The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to games:
A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun. Games can also be work, art or an educational tool.
Definition
Chris Crawford Ludwig Wittgenstein Roger Caillois Other definitions
Purpose Individuals participate in game-play for various reasons, depending upon the aspect the particular game covers. These include:
Education – The transmission of knowledge, skills and character traits. Learning analytics – Collecting data about learners for understanding and optimizing learning. Entertainment – Activity that holds attention or gives pleasure. Play – Intrinsically motivated recreation. Social relation – Interpersonal relationship between two or more people. Pleasure – Experience that feels good, is enjoyable. Hobby – A regular pleasurable activity. Strategy – Plan to achieve goals in uncertainty. Tactics – Conceptual action or short series of actions with the aim of achieving a short-term goal.
Classification
Game classification By cause of uncertainty
Genre
Party games Tabletop games Video games Other games
Lists of games
Party games Party game#Common party games Party game#Children's party games
Tabletop games List of board games List of cross and circle games List of card games List of dice games List of domino games List of tabletop role-playing games
Video games
By platform By developer By publisher By hardware By date By character or franchise By feature By region By genre By technology By license By player type By reception Other
Other List of fictional games List of games that Buddha would not play List of role-playing games List of traditional children's games
Game elements
Clock Game controller Game media Lists of video game consoles Lusory attitude Marble Stadium Teetotum User guide
Tabletop
Chess set Chessboard Chess piece Bishop King Knight Pawn Queen Rook Dice Long dice Dominoes Game board Gamemaster Gamemaster's screen Piece Meeple Miniatures Player character Playing card French-suited German-suited Italian-suited Portuguese-suited Spanish-suited Swiss-suited Play money Casino chip
Players
Player – Participant in a game. Gamer – Participant in video games or tabletop games
Lists of players List of chess players List of esports players
History
Pre-modern Modern
Game development
Game development kit Tabletop game industry Video game developer Video game industry Video game modding
Game design
Dynamic music Emergent gameplay Game balance Game design process Game mechanics Game of chance House rule – Unofficial modifications to official rules of a game. Simultaneous action selection
Video game
Dynamic game difficulty balancing Gold sink Game designer
Game theory
Cooperative game Evolutionary game theory Extensive form game Information set Kingmaker scenario List of games in game theory Normal-form game Payoff matrix Perfect information
Outlines of games Outline of chess Outline of games Outline of poker Outline of video games
See also
Game club Game semantics Ludology Play Puzzle Sport Toy List of puzzle topics List of impossible puzzles List of puzzle-based computer and video games
References
External links