[MUD-Dev] When is the game a game?

[F. Randall Farmer]

Caliban Tiresias Darklock asked, (at least in the thread title):
"When is a game a game?"

To wax a bit philosophical...

My answer is:"When people start playing it."

How could you otherwise be sure that it *is* a game?

Before others use it, it is just a "physical" manifestation of the
idea of a game.  Without players, a game has no meaning or purpose
(other than to its creator). :-)

If I imagine a card game, is it a game? If I work out some combat
mechanics, is it a game? If I make the cards and never show them to
anyone else, is it a game? How can anyone other than the creator
tell the difference? Is there a difference? When I give the cards to
someone else, teach them the rules and we play a round, THEN it is a
game. If that friend tells another about my game, and he plays, then
it might even be a decent game. :-) Though this sounds purely
philosophical, it isn't. I did once imagine a online card game
(called Sushimon), work out combat mechanics, produce 24 working
virtual online cards, create a web-based trading/redemption/combat
framework (you can even play rounds against a bot) and I STILL don't
consider it a "game".  I consider it a "demo." That's what I built
it for: To demonstrate an underlying technology. No one has ever
been invited to "play" this game, except to verify that it
demonstrates the platform in an entertaining way.

Honestly, game-ness a floating point value, at least until you
declare that the game is ready for testing/use by others.

For me this means when the Alpha Test starts. Though, YMMV. :-)

"Systems" and "test beds" and "demos" just aren't games to me. They
may briefly entertain or inform, but they aren't ready for players
to come in a play them again and again.

Wondering what this thread is _really_ all about, 

Randy

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