A musing by a Discord friend

With some spellchecking and formatting by myself.

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    And now, I ask and answer a question to see how my phrasing of it works out.

    "What is a game?"

    What is it that makes a game a game and not just an activity. How does a game and an activity differ?

    Well, I define a game as; "A structured active activity meant to provide enjoyment."

    This definition has several important key points that need to be defined to understand the elegance of this definition and how it applies to various things we experience.

    First, what is an activity? In short, it is anything that can be described as a verb.

    Watching, sleeping, playing, running, working; all activities.

    The difference is the qualifier. Active vs. Passive.

    The difference in doing unto the activity and having the activity done unto you. Watching TV is a passive activity. Changing the channel is an active activity, if a bit short lived in most cases.

    So, we now understand, together, how games are an active activity, an event we perform, but work is another active activity. How do games and work differ then?

    It is in the "meant to provide entertainment" part.

    Work is meant to provide a service, usually in exchange for currency. Games are meant to provide entertainment.

    It is the goal of the activity that helps determine if it is a game or not.

    Whether it is an educational tool that is just meant to facilitate learning, or a game that has learning as a benefit.

    And then there is the last qualifier. Structure.

    These can be rules. These can be guidelines. Regardless, there must be structure.

    All games are a form of play.

    A subcategory if you will.

    And unstructured, imaginative play, the sort seen in children, is a good thing. But it is not a game.

    It is an activity.

    It is fun.

    It is when rules start getting implemented. That if you step pass this line you are out. That moving this piece of plastic in a specific manner is an acceptable way to move said piece of plastic. It is the rules that turn a box of cardboard, plastic, and wood into a board GAME. It is the rules that turn tossing an oblong shaped ball around that turn an activity into the GAME of football.

    And it is when people want to watch people professionally or semiprofessionally play said game that the game turns into a sport.

    Hopefully you enjoyed this half baked thought from this half baked cat. I am signing out for the night. Fare thee well.