Game on: What is a Game?
So, we’re back at it with my favorite series on this blog: Game On! Today I thought we would lay out some groundwork for this exploration.
What is a game?
It sounds like a pretty easy question to answer, but like many things in history and academic studies, there is more behind the term “Game” than it appears. It is crucial to define ambiguous terms like “Game” when working with them because it gives your audience a source in which to look at. If I were just vaguely to mention a game, many of you would have a different picture. Some of you may picture children playing house; some may picture a group of friends playing a board game, some may even picture a person sitting in a dark room playing a video game. The possibilities are endless! The question then extends to what makes these particular activities “games?” I know, I know I’m getting pretty deep here, stick with me. These are genuine concerns for Academic Professionals that are working in Game Studies. Some other terms that could be explored are Play, Fun, Consoles, etc. Depending on what you are focusing on will determine your definition for these terms. A Graphic Designer is going to define a game differently than a Sociologist or even a Historian.
Now, let's explore some theories of what a game is!
The Magic Circle!
Probably the most well-known and highly contested theory, this line of thinking was created by Johan Huizinga, a Dutch scholar. Huizinga’s theory states that “games construct a ‘magic circle’ which separates the game from the outside world. Playing a game, in this view, means setting oneself apart from the outside world, and surrendering to a system that has no effect on anything which lies beyond the circle.”[1] Sounds plausible, right? Well, kind of. There are a couple of minor issues with this definition. The first issue is that this circumstance where one submits themselves to a particular set of rules separate from the outside world can be applied to a whole host of situations. For example, in a classroom, a student abides by a certain set of rules that outside of the classroom do not apply, such as raising your hand to ask/answer a question. This, by Huizinga’s definition, would create a ‘magic circle’ and that the activities in the classroom are a ‘game.’ The other issue is that games do affect the real world. Games take time out of the day to play where other activities could have been performed. Games can affect our mood and behavior as well. Another major effect on the real world is that there can be a blending of worlds by selling virtual goods for real money on sites like eBay.
Caillois’ Classification of Games
Roger Caillois is a French Philosopher who in 1958 created a work titled Man, Play, and Games in which he addresses the different qualities of play. These qualities include:[2]
1. Must be performed voluntarily
2. It is uncertain
3. It is unproductive
4. Consists of make-believe
Further, he created a categorization system for games. The categories include:
1. Agon (competition)
2. Alea (Chance)
3. Mimicry (imitation)
4. Ilinx (Vertigo)
These categories can be combined to create what Understanding Video Games, a book written by Simon Egenfelt-Nielsen, Jonas Heide Smith, and Susana Pajares Tosca on Game Studies, calls “complex play forms.” Let’s take Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex as an example to explore these categories. First off, we can go ahead and place it into the Mimicry category because the player transforms into Crash Bandicoot to interact in the virtual world. We can also place this game into the Agon category because you are engaging in a competition. This game also includes elements of Ilinx, especially in levels like Level 3 of world 1. In this level, Crash is placed inside a hamster ball, and the player needs to roll him around a course trying to break open as many boxes as possible and collect peaches without falling off the edge. We may even argue that there is a bit of Alea in the game because each move is not inevitable. For example, if you make Crash jump to a platform, there is a 50/50 chance that you’ll make it or land in the water and become a giant ice cube. Games, according to Caillois, can be further divided by Paidia and Ludus. Ludus refers to a rigid set of rules to which a player must adhere, and Paidia refers to the complete opposite; Paidia refers to a game that does not include a rigid set of rules by which to abide by. Some video games that may fall under the category of Ludus include Bejeweled and Tetris. In these games, there a set of rules you need to abide by, and there isn’t much if any, wiggle room to your actions. As for Paidia, we can include games like Grand Theft Auto and Assassin’s Creed because you have more freedom with your movements and choices. Particularly in Grand Theft Auto, a player has the option to complete the objectives or just explore the virtual world they are inhabiting. Although this system of categories does not provide us a definition of what a game is, it does give us a way to look at the different aspects of games and what could be some of the pieces that make up a “game.”
Games are what we make them!
Brian Sutton-Smith is a major force in launching the legitimate study of games and play. In regards to the definition of “games,” Sutton states, “a game is what we decide it should be; that our definition will have an arbitrary character depending on our purposes.”[3] For a more conclusive definition, Sutton defines games as “an exercise of voluntary control systems in which there is an opposition between forces, confined by a procedure and rules in order to produce a disequilibrial outcome.”[4] Still pretty broad, right? That’s the point! Games are so broad in themselves that despite everyone’s efforts, there is not a finite definition that is going to include everything that could be considered a ‘game.’ While this definition is not perfect, I think it is a good one to work off of or at least show us what a definition could look like for ‘games.’ As Sutton stated, the definition of ‘games’ is completely dependent on what you are going to be researching and focusing on.
The World of Games is an Enigma!
I know this was a lot of theoretical talk, and we did not really come out of this with a nailed down definition, but that is okay. The purpose of this exploration was not to provide a concrete definition but to get you thinking. By all means, these three theories/definitions are not the only ones available, but I think they are some of the more approachable and interesting ones of the bunch.
If you would like to learn more about the theories surrounding the definition of ‘Games’ or you would like to explore other terms like ‘Play’ and ‘Fun,’ let me know in the comments or shoot me an email! I would love to hear from you!
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