Quote:
Originally Posted by Daigoro
This definition might need some more work, as there are many non-game things that fit, such as financial markets or a judicial court case.
Perhaps it's that the stakes are inconsequential? Although that rules out gambling and competitive games with prize money.
My feeling is that D&D-like games, that keep score with an XP counter, are more game-like, but many long-running campaigns I've been in that basically follow a continuing story and explore a setting are less game-like (or less competitive, at least).
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Well it's a very generalized set, but it might still apply here.
Court cases = lawyers see themselves as players, and the case and clients as the 'videogame level' so to speak.
Same with the stock market and the like, I would guess (since I'm kind of ignorant about those), I bet those have rules to (probably pretend :P to) prevent foul play.
It's mostly to differentiate between just a toy or passtime activity.
"Walk down the street with your arms out to the side" is not a game.
But it can become a game if you compare things like "I wobbled less!"
or "I went faster!", or "I successfully skipped every odd tile on the path AND came in first!"
I was a bit hesitant to post this ruleset, though, because in videogame circles, this can get rather heated. because of the (un)fortunate ways humans simplify things.
And there are many games, especially nowadays with walking simulators and the likes that are really non-games, but still called games because "let's not split hairs"
But hairs do get split when things like "Day of the Tentacle" get brought up.
An adventure game (yes I call it a game too), but one that you can't lose.
If you can't lose a game, then the only way to lose is to quit.
But at least that one, for example, can still be won, and one could compete for the fastest time, but that's third party and, to my knowledge, not part of the game itself.
So basically it's a toy, but it's still a game because, again, let's just call it one and call it a day, it's on the computer, it's a game, it's a computer game. That sort of thing.
It just technically is ...not one :P
It's an electronic toy where you can click on animations and words until its over, either you see the end of the toy, or you get bored or frustrated because it's taking too long for you (after all, you can't lose. You can only take long)