What is Game: Definition and 690 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. S

    Is a criticality event possible in the Japan nuclear crisis?

    I keep hearing how it is not as serious as Chernobyl and many other conclusions.. but I see a siituation that keeps getting worse.. 4 reactors in danger of melting down, exploding fission materials. What is it going to take to get it under control? With most workers sent home due to...
  2. B

    Simulating Galactic Evolution in a Game

    I am writing a browser based multiplayer game. The basic idea is that you are the leader of a very advanced spacefaring civilization. Your objective is to gather resources and develop your technology further. You gather resources by mining stars. The more stars you control, the more resources...
  3. R

    Entangled Lotto: Simulating Mermin's Bell Gedanken Experiment

    I have been developing an entangled lotto game to simulate a simple Bell gedanken experiment described by David Mermin in his article: "Is the moon there when nobody looks? Reality and the quantum theory" where the polarizations are measured at 120 degree angles. I know this is not possible for...
  4. Math Is Hard

    Old Parlor Game: Describe the Path, Knife, Bottle, Water & Building

    Back in the olden days before there were internets and ipods and thousands of cable channels for entertainment, we made up games to amuse ourselves. This one was passed around quite a lot and is supposed to give insight into your life. Keep in mind that it is just a silly game for amusement and...
  5. L

    New Game Show Idea: Protect & Present Format

    Hello there, Somebody I know has asked me if i could help him with the following: He has an idea for a game show and what is the best way to protect the format of this new game show.At present there is no gameshow that has the format that he has.He also asked me if I could put down on paper...
  6. R

    A pencil game, strategy based on symmetry

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  7. C

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  8. B

    Harry Potter and The Rise of Valkryia Fan Game

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  9. R

    Game Theory a problem which is a bit similar to the Impossible Puzzle

    Game Theory a problem which is a bit similar to the "Impossible Puzzle" From numbers 1 to 10, two integers X, and Y (not necessarily distinct) are chosen by a referee . The referee informs secretly to Joe the integer U where U = X + Y . The referee informs secretly to Bob the integer V where V...
  10. D

    Probability Game: Find Chance of Landing on Each Spot 1-10

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  11. E

    Nintendo game cube playing and whitch way works better upright or horazontal?

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  12. B

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  13. H

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  14. B

    Can we use tests of runs to test randomness of a game?

    Hi, everyone: I am trying to prepare a class for tests of randomness. I am trying to use as output, the 6 numbers of an (actual) lottery. Would a test of runs of the means of the winning numbers be effective here? I am thinking of selecting, say N=50 consecutive...
  15. C

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    hey, I'm in a grade 12 probability and statistics class, and I've been assigned to create a board game and calculate the probability of winning. All my ideas get to complicated and I am finding my self confused so I am trying to keep it relatively simple. It is a board game where the first...
  16. D H

    Physics paper guessing game: Are you worse than a monkey?

    The concept of the game: You are presented with the titles of two papers. One paper is a real one posted at the arXiv. The other is fake, with the title automatically generated using a context-free grammar. Your job: Guess which is the real paper. After guessing you will be presented with...
  17. C

    Fun Game Theory, Guessing a Number With a Twist

    Fun Game Theory, Guessing a Number With a "Twist" You and I are playing a game. I begin by picking an integer from 1 to 2011 (inclusive). On each turn you try to guess my number. I then tells you whether your guess is too high, too low, or correct. If your guess is not correct, I add or...
  18. iamjon.smith

    How to Correctly Implement Winning Logic in a Simple Nim Game?

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  19. S

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    Hello Just took on a new hobby..being game design know a little c# and decided to try my hand at xna...the problem is I am also trying my hand at vectors and matrices also, as I know this with gaming goes hand in hand. Kinda picking up the basics to vectors but with matrices not got a great...
  20. B

    Looking for a Fantasy Election game

    Hi, I've played Fantasy Football and Fantasy Hockey. Now, I'm looking for a interactive, virtual simulation election games. Any suggestion?
  21. R

    What is the fair price to play an equitable coin flip game?

    This seems to be a fairly simple probability question but it's stumping me for some reason. "You flip a fair coin until you get a head and win x dollars, where x is the number of flips it takes to get a head. (e.g. H = win $1; TH = win $2; TTH = win $3, and so on.) How much should you pay to...
  22. R

    Calculating Chances of Landing on Spots in Board Game "Life

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  23. T

    Probability of A winning the game

    Suppose A and B play over and over , independently a game which each time results in either a win for A , a win for B or draw (meaning no decision) with probabilities P(A), P(B) and P(D). Suppose they keep playing until the first game that does not result in a draw , and call the winner of that...
  24. B

    Elastic Collision Reponse in a Game

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  25. S

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  26. V

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  27. S

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  28. P

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  29. Evo

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  30. V

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    Homework Statement Homework Equations Px = mVcostheta Py = mVsintheta Theta = tan-1(y/x) Magnitude of P = (Px^2 + Py^2)^(1/2) The Attempt at a Solution Px = .165*2.84cos64.6 = .201 N*s Py = .165*2.84sin64.6 = .4233 N*s a) Theta2 = tan-1(-.4233/.201) = 64.6 degrees b)...
  31. C

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  32. M

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  33. A

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    I am trying to teach myself the basic theory behind combinatorial game theory regarding impartial games, the solution to Nim, and the Sprague-Grundy theorem. I understand most of it, but I have a few questions about parts that are still unclear to me. 1. Why are Nim-sums computed using binary...
  34. X

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    Hello, This is my first post and if anyone can direct me to any links that would help I would appreciate it, but I'm having trouble understanding this on my own. I am developing a game with a physics engine and the scope I have in mind would require these calculations. I understand some of...
  35. R

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  36. R

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  37. N

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    Homework Statement (The December 31 Game) Two players alternately name dates. On each move, a player can increase the month or the day of the month, but not both. The starting position is January 1, and the player who names December 31 wins. According to the rules, the first player can start...
  38. N

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  39. T

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  40. B

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  41. R

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    So I'm taking a course on game theory and as an intro he left us with this question. I'd like to have it solved fornext class as it is for bonus marks.I'm not sure how to add an attachment here so I will describe the game and board and hopefully someone can tell me how to upload a photo in the...
  42. S

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    Hi, taking a chance here... i recently played a game. This game involved you starting out with a marble in 3d space, and u had to design a path for it to reach a finish line, with ropes/gears/what have you... i was HOOKED, but i don't remember what its called...=/ any help would be appreciated
  43. N

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    I'm trying to write Jscript code that will interact with a MUD for me. A MUD is a Multi-User Dungeon. It's a text-based online game. The server sends the names and descriptions of places and things for the player to interact with. What I need to know is: 1) How do I pass information from an...
  44. D

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  45. J

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  46. Greg Bernhardt

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  47. Borek

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  48. M

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  49. M

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