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Thread: What is a Game?

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    absolutely haram Recognized Member Madame Adequate's Avatar
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    Default What is a Game?

    I'm interested in getting to the heart of what people consider to be a game qua game. I can see a whole lot of possible criteria and I'm very curious about what other people think.

    Is it the presence of particular mechanics? It can't just be pressing buttons to cause reactions, or channel surfing would be a game. But how does that distinction come into being?

    Is it doing something that no other medium can do? But what would that even mean - is it again a mechanical issue, or does it require some kind of reward system like points, or is it in a deeper way an ability to influence things? Though even that last one carries the potential problem of dismissing more on-rails and linear games where you can't influence things very much.

    Is it a mix of factors? Graphics, sound, gameplay, story, etc? Lots of games miss some elements out though: Plenty of older or deliberately old-school games don't have graphics or sound. New-school adventures like those from Telltale often don't have much that could be called gameplay, they're more like interactive TV episodes or comic books. Plenty of things that are incontrovertibly games lack any semblance of a story, things like Tetris, Asteroids, Dig-Dug. They may have stories in the manuals and all, but they don't matter in any way to enjoyment and usually sprung up after the fact due to a perceived need for justification.

    Is it something else entirely? Is it ineffable? Is it like pornography - impossible to describe, but I know it when I see it?

    Please share your thoughts and opinions.

  2. #2
    Pinkasaurus Rex Pumpkin's Avatar
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    Um for me it says its a video game or I play it on a game console. I wouldn't say movies or TV are because I have very little input, but visual novels yes because I do have some input

    That's about it for me. Yep

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    Recognized Member Scotty_ffgamer's Avatar
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    What is a game? A miserable little pile of secrets.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Scotty_ffgamer View Post
    What is a game? A miserable little pile of secrets.
    But enough talk...Have at you!

    (Beat me to it. Well played)

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    Recognized Member Scotty_ffgamer's Avatar
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    In all seriousness, I consider a video game to simply be anything with some form of interactive gameplay which is played on a tv screen/monitor/whatever. This would include most visual novels, but maybe not all of them. I feel like there are some visual novels that probably don't have any real choice in them or anything, and those I would maybe argue against being a game.

    The distinction between this and channel surfing would be creator intent I guess? Games have someone (or many someones) who created them with the intent of creating a fun, interactive experience for the player. Simple channel surfing doesn't have that. Then again, my roommates and I have created "games" out of similar experiences with picking music on spotify. Hmm.

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    Interactivity is not enough to make a game. I mean, a movie has interactivity. You can speed it up, rewind it, turn it off. That doesn't make it a game (Beyond: Two Souls, I'm looking at you).
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  7. #7

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    I have two criteria to call something a game:

    1) It must have set rules.
    2) There must be an element of competition.

    Now that word 'competition' is a bit vague. That doesn't mean you have to be playing against other people. It can also include trying to set goals you have set yourself, Competition was the closest word I could find for what I wanted to express there. Basically it must have goals or objectives.

    Many people will tell you a game has to have a failure state. I disagree with that. If you decide to build a tower in Minecraft and don't finish it, have you failed at the game of Minecraft? I don't think so, you've merely adjusted your goal. To me, as long as you are setting yourself or being set a goal within a set of fixed rules, it can count as a game. "The floor is lava" is a game. "How many sheep can I count before I fall asleep?" is a game. The Order 1886... well, maybe not, but you catch my drift

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    The idea of what can be a "game" and what can't be does get a bit iffy, especially with many games picking up a more story based or cinematic aspect. Namely I would find a game to be something that uses the interactive element of a game well, whether it be to create fun, immersion or using the aspect of player choice to a significant degree. Personally I find more recent "cinematic" games such as Gone Home to not be real games, as they do not really use the gameplay aspect, instead becoming little more than an interactive walkabout.I don't think a game needs to focus on fun or traditional gameplay (like mindless shooting) to be a game per se. An example of a well made game that uses interactivity well without needing normal gameplay is The Stanley Parable, which uses the element of interactivity (along with the fact that it breaks the fourth wall in constantly referencing that it is in fact, a game) to create an entertaining and unique experience. Most games seem to be focusing on story or being "artsy" without really focusing on the fact that they are games, and in that I feel they would be better off as movies or books or something, rather than forcing some interactive element that doesn't belong.Games that don't really focus on being fun, or properly use the interactive element of a game would be better off being something else tbh. Even games like COD are fun and entertaining, and use the gameplay, even if it's story or overall experience is lacking. That's my two cents anyway :/

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    tech spirit
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    I don't think something is a game unless there is an element of victory or defeat in some form.

    Channel surfing isn't a game because there is no victory or defeat in it. If channel surfing was "find x show within y seconds", then channel surfing would be a game.

    Minecraft is a game because you can be defeated in it, either by accidentally killing yourself, or getting eaten by a monster. Technically, I don't consider minecraft's "creative mode" to be a game mode, but you can make games in the mode if you choose to, by setting your own goals that you can succeed or fail at. For example if you are competing against someone else to build something.

    Likewise, running isn't a game, but competing against your friend to run x distance the fastest is a game.

    That said, something doesn't have to be a game in order to be fun.
    Last edited by Mirage; 02-24-2015 at 04:14 AM.
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    Lovely Gal Night Fury's Avatar
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    A different reality in which you can interact with via controllers etc.


  11. #11

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    Gameplay is the most important factor to me, but it doesn't have to be the driving force of the game. I like a game whether it's heavy on story or not, but I want the interactivity to be enjoyable. I like Nintendo because they are doing what no-one else is. They are trying to make gameplay as immersive as possible. But I still like regular controls, too. Basically, the interactivity in the game needs to be good and interesting even if the mechanics themselves are simple.

    I like a game with an ending. So I generally don't like arcade-style games.

    I don't need good graphics. As long as I can distinguish between an enemy and a bush, I'm fine. But I won't say no to a graphical upgrade if I think it looks good. Having good music helps. I love music, but I'm picky so I need it to not annoy me.

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    The Pondering Panda Leigh's Avatar
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    Anything from making coffee to *snip*.

    EDIT BY BoB: No. -_-

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    A video game is something displayed on a visual interface that you can, through your own input, interact with in order to establish an outcome. The game requires your interaction in order to progress past certain points, unlike a film, and this is by design. It is also designed with the intention either to be enjoyed or to provide a challenge.
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    What the bliff Recognized Member
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    A video game is a visual and interactive experience that can be controlled but not necessarily predetermined by the player. If it isn't interactive then it's a movie and not a game. Movies and television -- while they allow social media interaction -- they dont allow for viewers to shape what's happening in the experience so it's not really truly interactive.

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    penisword chionos's Avatar
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    It's not just simple interactivity, otherwise something like Jack White's new interactive music video (which is smurfing awesome, btw) would be a video game.

    I think one of the most important components is the repercussion factor. The player's choices must either shrink the list of available choices (via loss of life, injuries--includes Mario shrinking et al) or expand it.

    The number of choices in a movie is static. The actions themselves are static.

    But choices in games are context-sensitive. Different outcomes result from exactly the same actions. Take the input: Mario jumps.

    Under a breakable block: Mario Jumps --> block breaks
    Under a ? box: Mario Jumps --> mushroom appears
    In front of a gap: Mario Jumps --> Mario eaten by the abyss
    Under a pipe: Mario Jumps --> Mario is sucked into the underworld
    Under a jumpy turtle: Mario Jumps --> Mario shrinkage
    etc

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