What is Game: Definition and 689 Discussions

A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements. However, the distinction is not clear-cut, and many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (such as jigsaw puzzles or games involving an artistic layout such as Mahjong, solitaire, or some video games).
Games are sometimes played purely for enjoyment, sometimes for achievement or reward as well. They can be played alone, in teams, or online; by amateurs or by professionals. The players may have an audience of non-players, such as when people are entertained by watching a chess championship. On the other hand, players in a game may constitute their own audience as they take their turn to play. Often, part of the entertainment for children playing a game is deciding who is part of their audience and who is a player.
Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational, or psychological role.
Attested as early as 2600 BC, games are a universal part of human experience and present in all cultures. The Royal Game of Ur, Senet, and Mancala are some of the oldest known games.

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  1. DaveC426913

    Conway's Game of Life in Real Life

    Game of Life Playing out in rainwater on my door screen... Appears to be using highly permissive life/death parameters tho...
  2. fresh_42

    What is Whamageddon and how do you play?

    It's the first of December. Let's start a Whamageddon at PF! The rules are easy: You must declare participation once. Who is caught, i.e. is Whamageddoned is out. Cover songs or other annoying songs do not count. Nobody is interested in whether anyone wants anything for Christmas.
  3. MadAce

    I Game Design: Set rigid body into a position (Euler angles) using angular velocity

    I apologize for messy title, but that's as short as I could make it to say all that I wanted. I also apologize if I'm not using correct math phrases, but I'll try to picture a problem the best I can. I've been pulling my hair out trying to solve a problem I'm having for couple of months. The...
  4. MadAce

    Hello fellow game physics enthusiasts! (I hope there are some here :D)

    Hello! I'm from Croatia and one of my pass time obsessions is game physics, especially ragdolls, and any game that lets me play with that is a game for me. I did some mods for games like Fallout New Vegas which modify how physical objects in game work which seem to be popular. Anyway, I hope...
  5. shivajikobardan

    Best courses to learn 2d game development in C++?

    This is not for professional career or something. This is just to practice OOP as I'm learning C++ atm. I found there are not many course for sfml, sdl, allegro, graphics.h,raylib etc unlike unreal engine. So, if you know something which has a good tutorial, please recommend. In OOP way. I want...
  6. D

    Why does my game loop give me a blank screen?

    Hi everyone I've used a game loop to try make a textView alternate between two different strings every two seconds. When I run it, I just get a blank screen. The textView was originally set to show "Hello World!" but not even that shows. Does anyone know what's gone wrong? Thanks public...
  7. shivajikobardan

    JavaScript Input Direction confusion in snake game javascript

    Here's the full code: This is the code that I'm interested in:window.addEventListener("keydown", e => { inputDir = { x: 0, y: 1 }; moveSound.play(); switch (e.key) { case "ArrowUp": inputDir.x = 0; inputDir.y = -1; break; case "ArrowDown": inputDir.x =...
  8. D

    Should I use a game engine to make a Tontie clone?

    Hi everyone I'd like to make a simple Tontie/Whack-a-mole clone on Android Studio. I was thinking I could just use buttons and not use any animations. Could I do this on Android Studio? Or would I be better off learning how to use a game engine? If so, which would you recommend?Thanks
  9. SrivastavaHarsh

    A A game of seemingly mutually independent events

    There are 4 players numbered 1 to 4. There is a room with an entrance door to one side and exit door to opposite side. Inside the room, there are 4 boxes numbered 1 to 4. Inside each box, there is a chit containing a number (with equal probability) from 1 to 4 (inclusive). No two chits can have...
  10. D

    Learning to Code Game Enemy AI in C++ from Scratch or in Assembly?

    Hello, To keep my questions straightforward they are below. How do I learn how to code Game Enemy AI in C++ from scratch and what are the top resources you recommend(Books, Tutorials, CD-Roms, Videos)? How do I learn how to code Game Enemy AI in Assembly Langauge from scratch and what are the...
  11. fresh_42

    Wordle Lovers - Play the NYT Daily Game

    This thread is for all who like the daily Wordle game of the New York Times as much as I do. The rules: 1) https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html 2) Post your result. 3) Do not spoil the answer.
  12. M

    Python Programming a recursive expected value card game

    Hi PF! Take a deck of cards. 26 are red and 26 are black. You draw cards randomly without replacement: if the card is red you gain a dollar, if black you lose a dollar. What's the expected value? My thought process was to look at simple cases and build to a 52 card deck. We know if ##r=0##...
  13. C

    Transition matrix of a paint ball game

    Summary: Finding the transition matrix of a paint ball game where only 3 probabilities are given. We have the following question: Alice, Tom, and Chloe are competing in paint ball. Alice hits her target 40% of the time, Tom hits his target 25% of the time, and Chloe hits her target 30% of the...
  14. murshid_islam

    I How to calculate the probabilities here? (3-person card game)

    Suppose I have a shuffled pack of cards, out of which 4 red cards have been lost or removed. So now I have 22 red cards and 26 black cards in random order. I'm dealing cards in pairs. If a pair has 2 red cards, they are dealt to Mr. Red, if the pair has 2 black cards, they're dealt to Mr. Black...
  15. M

    I How much money is needed to play this simple number game?

    I pick a number ##n## from 1 to 100 (integers only). If you guess correctly you win ##n## dollars, else you get zero. How much would you pay to play? Evidently the solution is to pick ##k## with probability ##1/k##, so expected payout is ##(\sum_{i=1}^{100} 1/j )^{-1} = 0.2##. But where's the...
  16. E

    MHB Probabilities of certain events in a lucky wheel game

    Given information: A wheel of fortune with ten equal sectors is used for a candidate game. Five of these sectors are labelled only with the number 1, three only with the number 2 and two only with the number 3. The game for a pair of candidates is as follows: The two candidates �K1 and K2...
  17. WMDhamnekar

    MHB Sample space and bridge game

    Bridge : For k= 1,2,3 ,4 let $N_k$ be the event that North has at least k aces. Let $S_k, E_k, W_k$ be be the analogous events for South, East, West. Discuss the number x of aces in West's possession in the events a)$W_1', $ b) $N_2S_2,$ c) $N_1'S_1'E_1'$ d) $W_2- W_3$ e)$N_1S_1E_1W_1$ f)...
  18. S

    Comp Sci I can't get this task right regarding a simple ' 2D game' as a matrix

    I have also put some notes on what is to be done in the problematic function Note also that this is not homework, but am just preparing for an exam. Thanks in advance! forgot to provide the code here, so here it is: # RPG subsystem: check whether the next player move on a 5x5 tileset is...
  19. T

    Jumble Word Game with Point Tracker: A Fun Way to Practice Coding

    I created a jumble word game, well I guess I should say I copied it from a tutorial in a book and then for practice I added a point tracker. It deducts points anytime you ask for a hint or get the word wrong. I wanted to see if this was a decent way to carry out this action in my program. The...
  20. L

    MHB Probability game - Simulation

    Two numbers are bring chosen by random from the set {1,2,3,4,5}. If the sum of the two numbers is even, you win 100 dollars, otherwise you win nothing. In order to participate in the game, you pay $80. What is the expected value and variance of the profit after 17 games ? I solved this one...
  21. paulrk

    Calculate complexity of the game of life (cellular automata)

    I want to calculate the kolmogorov complexity of n evolution of a game of game of life(game of life is a kind of cellular automata). I’m not searching for the complexity of a certain pattern of cells but for the total complexity of an initial set of cells over n evolutions. Does it make sense to...
  22. docnet

    How much would you pay to play this fair coin flipping game?

    I feel like there is something missing in my solutions, because the answers are coming out weird. (a) The reward for getting a head is ##2^n## dollars, the number of flips ##n## it takes to get the first heads. the probability to get a head in the ##n##th flip is ##\frac{1}{2^n}## so the...
  23. A

    I Housie Game redesigning

    https://www.google.com/search?q=housie+game&sxsrf=AOaemvL_lIxvNy-2ufp2Ax01Q6aZ1Mh6qQ:1636561781166&source=hp&ei=dfOLYcL0Btn4hwPKzbfwCA&gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TDaqNC83yTYyYPTizsgvLc5MVUhPzE0FAHSPCJk&oq=Housie+game&gs_lcp=ChFtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1ocBABGAAyCAguEIAEELEDMgUIABCABDIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCAB...
  24. docnet

    Find the expected value of a coin flipping game

    summary: you toss six coins. if you have 3 heads, you don't get any money. if you have 4 or more heads, you get the number of heads amount of dollars. if you have 2 or less heads, you toss six coins again and get the number of heads amount of dollars. the number of ways to get 0 head...
  25. M

    MHB Game : random variable for net profit

    Hey! 😊 You participate in the following game : You toss a fair coin until heads falls, but no more than three times. You have to pay $1$ euro for each throw. If your head falls, you win $3$ euros. The random variable $X$ describes your net profit (profit minus stake). Give the values that $X$...
  26. M

    MHB Game Night : Number of combinations

    Hey! 😊 Sarah, Alex and Mary meet at Tom for a game night. a) The first game is a board game in which six game colors (red, green, yellow, blue, violet, orange) are possible. Each of the players chooses a color in turn. (Each color can only be assigned once.) How many different color...
  27. L

    B Optimizing permutations of hero traits in a computer game

    I have a game where heroes have a set of traits, or abilities. The level of the abilities are raised in two ways, by banner cards and/or by leveling the hero. The Banner cards and heroes don't match perfectly, rather a banner card can match 1 or 2 (sometimes 3) abilities of the heroes abilities...
  28. benorin

    I Juicy game probability calculation

    This Q was asked in a chat room: Find the number of pulls (draws from the distribution) required to have a 50% chance of getting a full set of event 5*s (*'s denote rarity in the game) from the Magic Tower Summon (of the Empires & Puzzles mobile game) which has 5x event 5*s each at a 0.2% drop...
  29. M

    Probability: Dice Game between 20- and 12-sided dice with re-rolls

    Hi, I was reading around and found this problem. I have seen some discussion about the solution (but nothing verified) with some disagreement. Problem: One person has a 12 sided die and the other has a 20 sided die. They each get two rolls and they can each chose to stop rolling on either one...
  30. M

    Game theory: competitive auction for the money in a chest

    Hi, I am back yet again with another problem I was reading the following question and attempting it. It was an interview problem, so it isn't technically homework, but I don't know where else to post it. I think there are elements of game theory involved, but I have no academic background in...
  31. M

    Game theory: dice game to aim for sum no greater than 9

    Hi, I was attempting the following question and would appreciate any insight on how others would approach this game theory/probability-type question. Question: You have been chosen to play a game involving a 6-sided die. You get to roll the die once, see the result, and then may choose to...
  32. M

    Dice Game: 6-sided die vs 20-sided die

    Hi, I was taking a look at the following question. Question: There is a game where one person rolls a 20-sided dice and another person rolls three 6-sided dice. They both roll their dice and whoever gets a higher number (for 20-sided die) OR sum of numbers (for three 6-sided dice) wins the...
  33. Leo Liu

    Discussing Insurance, Risk Tolerance and Game Theory

    The title is my question, and this post is meant to be a place for discussions. I think it is somewhat related to game theory and microeconomics, but I am not sure how to accurately categorize it. Let me give you an example. Let us suppose that Mr. Goose, an ideal person with a national average...
  34. S

    Expectation of amount of money won in a game

    This is what I did: Let Y = number of sixes occurred when ##n## dice are thrown Y ~ B (n, 1/6) E(Y) = ##\frac{1}{6}n##Let Z = amount of money received → Z = ##\frac{1}{2}Y## E(Z) = E(1/2 Y) = 1/2 E(Y) = ##\frac{1}{12}n##I got the answer but I am not sure about my working because I didn't...
  35. bhobba

    Oral Covid Vaccine May Be Game Changer

    Check out: https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-initiates-phase-1-study-novel-oral-antiviral If it works out may change the vaccine landscape entirely. Thanks Bill
  36. BWV

    B What would you pay to play (or avoid) a finite St Petersburg game?

    The St Petersburg Paradox is a game with an infinite expected value, but the 'paradox' is that a rational person would pay a relatively small sum (maybe $20) to play it (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Petersburg_paradox ) So say the government offered you the game with a tax-free payout...
  37. Frabjous

    Prob/Stats Two-Person Game Theory by Rapoport

    From a retiree’s stack of left behind books, I picked up a copy of Two-Person Game Theory (1966) by Rapoport. Is this an acceptable first (and possibly only) reading on the topic?
  38. Arman777

    Trying to find an algorithm for the Number Mastermind game

    I am trying to write a code to guess the secret number. For example, if I have a secret number called 412. My code will take the inputs as 120 - 0 312 - 2 439 - 1 where the numbers on the right gives the position of the correct digit at the correct location. I have thought some codes but it...
  39. .Scott

    I The Sub Photon Sphere Escape Game

    The Sub Photon Sphere Escape (SPSE) Game Game Board: Vast Empty Space Game Pieces: ##\space## 1) A large perfect Schwarzschild black hole ##\space## 2) A Carrier/Trigger. This is a massless device that sets the Player Device into a selected position and velocity and then triggers it...
  40. karush

    MHB -act.63 cost per game with season pass

    Armin is trying to decide whether to buy a season pass to his college basketball team's 20 home games this season. The cost of an individual ticket is \$14, and the cost of a season pass is \$175. The season pass will admit Armin to any home basketball game at no additional cost. What is the...
  41. derekderek123

    Maximizing Your Chance of Winning a Number Guessing Game

    You are playing a number guessing game. A random integer will be chosen from 1 to 299. You get two guesses at the number and your opponent only gets one. Whoever gets closest to the random number when it is chosen is the winner. If you have to make both of your choices before your opponent picks...
  42. AndreasC

    Largest Number Game - Start at 1!

    Summary:: This is a thread about notating a larger number than the previous poster. That's it. Well, there's a few more rules. 1) You don't have to actually write it down. You just have to appropriately describe it. 2) Your description must correspond to one and only one natural number. 3) You...
  43. T

    A Optimal strategy for repeated coin toss game - with possible bias

    You are given the opportunity to play a game where a coin will be tossed 10,000 times consecutively. You have a starting bankroll of $1,000,000. The coin may be biased (you are not given any information as to what the probability or the degree of bias might be). A bet on either heads or tails is...
  44. M

    B Simple Die Game: Win by Rolling 1-5 Before 6 - Odds of Winning?

    Game: throw die repeatedly until all numbers 1-5 show up ay least once (win), before a six shows up on the way (lose). Odds of winning? Note: Someone posted this on another forum and I was able to come up with three different approaches (two very similar). Try to get them.
  45. DaveC426913

    Natural Selection Simulator like Conways' Game of Life

    I'm considering making a Natural Selection Simulator (possibly in Java). I've always been fascinated with the idea that so many traits can evolve independently of each other in the same population (even little things like tufted ears and loss of tail, etc.) and I want to see it in action. Like...
  46. N

    B Probability in a dice game

    We're playing a game with regular, fair, six-sided dice, and we're throwing 14 of them. The "1" is a "joker", which means it can count as any other number. So, for example, if we roll three "1"s and four "2"s, we have seven "2"s. What is that probability that we get exactly seven of any face...
  47. Wrichik Basu

    Chrome dinosaur game high scores

    We all* are familiar with the dinosaur game that pops us when the computer cannot connect to the internet. What is the highest score that you have achieved? Note that if you play the game using AI or a pre-programmed bot, that will not qualify here. Edit: *assuming you are using Google Chrome.
  48. G

    MHB Winning Strategy for 5467500000-Cube Chocolate Bar Game

    Consider the following game. Two players alternately break vertical or horizontal lines from a rectangular chocolate bar. In each move the player can break one or two lines, either vertical on the right or horizontal from below. The chocolate bar in the upper left corner of the plate is...
  49. T

    How can the force of impact be reduced in an egg toss game?

    So I am trying to answer a question which is about an egg toss game where two people try to throw an egg at each other without breaking it.The question is how can the force of impact be reduced so that the egg doesn't break. With respect to the F = Δ p / Δ t formula, I think increasing time of...
  50. S

    MHB DPS Calculator for Video Game

    I saw a post here about calculating damage per second (DPS) and tried to modify it to my need. https://mathhelpboards.com/pre-algebra-algebra-2/formula-calculating-dps-damage-per-second-18847.htmlis the original post. My attack power is 46722 and I make 2.15 attacks a second, that come to be a...
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