dtgreene: … By the way, as I mentioned in the other thread, this sort of discussion has happened in the field of music as well; John Cage wrote some works that he called music, but whose musicness has been debated by many musicologists over the years; 4'33" (a piece that is entirely silent) is a famous example of this.
The boundary between symbolic categories will necessarily be fractal.
To illustrate my point, think of a one-dimensional number line (with all the counting numbers, for example, starting at 1, 2, 3, …,
n). If we include zero, this set is called the Natural numbers.
Now, between each natural there are many numbers not included on this definitive line; fractions, irrational numbers, etc. In fact, how we determine the value of a number on the line is relevant. (Derrida,
il n'ya a pas de hors-texte : there is nothing outside context [in which the fact is represented], 1967).
So, if we take a number as the decimal representation, for instance, to three decimal places, then the first number is 1.000. But any approximation (three decimal places approximates four and more orders of diminuitude) is inherently eliding some detail. So, the numbers between 0.445 and 1.444 are all represented by this single point on our hypothetical numberline.
There are holes between the numbers, and the holes are actually (thanks to Cantor, we can measure them) bigger than the numbers (i.e., there are larger sets of infinite numbers between the members of the infinite set of natural numbers).
This holey discontinuity illustrates (in a single dimension) a fractal boundary. The closer one looks at the boundary, the more detail is apparent. (You can extend the definition as far as required, to four, five or even four hundred decimal places, but still there are no limits to be found.)
Telika: …
amok: I just wanted to ask a simple little question - "what is a game?"
Telika: Like "art", it's not something for which you'll find a clear definition. … But we usually define "game" as a gratuitous activity that takes place within a "bubble" (of time, space, etc) and that follows certain set of rules that applies only within this bubble. … And then, there's the famous classification of games. Agon (competition games), alea (games of chance), mimicry (games of imitation, play-pretend, etc) and ilinx (games of vertigo, sensations, etc), with the awareness that most games are a mix of those, and that even animals are known to play games of the mimicry and ilinx categories. Again, with some amount of real world benefits (mimicry is training, for instance).
So yeah, Caillois, Wittgenstein, etc. The definition of "games" has been quite the topic in anthropology, philosophy and linguistics. You're in for a ride ….
This also explains what I mean by a fractal boundary between members of an abstract category taken from the infinite reality we swim in.
You may even trace the discussion back to Socrates and the eternal discussion of quiddity: Plato's Forms were a attempt to nominate a general thing from which all instances of a particular type could be determined. Aristotle thought such discussions only relevant for practical pursuit, so he adapted the concept as teleology (something is a game if its fun to play, he might have argued, for instance).
Lifthrasil: … 'game' is a very subjective definition. … Broadly speaking all activities fall into one of three categories: biological necessities, work and leisure.
- biological necessities are things like eating, breathing, sleeping and excreting.
- work is everything that you do to earn a living. I.e. everything enabling you to fulfill some of the biological necessities.
- leisure are all activities that do not have any immediate 'use'. Art-appreciation, sports, slacking off, playing. (of course, there are always people who are paid to do one of those. For them some typical leisure activities can become work)
So, games fall into the 'leisure' activity range for most. I would further split the 'leisure' domain into 'active' and 'passive' leisure, with games falling into the 'active' category. (Watching movies and listening to music would be examples of 'passive' leisure). Active leisure can either be aimed at creating something. For example creating art. Or it can just be about the activity itself, without the goal to create something. Then it's a game.
And that's already it: a game is an active leisure activity, that doesn't aim to create something lasting. In that sense all sports, that isn't done professionally, is also games.
There is also the concept of gaming a system. This indicates that human cognition
enjoys figuring out how stuff works, then testing this solution (gaining the reward of satisfaction when it works).