A game is an organized form of entertainment, usually undertaken for fun or relaxation, and at times used as an educational resource. Games are very different from work, which usually is undertaken for remuneration, though not always, and from fine art, which usually is more a form of aesthetic or expressive elements. Game, however, is an exception. The word derives from the Greek gameos, meaning game, a game that involves a set of rules specifying how the participants interact with each other, in order to achieve a set objective.
The game can be interactive, involving players interacting through a network (such as a community website) rather than through physical contact. It can also include elements of strategy, such as acquiring rare objects or completing a mission. Computer games are typically designed around a central theme or storyline, though they may also be highly abstract, with many themes being developed over time. They can involve many aspects of human interaction, including but not limited to negotiation, teamwork, deception, sportsmanship and even war. Computer games also allow for emergent properties of the mind, such as the ability to reason and plan, or to create and control ones own future.
As previously mentioned, the single player game is the most popular version of the game, where one player acts as the “character” in the storyline, using a computer program to engage in action or solve puzzles. There are many different variations on this theme, where multiple characters can be controlled by the computer program, or where the single character is controlled by a group of characters in the storyline. Many of these games are multiplayer games, where several players can play the game at once, or where a single player takes control of a specific level of the game world. Some of the most popular multiplayer games include Online War, Age of War, Fall of Rome, Empires & Allies, Mystique, Railroads and territories, Command and Conquer 3, Arma 2: Warhammer Online, etc.
The single-player games are generally very simple affairs, often requiring only movement and clicking. These games are usually considered simulation games, where the goal is to achieve a particular goal, such as “kill X amount of zombies” or “get X amount of fuel”. A more complex game would have more complex puzzles, strategic elements, or goals, requiring more thought and planning than just clicking and moving. However, a PC game which uses the text-based interface is easier to learn and understand, requiring less conscious effort than would be required if a game were to use the mouse or keyboard. A text-based interface is also easier to adapt to various computers, making it possible to use the game on a Mac, Linux, and other computers that aren’t designed to support the use of such interfaces.
Computer games can also feature a role playing element, where players are required to make choices based on a plot developed by the developers, who may not be acting in real life. In some cases, players will be forced to make critical decisions about these plotlines, such as choosing whether or not to attack a specific target, or how to react when a certain situation occurs. For this reason, role playing games in particular tend to be more addictive than their single player counterparts. They are also easier to use for people who have visual impairments or other problems, such as low bandwidth. For this reason, some video game players choose to only play with other people who also need to be able to play effectively.
With computer games, the player is also in control of the plot. The player can influence events, manipulate the game itself, manipulate the characters, etc. Computer games can be multiplayer (meaning one player plays with another in a game over the Internet), single player (a game where the game is played by one person), or text-based (where the game is played directly with a text editor). Computer games can also have graphics, sound, or music, or even be a combination of all three. Games with all or most of these three components are known as “interactive”, and are much more popular than those that only have text.