What is a game?
I can, and will, go on about this question, but it’s more important, now, to move the pieces forward.
For now, I will give an imperfect definition that goes something like this…
A game is a challenge to be completed voluntarily, competing against some other element to achieve an objective.
Games can take a literal form of board games or video games with very well-defined rules and components.
Games can also take the form of competition in business or between nations, the kind of games talked about in “game theory” and the like.
Competition of any kind, and to a large extent challenge of any kind, can be thought of us a game. If it is a game with a victory condition, that end is often identical to the-thing-the-challenge-is-impeding.
Metaphors can act as a kind of frame.
The metaphor of “The Game” is a very useful one for approaching the world, which allows for iteration and ongoing improvement, encourages engagement, and has at its core the central drive to maximize positive and pleasurable experience.
Approaching the World as a game allows you the level of access to use the cheat codes in a way that is no longer cheating, but instead is a shifting of rules.
For that … you’ll need to know about finite and infinite games.