Our discussions in class and the reading made me look at the definition of a game much closer.  We use the word ‘game’ so frequently and in so many contexts, that the definition can be quite broad.  Academics in the reading assigned the adjectives ‘voluntary’, ‘unproductive’, and ‘outside ordinary life’ to games.  However, I find that we often use the term ‘game’ to describe situations that contradict these descriptors.  We play games with others’ minds, we use games (and bribery) to elicit tangible outcomes from children, and we study games (game theory) in which the players have not necessarily voluntarily entered.

The concept that games require voluntary play made me think of a popular movie series in which game players have not voluntarily agreed to play, let alone have fun.  Want to play a game?