mott-Smith |first2=Geoffrey |last3=Morehead |first3=Philip D. |date=2001-12-01 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-452-28313-8 |pages=49 |language=en}}</ref>

Collectible card games were pioneered by Magic: The Gathering in 1993, where players form decks and compete against others.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Yannakakis |first=Georgios N. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Artificial_Intelligence_and_Games/6pdiEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Collectible+card+games+pioneered+Magic:+The+Gathering&pg=PA187&printsec=frontcover |title=Artificial Intelligence and Games |last2=Togelius |first2=Julian |date=2025-06-02 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-83347-2 |pages=187 |language=en}}</ref> The market has grown to $1.5 billion in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fountain |first=Luke |date=2025-10-18 |title=Pokémon, sports trading card boom boosts Target, Walmart ahead of holiday season |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/18/target-and-walmart-trading-cards-growth-like-nfl-for-holiday-season.html |access-date=2026-04-30 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> Collectible card game booster packs are random, while living card game pack contents are known.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Backe |first=Chris |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Playtesting_Best_Practices/f4ZVEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=living+card+games&pg=PT131&printsec=frontcover |title=Playtesting Best Practices: Real World and Online |date=2025-06-09 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-040-36476-5 |language=en}}</ref> ====Dice games==== {{Main|Dice game}}

[[File:Math games - Big Brother Mouse activity day.jpg|thumb|Students in Laos using dice to improve numeracy skills. They roll three dice, then use basic math operations to combine those into a new number which they cover on the board. The goal is to cover four squares in the row.]] Dice games use randomized dice rolls as their central element.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=David G. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Games_Gambling_and_Probability/a1yNEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Dice+game%22+random+Yahtzee&pg=PA55&printsec=frontcover |title=Games, Gambling, and Probability: An Introduction to Mathematics |date=2021-06-22 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-40021-2 |pages=55 |language=en}}</ref> Examples include Yahtzee, Farkle, and craps.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schreiber |first=Ian |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Game_Balance/2Fs1EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dice+game+Yahtzee,+Farkle,+craps&pg=PT685&printsec=frontcover |title=Game Balance |last2=Romero |first2=Brenda |date=2021-08-16 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-351-64341-2 |language=en}}</ref> Dominoes, while tile-based rather than using dice, also uses draw-and-play mechanics.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Newsome |first=Travis |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dominoes_Game_Night/1VzFEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22dominoes%22+tile+draw&pg=PT155&printsec=frontcover |title=Dominoes Game Night: 65 Classic Games to Entertain and Excite |date=2023-06-27 |publisher=Workman Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-7624-8125-5 |language=en}}</ref>

===Video games=== {{Main|Video game}}

{{See also|Electronic game}} Video games use electronic devices. Commercial video games were first available in the 1970s, though earlier games included Tennis for Two and Spacewar!.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Becker |first=K. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Guide_to_Computer_Simulations_and_Ga/8ANpsNuSL3gC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Video+games+electronic+hardware&pg=PA48&printsec=frontcover |title=The Guide to Computer Simulations and Games |last2=Parker |first2=J. R. |date=2012 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-00923-9 |pages=48 |language=en}}</ref> Video games are interactive and may have a game engine simulating complex physics and environments.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fuchs |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Intermedia_Games_Games_Inter_Media/D5V9DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Video+game%22+interaction+environment+complex+physics&pg=PT20&printsec=frontcover |title=Intermedia Games—Games Inter Media: Video Games and Intermediality |last2=Thoss |first2=Jeff |date=2019-02-21 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-5013-3050-6 |language=en}}</ref> Genres include action/shooter, fighting, and platform games.<ref>{{Cite book |last=E |first=Ferdig, Richard |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Research_on_Effective_Electr/Re8tGpC6_PsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=video+game+genres+action,+platform,+shooter,+fighting&pg=PA40&printsec=frontcover |title=Handbook of Research on Effective Electronic Gaming in Education |date=2008-07-31 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-59904-811-6 |language=en}}</ref>

Massively multiplayer online role-playing games can support thousands of players simultaneously within a virtual world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Resources |first=Management Association, Information |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Multigenerational_Online_Behavior_and_Me/gTyEDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=MMORPG+thousands+simultaneous+players&pg=PA1689&printsec=frontcover |title=Multigenerational Online Behavior and Media Use: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications |date=2019-02-01 |publisher=IGI Global |isbn=978-1-5225-7910-6 |pages=1689 |language=en}}</ref> {{As of|2013}}, the MMORPG ''World of Warcraft'' had 36% market share.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tassi |first=Paul |title='World of Warcraft' Still A $1B Powerhouse Even As Subscription MMOs Decline |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2014/07/19/world-of-warcraft-still-a-1b-powerhouse-even-as-subscription-mmos-decline/ |access-date=2026-04-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> Esports give away millions of dollars in prize money while millions of viewers watch across the world.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stubbs |first=Mike |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/eSports/ji1eDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=esports+prize+audience&pg=PA1981&printsec=frontcover |title=eSports: The Ultimate Gamer's Guide |date=2018-10-02 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-289415-1 |pages=1981 |language=en}}</ref> [[File:League of Legends World Championship 2017 Finals.jpg|thumb|The stage for the 2017 League of Legends World Championship Finals in Beijing]]

=== Role-playing games === {{Main|Role-playing game}}

In role-playing games (RPGs), players enact fictional characters and collaboratively shape a narrative.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reyes |first=María Cecilia |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Interactive_Storytelling/DxWcEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=role-playing+games+characters+collaboratively+shape+narrative&pg=PA274&printsec=frontcover |title=Interactive Storytelling: 18th International Conference on Interactive Digital Storytelling, ICIDS 2025, Saint Julian, Malta, December 1–5, 2025, Proceedings, Part II |last2=Nack |first2=Frank |date=2025-11-30 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-032-12405-0 |pages=274 |language=en}}</ref> Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson created the first RPG Dungeons & Dragons in 1974.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Arnaudo |first=Marco |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Tabletop_Revolution/6BntEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dungeons+&+Dragons+master+adjudicates+outcomes+players+decisions&pg=PA37&printsec=frontcover |title=The Tabletop Revolution: Gaming Reimagined in the 21st Century |date=2023-12-15 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-5193-4 |pages=37 |language=en}}</ref> Players make choices for their characters, with a dungeon master adjudicating things the rules don't cover.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Slavicsek |first=Bill |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dungeons_Dragons_For_Dummies/xNU7E01MCEgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=master%20adjudicates&pg=PA172&printsec=frontcover |title=Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies |last2=Baker |first2=Richard |date=2005-04-08 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-7645-9924-8 |pages=172 |language=en}}</ref>

Video game RPGs tend to run characters through a predetermined story line. Most Final Fantasy games present a fantasy/science fiction narrative with hero's journey,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bowman |first=Sarah Lynne |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Functions_of_Role_Playing_Games/Pn3wR74wDCgC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Video+game+RPGs+single+player+format&pg=PA30&printsec=frontcover |title=The Functions of Role-Playing Games: How Participants Create Community, Solve Problems and Explore Identity |date=2010-04-13 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-5555-3 |pages=30 |language=en}}</ref> while Dark Souls is known for difficult action sequences.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=Matt |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dungeons_and_Desktops/7JaTDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Dark+Souls+action+rpg&pg=PT546&printsec=frontcover |title=Dungeons and Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games 2e |last2=Stacks |first2=Shane |date=2019-04-18 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-351-27338-1 |language=en}}</ref>

== Games and society ==

=== Psychology of play === thumb|Boys playing soccer in Tirana, Albania Psychologists have long recognized play as a fundamental developmental activity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Damon |first=William |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Handbook_of_Child_Psychology_Child_Psych/xTD471221c0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=psychologists+long+recognized+%22play%22+developmental&pg=PA11&printsec=frontcover |title=Handbook of Child Psychology, Child Psychology in Practice |last2=Lerner |first2=Richard M. |last3=Renninger |first3=K. Ann |last4=Sigel |first4=Irving E. |date=2007-07-30 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-05055-2 |pages=11 |language=en}}</ref> Jean Piaget described play as a way to experiment with different cognitive schemas and assimilate experience. Lev Vygotsky emphasized play's effectiveness in communicative, narrative, and representational competence.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gabriel |first=Norman |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Sociology_of_Early_Childhood/TFoCDgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Jean+Piaget+play+%22cognitive+schemas%22&pg=RA5-PA2014&printsec=frontcover |title=The Sociology of Early Childhood: Critical Perspectives |date=2017-02-20 |publisher=SAGE |isbn=978-1-4739-3422-1 |pages=2014 |language=en}}</ref>

In adults, games serve a range of psychological functions. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called flow a state of intense concentration and total immersion which boosts life satisfaction.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hardyment |first=Richard |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Wellbeing_Purpose/33tqDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Mihaly+Csikszentmihalyi+flow+concentration+satisfaction&pg=PT103&printsec=frontcover |title=The Wellbeing Purpose: How Companies Can Make Life Better |date=2018-09-03 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-00102-1 |language=en}}</ref> To help players achieve flow, games offer clear goals, immediate feedback, and balance challenge with skill.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kesselman |first=George |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Power_of_Play/LIHcEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=game+clear+goals,+immediate+feedback,+challenges+scaled+to+the+player's+skill+level&pg=PA124&printsec=frontcover |title=The Power of Play: The Game Design Approach to Transforming Employee Engagement |date=2023-11-29 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-394-22801-0 |pages=124 |language=en}}</ref>

Research into problematic gaming has grown alongside the video game industry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Potenza |first=Marc N. |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Oxford_Handbook_of_Digital_Technolog/XvH6DwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Research+problematic+gaming+video+game&pg=PA18&printsec=frontcover |title=The Oxford Handbook of Digital Technologies and Mental Health |last2=Faust |first2=Kyle |last3=Faust |first3=David |date=2020-10-01 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-067002-3 |pages=18 |language=en}}</ref> In 2019, the World Health Organization designated gaming disorder as a mental disorder, with effects such as health problems, sleep loss, and social isolation.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Siuda |first=Piotr |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Gaming_and_Gamers_in_Times_of_Pandemic/hfPiEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=2019+gaming+disorder&pg=PT128&printsec=frontcover |title=Gaming and Gamers in Times of Pandemic |last2=Majewski |first2=Jakub |last3=Chmielewski |first3=Krzysztof |date=2024-01-11 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=979-8-7651-1025-6 |language=en}}</ref> thumb|Visitors at a desktop flight simulator

=== Games as education === Serious games are designed for training, education, or health care rather than entertainment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loh |first=Christian Sebastian |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Serious_Games_Analytics/ALrpCQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=serious+games+medicine,+the+military,+corporate+training&pg=PA6&printsec=frontcover |title=Serious Games Analytics: Methodologies for Performance Measurement, Assessment, and Improvement |last2=Sheng |first2=Yanyan |last3=Ifenthaler |first3=Dirk |date=2015-06-13 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-319-05834-4 |pages=6 |language=en}}</ref> Flight simulators are used for pilot training, mission rehearsal for military planners, and laparoscopic equipment simulators for surgery.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cantot |first=Pascal |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Simulation_and_Modeling_of_Systems_of_Sy/ZFoNr0pQ-9wC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Flight+simulators+wargames+surgical+simulation&pg=PT61&printsec=frontcover |title=Simulation and Modeling of Systems of Systems |last2=Luzeaux |first2=Dominique |date=2013-03-04 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-61695-6 |language=en}}</ref>

In formal education, game-based learning has received extensive research.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Burmester |first=Michael |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Digital_Game_Based_Learning/ga7MUECKqD0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22game-based+learning%22&pg=PA251&printsec=frontcover |title=Digital Game Based Learning: Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium for Information Design, 2nd of June 2005 at Stuttgart Media University |date=2006 |publisher=KIT Scientific Publishing |isbn=978-3-86644-010-4 |pages=251 |language=en}}</ref> Well-designed educational games can improve knowledge retention and deepen understanding.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Silhavy |first=Radek |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Software_Engineering_Emerging_Trends_and/FTGPEQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=well-designed+%22educational+games%22+significant+gains+knowledge+retention&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover |title=Software Engineering: Emerging Trends and Practices in System Development: Proceedings of 14th Computer Science On-line Conference 2025, Volume 1 |last2=Silhavy |first2=Petr |date=2025-10-13 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-032-00236-5 |pages=1 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Game theory === {{main|Game theory}}

John Nash proved that games with several players have a stable solution provided that coalitions between players are disallowed. Nash won the Nobel Prize for economics for this important result which extended von Neumann's theory of zero-sum games. Nash's stable solution is known as the Nash equilibrium.<ref name="moral">{{Cite book |last1=Laszlo Mero |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kqQjX-S1idsC |title=Moral calculations: game theory, logic, and human frailty |last2=Anna C. Gosi-Greguss |last3=David Kramer |publisher=Copernicus |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-387-98419-3 |location=New York}}</ref>

If cooperation between players is allowed, then the game becomes more complex; many concepts have been developed to analyze such games. While these have had some partial success in the fields of economics, politics and conflict, no good general theory has yet been developed.<ref name="moral" />

In quantum game theory, it has been found that the introduction of quantum information into multiplayer games allows a new type of equilibrium strategy not found in traditional games. The entanglement of player's choices can have the effect of a contract by preventing players from profiting from what is known as ''betrayal''.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Simon C. Benjamin |last2=Patrick M. Hayden |name-list-style=amp |date=13 August 2001 |title=Multiplayer quantum games |journal=Physical Review A |volume=64 |issue=3 |article-number=030301 |arxiv=quant-ph/0007038 |bibcode=2001PhRvA..64c0301B |doi=10.1103/PhysRevA.64.030301 |s2cid=32056578}}</ref> Games with many independent players are difficult to analyze formally using game theory as the players may form and switch coalitions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=K.G. Binmore |url=https://archive.org/details/gametheorysocial0001binm_1994 |title=Game Theory and the Social Contract |publisher=MIT Press |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-262-02444-0 |url-access=registration}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Games}} {{commons}} {{Main|Outline of games}}

* {{annotated link|Game club}} * {{annotated link|Game mechanics}} * {{annotated link|Gamer}} * {{annotated link|Girls' games and toys}} * {{annotated link|History of games}} * {{annotated link|Learning through play}} * {{annotated link|List of games}} * {{annotated link|Ludeme}} * {{annotated link|Ludibrium}} * {{annotated link|Ludology}} * {{annotated link|Ludomania}} * {{annotated link|Mobile game}} * {{annotated link|N-player game}} * {{annotated link|Personal computer game}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * Avedon, Elliot; Sutton-Smith, Brian. ''The Study of Games'' (Philadelphia: Wiley, 1971), reprinted Krieger, 1979. {{ISBN|0-89874-045-2}}. * C. Thi Nguyen. 2020. ''Games: Agency as Art''. Oxford University Press.

{{Types of games}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Games Category:26th-century BC establishments Category:Recreation Category:Entertainment