Gaming Blog Week 1

There is not a clear definition as to what a game is; the word itself is a vague concept which covers any range of activity. When asked in class to define the word game in one sentence, it was difficult to identify what exactly it means.

Wittgenstein believes that games do not have a specific definition because they do not all share the same features. He has the concept that games are like a rope, twisted fibres connecting to each other, games have different features which twist together to create similar meaning which defines the word game. The concept of a game has blurred edges; there is no precise meaning which can be seen when you compare different games.

After playing DOOM II and Samorost 2, I can see how Wittgenstein's theory works. They are both computer games created for entertainment but they do not share the same features. Clearly, the games have different genres and target audiences but they have resemblances. For example, the goal in Samorost 2 is to rescue the stolen dog and in DOOM II the aim is to kill the enemies and work out secret areas to complete each level; they both have an incentive to play to achieve a particular outcome.

Applying Wittgenstein’s idea of family resemblances to Samorost 2 and Civilisation II, there is the same characteristic that you cannot loose, you continue playing until you rescue the dog and complete building the civilisation. This also applies to DOOM II and Lara Croft Tomb Raider, the game is continuing until you complete each level to reach the end. This does not apply to Tetris however; once you die you have to start again from the beginning.

Wittgenstein’s theory of games having vague concepts and the idea of a rope, continuing with different, twisted fibres does apply to all games. There are family resemblances between all games, some have similar outcomes, others have different motives, but it is fair to say that Wittgenstein has a successful theory which can be applied to any type of game.