We probably all have a pretty good intuitive notion of what a game
is. The general term "game" encompasses board games like chess and
Monopoly, card games like poker and blackjack, casino games like
roulette and slot machines, military war games, computer games, various
kinds of play among children, and the list goes on. In academia we
sometimes speak of game theory, in which multiple agents select
strategies and tactics in order to maximize their gains within the
framework of a well-defined set of game rules. When used in the context
of console or computer-based entertainment, the word "game" usually
conjures images of a three-dimensional virtual world featuring a
humanoid, animal or vehicle as the main character under player control.
(Or for the old geezers among us, perhaps it brings to mind images of
two-dimensional classics like Pong, Pac-Man, or Donkey Kong.) In his
excellent book, A Theory of Fun for Game Design, Raph Koster
defines a game to be an interactive experience that provides the player
with an increasingly challenging sequence of patterns which he or she
learns and eventually masters. Koster's asser-tion is that the
activities of learning and mastering are at the heart of what we call
"fun," just as a joke becomes funny at the moment we "get it" by
recognizing the pattern.
An agent-based simulation is one in which a number of distinct entities known as "agents" interact. This fits the description of most three-dimensional computer games very well, where the agents are vehicles, characters, fireballs, power dots and so on. Given the agent-based nature of most games, it should come as no surprise that most games nowadays are implemented in an object-oriented, or at least loosely object-based, programming language.
All interactive video games are temporal simulations, meaning that the vir- tual game world model is dynamic-the state of the game world changes over time as the game's events and story unfold. A video game must also respond to unpredictable inputs from its human player(s)-thus interactive temporal simulations. Finally, most video games present their stories and respond to player input in real time, making them interactive real-time simulations.
One notable exception is in the category of turn-based games like computerized chess or non-real-time strategy games. But even these types of games usually provide the user with some form of real-time graphical user interface.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Popescu_Nicolae/1959823
Video Games as Soft Real-Time Simulations
Most two- and three-dimensional video games are examples of what computer scientists would call soft real-time interactive agent-based computer simulations. Let's break this phrase down in order to better understand what it means. In most video games, some subset of the real world -or an imaginary world- is modeled mathematically so that it can be manipulated by a computer. The model is an approximation to and a simplification of reality (even if it's an imaginary reality), because it is clearly impractical to include every detail down to the level of atoms or quarks. Hence, the mathematical model is a simulation of the real or imagined game world. Approximation and simplification are two of the game developer's most powerful tools. When used skillfully, even a greatly simplified model can sometimes be almost indistinguishable from reality and a lot more fun.An agent-based simulation is one in which a number of distinct entities known as "agents" interact. This fits the description of most three-dimensional computer games very well, where the agents are vehicles, characters, fireballs, power dots and so on. Given the agent-based nature of most games, it should come as no surprise that most games nowadays are implemented in an object-oriented, or at least loosely object-based, programming language.
All interactive video games are temporal simulations, meaning that the vir- tual game world model is dynamic-the state of the game world changes over time as the game's events and story unfold. A video game must also respond to unpredictable inputs from its human player(s)-thus interactive temporal simulations. Finally, most video games present their stories and respond to player input in real time, making them interactive real-time simulations.
One notable exception is in the category of turn-based games like computerized chess or non-real-time strategy games. But even these types of games usually provide the user with some form of real-time graphical user interface.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Popescu_Nicolae/1959823
