What Makes A Game?

In describing what exactly makes a game, McGonigal argues that all games consist of "four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system and voluntary participation" (2011 pp. 21). Taking these in turn, she goes on to describe these four fundamental aspects and their relationships with each other, with the objective of showing just how similar games are at the most primitive level.

Firstly, the goal is described as being "the specific outcome that players will work to achieve" (McGonigal, 2011 pp. 21). The goal, then, simply represents the main objective of the game, for example in rugby union the objective is to score more points than the opposing team to win, or perhaps in a first-person shooter such as Call of Duty, the main objective of the game requires the player to move from point A to B while completing sub-objectives along the way.

Of course, to make things fair for all players, rules must be drawn up and adhered to, allowing them to participate and experience the game on an equal footing. Rules "place limitations on how players can achieve the goal [and therefore] foster strategic thinking" (ibid.). This strategic thinking enables different tactics to be introduced and employed, for example using different approach methods in Call of Duty to reach certain objectives.

These varying strategies can be rewarded through the numerous methods of feedback employed by games. In addition to this, feedback is used to maintain player participation and represents an effective means of telling players how far they are from attaining their objective. In relation to video games like Call of Duty, this feedback system usually appears in the form of an objective list and updates in relation to player progress. Feedback is important for games, acting as "a promise to the players that the goal is definitely achievable [as well as providing] motivation to keep playing" (ibid.).

The final doctrine relates to voluntary participation which, according to McGonigal, "requires that everyone who is playing the game knowingly and willingly accepts the goal, the rules and the feedback" (ibid.). This simply highlights the fact that participation is not compulsory, affording "common ground for multiple people to play together" (ibid.) and ensures that "stressful and challenging work is experienced as safe and pleasurable" (ibid.).



McGonigal, J. (2011) Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World (New York: Penguin)