By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
As with everything else, it seems, a game now is not what a game was. A generation ago, a game was a form of play or distraction – and generally not what an adult spent much time on. And certainly not what one would do, with authorization, at work.
But, as with almost every other arena of life, that was then, and this is now. A game, to put it simply, is not what a game was.
A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play. – James P. Carse, Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility
Oddly enough, most of us can’t agree with a working definition of a game. Is a game something we do? Or something we watch? We spend time and money on games, and pay key players multi-millions of dollars.
There’s nothing new about games, of course, from chess to the Olympics, games have been around at least as long as humanity.
What is a “game”?
As every parent should know, and every child knows, at some level, a game is never “just a game”. Any given game has its own rules and guidelines. And almost every game involves others – who bring in their own strategies and perspectives – including respect for the game and other players.
Some games are based on chance, some on skill. Some are individual, some are team-based. Some involve, or require, long term strategy, some are won or lost on a single bet or move. And many are easy to learn to play at a beginning level, but difficult, if not impossible to master. And many are combinations of some or all of these. Are “games” training or practice or simulations? Or all of the above? Are games a waste of time? Or the fulcrum for the development of essential life skills?
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. -Bertrand Russell
Above all perhaps, playing games should be enjoyable and set the stage, at minimum, for understanding and appreciating each other.
Are games for kids? Or for all of us?
Many of us might think of games as primarily for children – and some are developed for them in mind. But many are not.
Consider print games for example, from word searches to crossword puzzles. Yes, they are a diversion, but, at all levels, they contribute to the player’s vocabulary and body of knowledge. From spelling to pop culture and history, printed games can introduce young people to a larger view of the world – and sometimes a closer view of one’s one abilities or areas to work on.
Consider how chess, for example, challenges as it engages and intrigues players and observers. And has for centuries.
In chess you try to do your best, but there are instances where you make mistakes or you try and take risks that you shouldn’t. And I think losing games is a good thing, because you learn more from when you lose than when you win. -Hikaru Nakamura
There are games that we play and games that we watch, and of course, games that we play by watching.
Some games have been around for millennia, while others, like pickleball, have emerged only recently.
But either way, games emerge, find an audience and skillful practitioners, and, if successful, traditions take shape and, as the games move through the years and the cultures – and technological changes- they take a familiar, and relatively enduring shape.
Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening – and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented. -Arnold Palmer
Is golf the ultimate time waster? Or is it the culmination of everything that makes a great game?
And is there anything that better sums up our human nature than our games?
What happened to movies and music?
Music and movies were once driving forces in our economy – and if you have travelled the world very much, one thing you discover is that the reach of American culture, especially film and music, runs far and deep in almost every other nation around the world. Or at least, until recently, it did.
Even Americans don’t spend much time or money (compared to previous eras) on music and movies.
Most music is streamed and most movies are viewed at home. And, as we all know, many recent movies are extensions or film versions of popular games.
And, as of about 2021, the gaming industry generated more money than the film and music industry – combined. And most young people prefer games over traditional sports.
If you’d like to see a graph of the long term financial trend of video gaming, look here.
Some game suggestions
For a vast coterie of kid games, don’t miss Kid Scoop. These games, from interactive games, puzzles, word searches, and news-literacy activities, and much more, support higher-level thinking skills and inspire and stir a life-changing love of reading. For a grown-up challenge, don’t miss the radio challenge on NPR.
Is life a game? Are we inhabiting a simulation?
Is our daily life and the challenges we encounter a training or entertainment for a more highly developed race beyond our senses and understanding? That has been a premise of games and films from The Matrix to The Sims and many others. It has also been a field of research for scientists and philosophers around the world.
Way back in 2020, David Kipping, an astronomer at Columbia University, found that the odds of us living in a base (meaning actual, not simulated) reality as about 50-50, with the odds only slightly in favor of our universe not being simulated. You can see a summary of his results here.
That origin story, for some of us, is as convincing as any other.
If life is a game or a simulation, it seems to be dense with obscure missions, secret levels, acquired (or lost) powers and hidden Easter eggs. Is life the ultimate encounter with a base-line reality or are we all players on a master Creator’s template?
