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The Purpose of Games

Disciplines > Game Design > The Purpose of Games

Game-play are common across countries and cultures. Even animals indulge in play as they simulate real conflict. Humans can have many reasons why they play or why they set other people playing.

When playing or designing games, it is always a good idea to think about what people are getting out of the game and how it may change their mind in some way. Here is a large set of purposes that give reason for gaming.

Games as Comfort: repeating recognizable patterns, cocoon
Games as Time-Wasting Just avoiding boredom.
Games as Learning: discomfort, new skills, improvement, progression.
Games as Self-Development: social, risk management
Games as Conflict: Winning and losing.
Games as Hope: gambling, wish-fulfilment.
Games as Hedonism: just for the pure pleasure
Games as Therapy: healing inner hurts
Games as Escape: fantasy, better than movies, visceral, safe
Games as Need-Fulfilment: Getting what you can't get elsewhere.
Games as Social Facilitation: Helping along the conversation.
Games as Bonding: Connecting people as one.
Games as Being: As the person you really want to be.
Game as Purpose: Providing meaning and intent.
Games as Experiencing: That make you happier.
Games as Discovery: Self, others and things.
Games as Storying: With plot, characters and so on.
Games as Real-izing: creating reality in real-time.
Games as Prisons: Lock-in, control and more.

See also

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Site Menu

| Home | Top | Quick Links | Settings |

Main sections: | Disciplines | Techniques | Principles | Explanations | Theories |

Other sections: | Blog! | Quotes | Guest articles | Analysis | Books | Help |

More pages: | Contact | Caveat | About | Students | Webmasters | Awards | Guestbook | Feedback | Sitemap | Changes |

Settings: | Computer layout | Mobile layout | Small font | Medium font | Large font | Translate |

Please help and share:

Quick links

Disciplines

* Argument
* Brand management
* Change Management
* Coaching
* Communication
* Counseling
* Game Design
* Human Resources
* Job-finding
* Leadership
* Marketing
* Politics
* Propaganda
* Rhetoric
* Negotiation
* Psychoanalysis
* Sales
* Sociology
* Storytelling
* Teaching
* Warfare
* Workplace design

Techniques

* Assertiveness
* Body language
* Change techniques
* Closing techniques
* Conversation
* Confidence tricks
* Conversion
* Creative techniques
* General techniques
* Happiness
* Hypnotism
* Interrogation
* Language
* Listening
* Negotiation tactics
* Objection handling
* Propaganda
* Problem-solving
* Public speaking
* Questioning
* Using repetition
* Resisting persuasion
* Self-development
* Sequential requests
* Storytelling
* Stress Management
* Tipping
* Using humor
* Willpower

Principles

Explanations

* Behaviors
* Beliefs
* Brain stuff
* Conditioning
* Coping Mechanisms
* Critical Theory
* Culture
* Decisions
* Emotions
* Evolution
* Gender
* Games
* Groups
* Habit
* Identity
* Learning
* Meaning
* Memory
* Motivation
* Models
* Needs
* Personality
* Power
* Preferences
* Research
* Relationships
* SIFT Model
* Social Research
* Stress
* Trust
* Values

Theories

* Alphabetic list
* Theory types

And

– About
– Guest Articles
– Blog!
– Books
– Changes
– Contact
– Guestbook
– Quotes
– Students
– Webmasters

| Home | Top | Menu | Quick Links |

© Changing Works 2002-
Massive Content — Maximum Speed