Oh absolutely, I'm with you 100% on the simulators front. To me, that example concisely shows what I'm talking about--that whether something is a "game" depends in its intended purpose. I can take the same widget about driving tanks and shooting terrorists, and if I market to the general populace as purposeless entertainment (and it is accepted as such), then it is a game. If I instead market it to the military as an advanced simulation designed to teach soldiers to be better tank drivers (and it is accepted as such), it is not a game.Karadalis said:Thats why games where there is no skill involved are called gambling games and you have to follow a huge box of laws should money be involved.Abnaxis said:snip
You cant just open up a casino anywhere you want for example. So yeah these games while still being games (luck based games) are their own category. After all the very first games humans invented where luck based, i think dice here if i remember correctly.
And you are indeed correct about RL games being translated into digital format are video games. However driving a car is not a game in RL and a simulator also isnt necesary a game... since it tries to emulate the real world version as close as possible. Just depends on how close the simulation is.
I wouldnt necesary call the simulators they use to teach you how to drive tanks in the army games for example.
While it may seem strange to classify it differently based on how it is used, the distinction is important because it shapes how the software is designed and critiqued. If it builds unrealistic expectations about how combat actually works, it is inappropriate for military use regardless of how fun the oversight is. OTOH, if the interaction includes a half-hour sequence to check and double check all instruments that is boring is hell, that detracts from the software as a game.
Further, I absolutely would agree that gambling games are a class all their own, yet are still considered games. I bring them out to point out that if we as a society include them in our conceptualization of "games," that creates issues with defining the word "game" as "a competitive test of skill or a challenge."