Portal:Games

The Games Portal

Ancient Egyptian senet game board inscribed for Amenhotep III with separate sliding drawer, from 1390 to 1353 BC, made of glazed faience, dimensions: 5.5 × 7.7 × 21 cm, in the Brooklyn Museum (New York City).

A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art (such as games involving an artistic layout such as mahjong, solitaire, or some video games).

Games have a wide range of occasions, reflecting both the generality of its concept and the variety of its play. Games are sometimes played purely for enjoyment, sometimes for achievement or reward as well. They can be played alone, in teams, or online; by amateurs or by professionals. The players may have an audience of non-players, such as when people are entertained by watching a chess championship. On the other hand, players in a game may constitute their own audience as they take their turn to play. Often, part of the entertainment for children playing a game is deciding who is part of their audience and who participates as a player. A toy and a game are not the same. Toys generally allow for unrestricted play, whereas games present rules for the player to follow. Similarly, a puzzle is not exactly a game.

Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interaction. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational, or psychological role. (Full article...)

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Gukesh Dommaraju of India, the current world champion (2024)

The World Chess Championship is played to determine the world champion in chess. The current world champion is Gukesh Dommaraju, who defeated the previous champion Ding Liren in the 2024 World Chess Championship.

The first event recognized as a world championship was the 1886 match between Wilhelm Steinitz and Johannes Zukertort. Steinitz won, making him the first world champion. From 1886 to 1946, the champion set the terms, requiring any challenger to raise a sizable stake and defeat the champion in a match in order to become the new world champion. Following the death of reigning world champion Alexander Alekhine in 1946, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) took over administration of the World Championship, beginning with the 1948 tournament. From 1948 to 1993, FIDE organized a set of tournaments and matches to choose a new challenger for the world championship match, which was held every three years. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know? -

An All Nippon Airways Boeing 747-400 in Pokémon regalia

...that the virtual economy of massively multiplayer online games sometimes attracts virtual crime, which is punishable by real laws in some countries?
...that since 1998 All Nippon Airways has operated Pokémon Jets (pictured)?
...that the World Chess Hall of Fame originally used cardboard plaques to honor past grandmasters, and was located in the basement of a New Windsor, New York, building?
...that the Japanese role-playing game Night Wizard! was adapted into an animated television series consisting of thirteen episodes?
...that a 2009 Pennsylvania court case ruled that poker is a game of skill, thus not subject to the state laws related to gambling?

General images

The following are images from various game-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1This timeline was made with information from the Wikipedia articles on Board Game, Hasbro, Board Game Cafe, Tabletop Simulator, and Monopoly. All information on this timeline was from those Wikipedia pages as they were on November 24th, 2024 (from Board game)
Image 2Students in Laos using dice to improve numeracy skills. They roll three dice, then use basic math operations to combine those into a new number which they cover on the board. The goal is to cover four squares in the row. (from Game)
Image 3Preferans, a trick-taking card game version popular in Croatia (from Card game)
Image 4Young girls playing a board game in the Iisalmi library in Finland, 2016 (from Board game)
Image 5The Card Players, 17th-century painting by Theodoor Rombouts (from Card game)
Image 6MUD interface for Furcadia (from Role-playing game)
Image 7An adventurer finds a teleportation portal while exploring a dungeon in the role-playing video game Falcon's Eye. (from Role-playing game)
Image 8A selection of pieces from different games. From top: Chess pawns, marbles, Monopoly tokens, dominoes, Monopoly hotels, jacks and checkers pieces. (from Game)
Image 9Ancient Egyptian senet game board inscribed for Amenhotep III with separate sliding drawer, from 1390 to 1353 BC, made of glazed faience, dimensions: 5.5 × 7.7 × 21 cm, in the Brooklyn Museum (New York City). (from Game)
Image 10Tug of war is an easily organized, impromptu game that requires little equipment. (from Game)
Image 11Chinese mother-of-pearl gambling tokens used in scoring and bidding of card games (from Card game)
Image 12Painting in tomb of Egyptian queen Nefertari (1295–1255 BC) playing senet (from Board game)
Image 13 Men Playing Board Games, from The Sougandhika Parinaya Manuscript (from Board game)
Image 14Two Qataris playing the traditional board game of damah (from Board game)
Image 15A ball-in-a-maze puzzle requires fine motor skills. (from Game of skill)
Image 16Historically, card games such as whist and contract bridge were opportunities for quiet socializing, as shown in this 1930s magic lantern slide photo taken in Seattle, Washington. (from Card game)
Image 17Mamluk playing card (king of cups), c. 15th century (from Card game)
Image 18The Card Players by Lucas van Leyden (1520) depicting a multiplayer card game (from Game)
Image 19Mehen game with game stones, from Abydos, Egypt, 3000 BC, Neues Museum (from Board game)
Image 20Playing Cards, by Theodoor Rombouts, 17th century (from Game)
Image 21The modern German board game Catan is printed in 30 languages and sold 15 million by 2009. (from Board game)
Image 22The number of board games published by year (1944–2017), as listed on BoardGameGeek. Expansion sets for existing games are marked in orange. (from Board game)
Image 23Parcheesi is an American adaptation of a Pachisi, originating in India. (from Game)
Image 24Association football is a popular sport worldwide.
Image 25The board game Monopoly is licensed in 103 countries and printed in 37 languages. (from Board game)
Image 26A fantasy LARP group (from Role-playing game)
Image 27Backgammon is a game of skill. Strategy can give players advantages, but there is also an element of chance. (from Game of skill)
Image 28A group playing a tabletop RPG. The GM is at left using a cardboard screen to hide dice rolls from the players. (from Role-playing game)