Game Theory Definitions

General Game Definitions

• Games are activities for amusement, competitive contests, tactics, or forms of artistic/strategic expression.
• "Play" links to entertainment and non-serious activities.
• "Game" extends beyond play, encompassing meanings in language, activities, and societal interactions.

Theoretical and Academic Definitions

• Johan Huizinga (1950): Games are a "free activity" outside ordinary life, governed by rules, and inherently absorbing with separation from material gain.
• Roger Caillois (1961): Key traits of games: voluntary engagement, separation in time and space, rules-governed, uncertain outcomes, unproductive, and make-believe nature.
• Bernard Suits (1978): A philosophical perspective defines a game as the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.
• Chris Crawford (1981): Four factors of games: representation, interaction, conflict, and safety.
• Katie Salen & Eric Zimmerman (2003): Games are systems where players engage in artificial conflict, shaped by rules, and yielding quantifiable outcomes.

Practical Definitions and Frameworks

• Sid Meier: Games are "a series of interesting decisions."
• Jesper Juul: Games defined as rule-based systems with variable outcomes, effort exerted by players, and emotional attachment to results.
• Romero & Schreiber: Rules, player goals, and engagement with systems are key with exceptions, like games without clear objectives (e.g., SimCity).

Key Elements Across Definitions

• Games rely on defined rules to structure actions.
• Variable, quantifiable outcomes are core features, often tied to competition or personal achievement.
• Players are active participants, making decisions to influence results.
• Games can exist with or without real-life consequences.
• Many definitions highlight interaction between players or within systems.

Related Concepts

• Games often incorporate elements that induce curiosity and pleasure.
• Games are differentiated from puzzles (static), toys (interactive without goals), and stories (linear, unlike games' nonlinear nature).
• Play is defined as a voluntary, free activity separate from ordinary life, often with no material interest or external necessity.
• Types of play include competition (Agon), chance (Alea), role-playing (Mimicry), and altered perception (Ilinx), which range from structured (Ludus) to spontaneous (Paidia).
• Puzzles involve problem-solving, deduction, and critical thinking, such as riddles, logic puzzles, and spatial reasoning tasks.
• Puzzle games (e.g., Tetris, Bejewelled) often focus on patterns and rewards but may lack complex problem-solving.

Fun and Engagement

• Fun comes from mastering challenges, invoking aesthetic appreciation, physical stimuli, or problem-solving satisfaction (Koster's definition).
• Games and toys foster engagement through interactivity, surprise, and user skill development.

Game Evaluation

• Games are analysed as systems, as storytelling mediums, and within historical, social, and cultural contexts.
• Evaluation criteria include aesthetics, morality, and motivation.

Tutorial Themes

• Exploring the connection between play, games, and art.
• Understanding games beyond entertainment, emphasizing their cultural, historical, and social contexts.

Conceptual Elements

• Games are systems with rules, quantifiable outcomes, and player involvement.
• Key experiences of games include the "magic circle" (a safe, voluntary space of play), enjoyment, and problem-solving.

Games as Art

• Discussion on whether games can be considered a form of art.
• Evolution of art through history—from ritualistic origins to contemporary, conceptual art.
• Addresses the aesthetic and symbolic aspects of games and their potential for artistic merit.

Art and Postmodernism

• Modern art focuses more on ideas and deconstruction, moving away from traditional notions of transcendence or craft.
• Games might embody these modern artistic elements.

Key Questions

• Are games inherently artistic?
• How do concepts like "play," "rules," and "interaction" contribute to aesthetic experiences?

The Magic Circle

• "Magic circle" describes the special, separate space where gameplay occurs referring to a metaphorical boundary players enter during a game.
• Participants agree to abide by the rules of the game, suspending the ordinary rules creating a safe and voluntary space for exploration, creativity, and competition.
• Stakes feel real, emotions are heightened, and decisions carry weight allowing to explore roles, narratives, and challenges without real-world consequences.
• Allows players to experiment with scenarios and emotions in a controlled environment.