Definition: "game"

In his article "What's the difference between games and gamification?" (http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/08/whats-the-difference-between-games-and-gamification/),  Frank Catalano describes three very different conceptualizations of games.

The first is the idea of what people are calling "gamification" which is adding game-like elements to non-game-like tasks.  For example, in EFL, teachers often play games involving guessing a word or using a correct structure.  These are not inherently games because the main aim could be achieved just as easily with a worksheet; but the teachers think that adding points, competition or a time-limit makes it more fun.  Maybe they're right, more often they aren't.

The second is a simulation or a role-play in which you are exploring worlds and characters.  There's no real end point to this type of activity, it's more of a creativity-focused task.  The real-world analogy would be unstructured playing in a park or other location.

The final one is what Catalano calls "simply" games where there is a definite end-point where you win or lose.  It's more rules based than a simulation.  The aim here, however, is the game itself, not what you might learn from it. For instance, in my earlier examples of EFL games, the focus of the game is grammar or vocabulary, but in an online multiplayer role-play game, you use English to communicate with your teammates to complete missions.  You don't realize how much your English is actually improving, and paradoxically, you learn more.