Understanding Game Mechanics

Understanding Game Mechanics

There are many different types of games. The traditional board game is almost universally recognized and loved. Chess is perhaps the oldest and most well known of all board games. Other familiar games include card games, including bingo and keno, certain types of word and math games, and even video games like Wii Sports.

A strategy game is generally designed as a strategic form of play, most often undertaken for fun or entertainment, and at times used as an educational resource. Strategy games are very different from work, which by definition is carried out with a purpose and from artistic, which is usually an expression of intellectual or aesthetic values. In contrast, strategy board games are designed to be interactive means of teaching and learning. Often, strategic games use simulation games to teach players about resourcefulness, realism, teamwork, and the ability to think critically.

Video games are perhaps the most popular genre of games. However, they have also become some of the most criticized. Some people argue that video games are not real games, because all of their mechanics can be explained in computer programming languages, and because a video game does not have to represent reality, but instead exists only as a technological artifact. Others argue that video games are very meaningful and have strong emotional components. Video games are also different types of genres, because many video games combine elements of action, adventure, sports, fighting, horror, or puzzle into their plots and characters. It is also possible to combine many different types of genres in a single game, although the distinction between a first-person shooter, adventure game, strategy game, racing game, puzzle game, dress up game, shooting game, adventure game, horror game, stealth game, and an adventure game can sometimes blur.