ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the broader discussion of what games are, aesthetics, the elements that actually make up games. We refer to all aspects of video games that are experienced by the player, whether directly (such as audio and graphics) or indirectly (such as rules). Thus, importantly, aesthetics as used here is not limited to how a game looks or sounds but is more broadly related to how it plays, as a function of the various design choices of the developers.
This includes a number of different areas broadly structured into: rules (definitions, systems, gameplay, game balance, emergence), geography/representation (perspective, dimensions, space type, graphical style), and number of players (single or multiplayer).
Finally, we also cover examples of games that challenge or even break the boundaries like alternate reality games.
