How do you define 'game'?

How do you define ‘game’? Ludwig Wittgenstein tries to answer this in his book of Philosophical Investigations. Salen and Zimmerman (2004) discuss the fact that Wittgenstein uses games to show that it is impossible to give a definite and clear cut definition of any real – world phenomenon. Wittgenstein asks that we “don’t think, but look”, he discusses the fact that if you look between games there is nothing common but there are similarities and relationships much like the similarities between those in a family “much that is common is retained, but much is lost” (Wittgenstein 1968, p.31). In a family there are similarities such as hair and eye colour, facial features and build. Wittgenstein says that these similarities overlap and criss-cross all over the place between all sorts of game whether played digitally online, outside (Olympics), card games, board games, etc. The word game is unregulated as it has no boundaries which is probably why games are such fun and entertaining (or most of them anyway!) as anything can become a game.

What Wittgenstein is saying has much truth behind it. When trying to define the concept of ‘game’ myself I tried to look at all the similarities between them and the usual concepts such as competitive, entertaining, there’s always a winner and a loser, there’s always an aim, they’re challenging, etc. However, after playing Samorost 2 a game where the aim is to solve puzzles and rescue your dog and Fishy a game where the aim is to eat fishes smaller than you and avoid the ones that are bigger than you online I found that it is very true that some characteristics stick with both games and others drop. Samorost 2 is a puzzle game it is entertaining, challenging and there is an aim to it. However, in comparison to other games such as Fishy the entertainment and addictive value is not as high as Samorost 2. Although what the relationship between both games is, is that neither have a winner or loser, both games have an aim/goal and both are interactive. Saunders (2000) describes these sought of games as hybrids as they could be described as both games and puzzles although, one may feel more like one thing than another. Saunders states that the hybrids help to signify what characteristics belong together within games.