It's become quite clear at this point that video games have far outstripped their origins. The reason the game part appeared in the title is because the earliest titles were exactly that digital renderings of existing, real-life games, like Pong's monochrome approximation of tennis. And yet game is a frustratingly narrow concept, necessitating a winner and a loser, a way to play and accumulate points so that you can win. In games theory, those are called boolean win states. Win states are the binary, absolute results of your inputs into a game. In chess, your actions mean you win or lose. In Battlefield, you either kill someone or they kill you; it's game over, or you advance to the next level. Which is why so much of video games is about slaying your enemies, from Space Invaders right up until your modern FPS or even mushroom-squashing platformers. When a game dares to diverge from that set definition like Gone Home, where you explore a deserted family home and play is more about piecing together a story; or the even more experimental Mountain, where the purpose seems to just be relaxation and meditation they get derided as not real games. There's no win state. And yet again, isn't that just limiting what this art form can do?
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
