A game is any kind of athletic activity, competition, or contest with the use or accoutrements of some sort for which there is a defined means or object other than for which there is a defined competition. The word may be used broadly to describe games of any type, including sports competitions, where competitors compete against each other for the highest prize. In this sense, the word can cover any athletic activity. Competitions are usually characterized by a prescribed competitive format based on skill, physical endurance, strategy, etc., and the outcome of each competition is generally an indicator of the skill and/or tactics of the competitors. Although this definition does not encompass all possible competitive games, it does provide a useful way of categorizing and presenting sporting events and activities.
An alternative definition of a game would be any interactive activity in which people interact to take part in a challenge, to overcome others, or just to have fun. Such a definition does not include every video game that involves strategy or abstract thought; for instance, chess. However, a strategy game is one that makes use of strategy and abstract thought, usually employing some type of dice or other gaming device. Computer games, such as computer chess, are strategy games.
Another way of classifying games is by their level of complexity. Simple games, also called “boarding games,” often require very little interaction from the players and often refer to abstract board games, such as chess, checkers, and marbles. At the other end of the spectrum are games that require complex interaction from the players and that often involve very sophisticated pieces, such as chess, checkers, and marbles. These kinds of games are often referred to as “game genres.” Examples of such genres include racing games, first-person shooter games, abstract strategy games, and word games, such as Scrabble or trivia games.
One of the most common types of board games are the ones that require players to make use of certain types of objects, cards, or dice in order to make their moves. These are called board games, and are the most popular ones on which the World Wide Web exists for discussion. In fact, there are hundreds of thousands of board games listed on the World Wide Web. The most popular among them all, however, are probably Monopoly and Risk. The Monopoly game, in particular, is known for its ability to encourage its players to develop strategies for building their property portfolio and to use those strategies in buying and selling property throughout the various episodes of the game.
Similar strategy games include the card games Settlers of Canaan and Chess. Both of these games require players to build their property portfolio and to subsequently employ strategies in dealing with the other players and the cards on the table. A Settler of Canaan, in particular, requires its players to build an ox, a man, a woman, a child, an ox and a donkey, and eventually sail to the promised land. Players must use these things to obtain the necessary resources to build their property portfolio and then to use those resources to take over settlements and to eventually sail to the promised land. The more desirable settlements, of course, are the ones that have the most plentiful resources. Chess, on the other hand, requires players to build a very large and complex board and to then use their strategy skills to create the most powerful military in the game and to attack the other players for controlling the most pieces on the chessboard.
Finally, one of the most popular games that people play on the World Wide Web is the game of Scrabble. This is a game in which two to four people engage in a battle with each other using set of playing cards, called “scrabble” tiles. When these tiles are used on the tiles themselves (instead of on the playing cards), the tiles become points and the players have a chance to obtain more playing cards for scoring purposes. Some variants of Scrabble have taken this basic concept and made it even easier, with several different playing options, varying abilities, and different rules.