week one

The Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein argued that there is nothing that is common to all games, games have certain similarities and relations with each other. He advised his reader not to think, but to look, at the vast range of things that we call games. Some games involve winning and losing, but not all; some are entertaining, but not all; some require skill or luck, but not all.
Games do not all share the same features but have overlapping similarities. He mentioned that the concept of games is like a rope made of twisted fiber, with no single thread. An important element is the notion of ‘family resemblance’. Members of family share some features, but not all.
The concept of games has blurred edges. There is no precise meaning.

I will compare the game tetris to bike mania 2. They are both called games but their concepts are very different. Bike mania is more entertaining, has different challenges and has less space boundaries. However for both games you need certain skills and they are both competitive as they keep you’re your score and level.

These examples contribute to Wittgenstein’s theory as they display similarities and also the differences between games.