Games, whether computer-based or other, can be defined as physical activities that are intended to pass leisurely and independently, with no apparent objective. A game is typically a structured form of interactive play, normally undertaken for fun or entertainment, and occasionally used as an educational tool as well. Most games are quite different from work, which tend to be carried out for purely monetary remuneration, and from literature, which are typically an expression of philosophical or aesthetic elements. In fact, games, in their broadest sense, can be seen as forms of pure entertainment: a form of amusement derived from the critical analysis and assessment of how games function within the larger culture of the player or players themselves.
Games have been analyzed in many different ways. From the cultural point of view, games are intellectual exercises, using the critical and analytical skills of the mind. For the computer programmer who creates a complex board game, games are a form of exercise in making the mind work. And for the game designer who puts together a strategy game engine that encourages players to think critically and creatively, games are mental exercises that also encourage cooperation between players toward the common goal of the accomplishment of a common goal.
To appreciate the full meaning of the game’s use of language, it is important to look beyond the basic function of the games themselves. By examining how games use words and how language is constructed, one can gain a deeper understanding of human beings and their culture. By following this approach, one can begin to see how the concepts of one culture can be extended and transformed into the concepts of other cultures. For example, while games use nouns (such as shoes), verbs (such as walk), and other objects (such as wars) to tell a story, one can see how this same language can be extended to describe a set of activities, such as playing a board game, or walking from one place to another. Language is one of the most powerful ways we can culturalize ourselves, the way we understand things now, and the way we will tomorrow.