ABSTRACT
According to sociologists and cultural anthropologists, games serve to support the community, to communicate and maintain culture, to practice social skills, retain stories, and a myriad of other benefits. Definitions of play range from the highly philosophical to the highly pragmatic. Some academics and designers typically start with the philosophical definitions of play offered by Callois. One of the simplest ways to frame play is simply to start by defining it as a state. It should be clear that a game is essentially structured play. Competition is our goal in the game. Implements are what we use to eliminate the obstruction to our goal. Territory is the physical or theoretical parameters of the game. Inventory refers to the items players accumulate during play. For analog games, it is sometimes handy to document the version of the numerical balance in a game.
