Games are a form of entertainment that involve playing an active role. They may be played alone, or in teams; by amateurs, or professionals. The rules of a game can be standardized or idiosyncratic. The game can be physical or mental; it can be a board game, like chess, or a video game. Generally, the participants are competing against each other; the game is won by whoever wins more points. The word game may also refer to a sport or a contest of any kind, or to an activity that is part of someone’s life, such as work.
A game can be anything from a simple board game, such as Connect Four, to a complex virtual reality environment. Computer gaming has become a massive industry, with millions of people spending billions on the various genres available. While many people associate games with children, adults play them too; they can be used to relieve stress and anxiety or as a way to stimulate the mind.
The essential elements of a game are the players, objectives, and a system of rules. Rules determine the boundaries of the game and the rights and responsibilities of the players; they also shape the game through various mechanisms, such as time-keeping systems, scoring techniques, preset goals, and rules for interplay. They also shape the game’s structure and impose limitations on the players’ choices, such as an umpire’s authority to penalize transgressions.
Depending on the type of game, the rules can be standardized or idiosyncratic to a specific region or culture. For example, a European card game might have unique standard cards. A set of tools is often required to play a game, such as a ball or pieces, and these are usually standardized as well. These include chess pawns, Monopoly tokens, dominoes, and jacks or checkers pieces.
Playing a game is not just an enjoyable pastime; it can also promote cognitive growth by challenging the player to solve puzzles and challenges that require multitasking and quick decision making. It can also develop spatial skills and help the user learn to form mental maps and navigate in 3D space. Researchers have found that surgeons who play video games prior to performing laparoscopic or robotic surgery are better at spatial navigation than those who do not.
Research on the effects of video games has largely relied on self-reported engagement. However, this method is limited in scope and can be misleading. For instance, the experience of autonomy, competence, and relatedness positively predicts subjective well-being, while extrinsic motivations negatively affect it. It is therefore important that games companies allow scientists to access a higher-level, anonymized dataset for independent scientific studies on player well-being. Such data would allow for more precise, valid, and actionable results on the relationship between video games and well-being.