Emasher Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 Optional Backstory: So, the other day in Computer Science, my class got an assignment to create a very basic game in Java. The kid sitting beside me an I are always having these debates about pointless but interesting stuff (although, he sucks at arguing, and will resort to saying the same thing over and over again, even though you have proven it redundant). Anyway, he was trying to create something with more complex code than we've been using, to the point where the teacher is getting annoyed with trying to help him when he has problems with it, even going so far as to tell the other class about how annoying he is with it. Anyway, so he got this thing working eventually, and it turned out to be a lot of code that didn't do much. You had to move a rocket towards a bomb and press another button to blow it up (the fancy bit was programing the explosion so the bomb exploded too, when it touched the rocket's explosion). So I said something along the lines of "its not really a game, more of a technical demo, there isn't really a goal, or conflict or score, or anything like that", so naturally we ended up getting into a friendly debate about what a game actually is. He found a definition online that defined it as an "amusement, or pastime" which wasn't really the right definition for this context, but you get the idea. To the point: So I'm curious how people on here would define a game. My opinion is that a game needs to have a goal, conflict, or score. There has to be something to do in the game, and you have to achieve it by overcoming something. Like being able to finish a song in Rock Band, getting to the end of a level without being killed in so many games that one example would underrepresent what I'm trying to say. Even something less concrete like collecting all the bugs in Animal Crossing. Even in the most open ended games, there's always something that you have to, or want to achieve, and there is something stopping you from doing this, that you have to overcome. I hope I'm explaining this well enough. Anyway, so as I said, I'm curious what other people here have to say about the subject.
mcj metroid Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 I would define a game as being something you can play that has a goal... obviously the more complex games get, the harder this is difffrentiate from a toy.. for example: sandbox games like gta.. there IS a goal but you can do other things too and still have fun. even further again something like wii music. Has no goal at all, So I guess would be a toy. but my vague defination would be something you play that has goal, be it soccer,tennis,pong,space invaders. Sorry best I could do
darkjak Posted October 5, 2009 Posted October 5, 2009 The definition of a game that I've been taught here at the university is pretty much the following: A game must have rules. A game must have a beginning and an end. A game must have an explicit goal. Hence, The Sims isn't really considered a game. The end result of a game must be controlled by the player. Hence a game solely played by throwing dice or drawing cards isn't actually a game, but a hazard. However in roleplaying games or for example Poker, the player can use strategies and psychological tricks, hence reducing random to a factor, rather than the entire game. A game cannot have a purpose beyond itself (so for people whom play WoW or Counter Strike for money aren't playing a game. They're working or gambling).
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