Games:
An activity involving one or more players. This
can be defined by either a goal that the players
try to reach, or some set of rules that determines
what the players can or can not do. Games are
played primarily for entertainment or enjoyment,
but may also serve as exercise or in an educational,
simulational or psychological role. Although
many animals play, only humans confirmably have
games. Whether some animals are intelligent
enough to game is debatable, though a game has
ritualistic elements (such as rules and procedures)
that are voluntarily acted upon, rather than
as a result of instinct. The existence of rules
and criteria that decide the outcome of games
imply that games require intelligence of a significant
degree of sophistication.
Games can involve one player acting alone, or
two or more players acting cooperatively. Most
often involve competition among two or more
players. Taking an action that falls outside
the rules generally constitutes a foul or cheating.
All through human history, people have played
games to entertain themselves and others. |